As a native Portlander, it's incredibly insulting to have the prime 4th of July location for the…read moreCity of Portland taken over by this festival, which was free with donations for DECADES but now charges $55 and won't allow families to bring outside food. THIS WAS WHERE PORTLAND FAMILIES HAD THEIR PICNICS AND WATCHED FIREWORKS! This festival should be made free with donations again or move to a different weekend. The festival is nice, BUT Portlanders have a right to use their own huge, central park location for a 4th of July celebration EVERYONE can attend, like any other city. I have no idea why people have not stood up to this outrage the past several years.

Back after a 2 year absence (pandemic) the Blues Festival did not disappoint. They always have a…read morefantastic lineup consisting of some of the best blues artists around and also some jam bands and folk music that crosses all genres. This high energy event attracts people from Portland and all over the country. Dancing, chilling, people watching - it's perfect for all of that. The festival takes place on the waterfront lawn in front of RiverPlace Marina with views of the Williamette River and bridges. There is not any shade so definitely come prepared with a hat and sunblock. This year the weather was perfect, low 70s and some days overcast, but other years it's been high 90s with blazing sun and lots of sunburned people. There are four stages, two showcase the more well known bands. You can purchase seats or bring your own chair and blanket and sit in the lawn, which is what we do. But get there early or be prepared to squeeze into a spot. Those lucky enough to own or have a friend with a boat, dock in the Marina adding to the ambiance. Even kayaks and paddle boarders flock to this area to enjoy the music. The smell of weed permeates; smoking pot is common, even before it was legal, so just be aware if the smell turns you off. It's everywhere, not limited to specific seating areas. There is an area dedicated to local venders selling music memorabilia, jewelry, clothing (including tie-dye and embroidery), artwork, crafts and local services. Also food carts with varied cuisines, definitely something for everyone. Prices range from $8-15. You can also buy beer, wine and cider. Water stations are throughout and there are lots of portable bathrooms underneath the Hawthorne Bridge. The Festival culminates on July 4th with a phenomenal fireworks display on the river. They shoot them from a barge situated right in front of the Hawthorne Bridge and the fireworks reflect on the water. It's spectacular! Trucks and cars often stop on the various freeways overlooking the river and families gather on the lawns of the surrounding park, esplanade and residential area to picnic and watch the display. The Blues Festival used to be free with a donation of canned goods but now they charge a fee. You can purchase single day tickets or passes for the entire festival. Early bird prices are the way to go. Check their website for details.

Visited from WA…read more Cons: There's plenty of artists but not artisans. If you're looking for artisan work this is not the place A mix of handmade stuff with a lot of commercial booths Plenty of food options but many booths have hard to understand menus, not well organized Overall food wasn't very attractive. Not sure if it's presentation or something else. Not enough seating for food Pros: Great people watching experience Plenty of food options even though not very attractive Music stages Plenty of restaurants around in case you don't want to eat at the fair Overall it was an ok experience. I wouldn't come back here.

Community vendor for many years pre-Covid and current. Great crowds, crowd management, and support.read more

Fellow Yelper JL and I have been going to Feast Portland since 2013 and always have a blast. As…read morenative Angelenos, we like that this festival introduces us to different parts of the city we probably wouldn't normally see. Oh, and you also get to eat and drink your face off. While there are so many events from which to choose, you really shouldn't miss Night Market. Last year, and again this year, it's been held at the Zidell Yards. We had no idea where this place was, so we were stoked to discover that was a large field smack dab on the Willamette River and within feet of the Ross Island Bridge. The food pays homage to global street food, so there is literally something for everybody. There were also fire dancers, a free photo shoot with a wagon, a dj spinning, and endless amounts of alcoholic beverages. I could go on and on about this festival, but the pictures really do speak for themselves. Can't wait for this year's Night Market! Oh yeah, wear comfy shoes.

True, I do agree to an extent that the lines here were a little long. If you do come with a friend,…read moredo a buddy system and have him or her to get the food for you while you can do the same for drinks! Food here was redunkulously good! The ravioli was one of my favorite, then Bollywood's cauliflower, then the freshly made handrolls (I had 2!) Mei Lin represented LA with her Pate Egg rolls! YAAS ! I didn't get everything I wanted here, I do have to say. It was dark , just like the Night Markets in Asia but quite frankly, the caliber of food here was superb! I would recommend the event planners to have this again, but to definitely open it up a little more because the correct lines were hard to spot. So maybe bigger banners for the Chefs as well.

We attended the 6th annual Clackamas County Lavender Festival which is held just outside of Carver,…read moreOregon. What a great location. I didn't realize this location was there. I had a great time listening to the band and drinking lavender lemonade. They had several craft vendors on site as well as free demonstrations on how to make lavender wreathes. The Clackamas River Basin Council had a nice set up of native plants in a portable display kind of fun to check out, however, the placement was next to face painting so I don't think they got as much foot traffic as they had hoped for. They had plenty of u cut lavender. I'm sure they will continue to have that throughout the season. Check out the scene. It's really nice there.

Went to their 10'th Annual Lavender Festival for my first time here and it was so lovely! The first…read moresite of seeing fields of lavender just blew my mind as I was in the parking area from afar walking in. I was welcomed with the sound of festivities with live bands, drinks, food, various vendors, and u-pick lavenders with a choice of making it into a lavender bouquet or wreath. This place is beautiful and has efficient sprinkler mist system and waterfall ponds for kids to play in, which was perfect for this very warm sunny day. The festival lasts for two days, so this year it was on June 25-26, 2016. The event is free! I was bummed that I forgot to bring a nice camera. Great lavender fields for photography! The scent of lavender everywhere just adds that aromatic touch to the whole experience. *These lavender bushes attract a lot of bees. There will be many bees per lavender bush, but they don't really bother you.

This was my first time at this particular Renaissance Faire and the last Ren Fair I'd been to was…read morein the Bay Area back in the 90's!! So I was SUPER excited to bring my family here. We drove up from Grants Pass just for this faire! We arrived around 10:30am and luckily enough found a decent parking spot fairly quickly. We were very confused when we saw the line, it was several blocks long and seemed to be doubling around....we initially could not figure out where the end of the line was. When we finally figured it out we discovered the wait was over 2 hours long! We did not get inside the Faire till around 12:45ish I believe. Of course we missed the opening ceremony. Being newbies we were not dressed up so we ended up buying outfits to wear from the vendors.... beautiful options but very expensive! Still, once we got dressed up and in the spirit we enjoyed ourselves tremendously!! Almost everyone was decked out in costumes, which was so much fun to witness!! Many people were decked out so elaborately and authentically, it looked as professional as a movie set!! Just incredible!! We were also VERY impressed with the quality of merchandise....the majority of vendors were selling beautiful high end or hand crafted items. I loved what I got! Although the prices were much higher than I've seen in recent times, still I guess you have to pay to play. The food lines were ridiculous! Very chintzy portions for waaaayyyy overpriced food. The only thing we got to eat was