It’s that time of year in which strawberries and long bike rides just make sense. Luckily for us, both are on the docket this week as Bike Summer (formerly Pedalpalooza) hosts a kickoff ride at Alberta Park and dozens of local food spots sling a certain fruity dessert for Strawberry Shortcake Week. It’s also Portland Book Week, which means your TBR list just got a loooot longer, and Portland State University’s Art and Social Practice MFA program will host experiential art events through the weekend for their annual Assembly.
MONDAY, JUNE 1
Strawberry Shortcake Week
The most wonderful time of the year in Portland is when strawberry season is in full swing. I don’t make the rules, I just eat the strawberries—and the shortcakes. The James Beard Public Market Foundation, which is hopefully going to open that market they’ve been promising forever, is hosting a weeklong event where 45 Portland-area restaurants, bakeries, and other food and drink spots will serve their own takes on the quintessential summer dessert. The lineup includes Cornet Custard, Lilia Comedor, Kachka, Parallel, Xiao Ye, and many more. Your pup can come, too—even Bring! Treats for Dogs is on the list. (Various locations and hours through June 7, more info, all ages) KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
Bike Summer Kickoff Ride
If you’re new to Bike Summer’s (formerly Pedalpalooza) packed schedule of festivities, this kickoff ride is a crash course on the three-month celebration of Portland’s bike culture. Meet up with fellow riders at Alberta Park where local bike organizations will speak, Bike Summer merch will be available, DJ Enso and Unpresidented Brass Band will provide musical vibes, and you can get your trusty steed tuned up by DIY bike maintenance group PDX Brake Room. You can pick up a ride-leader pennant if you’re hosting a ride later in the summer, or check out what else is in store: Folks will promote their themed rides with costumes and flyers. Don’t forget to bring a blanket and snacks for the final destination, where you can watch the sunset with your gaggle of bike-loving new friends. (Alberta Park, 1905 NE Killingsworth, 5 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) BRI BREY
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
Edgefield Gardens Tour
Portlanders know the amenities of McMenamins’ Troutdale campus extends far beyond a picturesque concert venue just 20 minutes from the city. The 74- acre property also offers amazing fountain-clad soaking pools, a golf course, historic hotel, movie theater, onsite brewery, and multiple restaurant and bar options. Get a different view of the property through this tour of Edgefield’s curated gardens, which are filled with native plants and unusual imports. Participants will walk through the sweeping greenery and get a detailed rundown of the edible collaboration garden that grows herbs, fruits, and vegetables used by Edgefield’s chefs, brewers, distillers, and winemakers—sustainability and hyper-local food production at its finest! (Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale, Tues and Thurs 10:30 am through June 30, $15, more info, all ages) BB
Also worth it:
I Love Boosters, Hollywood Theatre, more info
Boots Riley’s new film deepens his surreal, absurdist style while also reflecting on capitalist exploitation embedded in the fashion industry.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
Clay Commons
What’s this? A weekly downtown ceramics market in a calendar of hot things to do? Do This, Do That contains multitude, and we think the readers want to know where they can regularly peruse kiln-fired treasures from local artists, students, and other makers! There’s likely to be a variety of skill levels, but we know Jess Graf, Peter Chee, and Elizabeth B. Silberg are in the mix. Sumaiyya Jaihouni’s smol wonders look extremely dope. Expect wheel demonstrations and a clay craft and play table for the young’ns. On the last Wednesday of the month the market expands into a full blown Guilds Bazaar. (Director Park, 815 SW Park, 11 am-3 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) SUZETTE SMITH
Portland Horror Film Festival
Returning for its 11th fright-tastic year, the Portland Horror Film Festival floods the zone with supernatural thrillers, horror comedies, vampire tales, and experimental genre films. Split over five days beginning at the Hollywood Theatre and wrapping at the Clinton Street Theater, two of PDX’s favorite screening rooms will be fraught with tension and suspense. A special 45th anniversary screening of My Bloody Valentine with filmmaker George Mihalka in attendance will be followed by an interactive workshop at Movie Madness with the director. Other highlights include Gothic horror personality and musician Aurelio Voltaire’s set pre-screening on opening night. Personally, I’m looking forward to the PNW premiere of the nightmarish Big Baby, the world premiere of a modern interpretation of Bram Stoker, Dracula: The Night Around Us, and the throwback campy slasher, Friday the 69th. (Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, June 3-5; Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, June 6-7, $15 per show, $130 festival pass, tickets here, more info,) BB
THURSDAY, JUNE 4
Holocene’s 23rd Birthday Party
Holocene fills an essential niche in the city’s experimental, indie, and queer-centric music scenes. Don’t we owe them, like, the best birthday ever? Bring a gift (yourself) and dig DJ sets by indie-synth heroes STRFKR and Troubled Youth (Judy on Duty’s resident DJ), plus Kiwi & Fifi’s album release performance—that’s Keil Corcoran of STRFKR and Ian Anderson of Guidance Counselor, IYKYK. The venue turns 23, so nothing’s stopping you from pretending it’s 2003 again. Wear a Juicy tracksuit for me, mmkay? (Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8 pm, FREE with RSVP, more info, 21+) LINDSAY COSTELLO
FRIDAY, JUNE 5
Portland Book Week
Now in its third year, Portland Book Week officially feels like a fixture. The ten-day literary celebration makes one thing clear: If you think you’ve hit every bookshop in the area, well, you probably haven’t. Dozens of bookstores across Portland, Vancouver, and Southwest Washington are pulling out the stops with events that will make you laugh, think, sip, swap, and maybe even get a bookish tattoo. As any book lover knows, much of the fun is simply in the process of collecting—but this week offers a few worthwhile extras. Grab a bingo card at any participating shop, collect stamps as you go, and you might win a raffle prize. (Various locations and times through June 14, FREE, more info, all ages) LC
Twin Peaks Season Two w/Harry Goaz
Clinton Street Theater continues its yearlong viewing of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks—jumping into the second season with a special visit from actor Harry Goaz (Deputy Andy Brennan)! There are some (me) who say the surreal show’s second season features far too many scenes of James Hurley (James Marshall) riding a motorcycle through his feelings. But there’s also forbidden love, vamping, possession, fainting spells, and more than a few instances of youngsters sneaking into places where thy don’t belong. This showing features the episodes: “May the Giant Be with You,” “Coma,” “The Man Behind the Glass,” “Laura’s Secret Diary,” and “The Orchid’s Curse.” (Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, 5 pm, $30, tickets here, all ages that can face the darkness that haunts these woods) SS
Therapy Gecko
You might have caught him at a music festival—he’s performed at Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, and Beyond Wonderland—or heard one of his podcast interviews with Doja Cat, Lil Yachty, or Danny Brown. But while Therapy Gecko often taps into musical scenes, he’s also devised an entirely singular schtick as a counselor version of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. It’s understandable if you haven’t considered that a man-sized, anthropomorphic gecko might be the answer to your problems, but you should take a chance on Therapy Gecko, a dude who is, coincidentally, also named Lyle. He grants an empathetic, reptilian ear to all manner of odd questions from anonymous callers on his podcast. I’m assuming he’ll offer a lending hand (do geckos have hands?) to the audience at this performance. (Polaris Hall, 635 N Killingsworth, 7 pm, $25+, more info, 21+) LC
Also worth it:
Assembly 2026: Public Domain, various locations through June 7, more info
Graduate candidates in Portland State University’s experiential Art and Social Practice MFA program engage with the community through social practice projects that feel resourceful, weird, and often funny. Each year, Assembly offers an opportunity to catch up with the MFA students, take part in the art, and learn more about social practice as an ever-expanding medium.
Jaws in Concert, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, more info
The Oregon Symphony, under the baton of conductor Scott Terrell, plays the entire John Williams score of the most bite-y movie in cinema history, as the film is projected on the big screen. They may need a bigger orchestra.
SATURDAY, JUNE 6
Rx Fest
This all-ages mutual aid music and arts festival is sure to provide some bangin’ music, with a lineup of a dozen artists including Gondos, Psycho Tropika, Shaylee, Public Pleasure, the Quality, and Kelli Schaefer. Plus, there’ll be free community skillshares on chemical weapons aftercare and protest safety and an antifascist book fair with over a dozen tabling, including the Institute for Anarchist Studies, SWANA Rose, the Sunnyside Shower Project, and Creators for Gaza. Add in vegan food from Dinger’s Deli, a Food Not Bombs mealshare, and free zines and you’ve got a dream antifascist date. There’s both an indoor and an outdoor stage, with skateboard ramps available outside for free skate; masks are required indoors, and the event is alcohol-free. (JaJa, 819 SE Taylor, 12-10 pm, $20, more info, all ages) KCH
Alex Kumin
Hopping over to Portland from her homebase in NYC, comedian Alex Kumin is bringing along a truckload of smarty-pants, sassy, and devilishly on-point jokes about the patriarchy and female empowerment—and in the most hilarious way possible. Kumin has an awe-worthy command of the stage, as well as the confident experience to engage in extended crowd work that is as funny (if not more) than her excellent stand-up. It’s hard to believe that Kumin isn’t on the lips of comedy lovers everywhere, so catch her now before she blows up. (Siren Theater, 3913 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $20-$25, more info) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
SUNDAY, JUNE 7
Veganizer Asian Market
Now in its second year, the Veganizer Asian Market has grown massively since its inaugural event, with over 75 vendors occupying the entire interior of The Redd on Salmon as well as its patio. Food vendors, all plant-based, include Alley Mezza, Kulfi, Mirisata, Jade Rabbit, Cultured Kindness, Wajan, and many more; art, accessories, and home goods will also be on offer. Check the schedule for chef demos, including Palestinian stuffed grape leaves with Jawaher, dal with Chef Deepak from DesiPDX, and Thai pomelo salad with Farmhouse Kitchen. There’s also a lion dance at 6 pm. Ten percent of ticket sales benefit APANO. (The Redd on Salmon, 831 Salmon, VIP early entry 4 pm, general admission 5-9 pm, $35 VIP, FREE-$15 sliding scale general admission, more info, all ages) KCH
Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!
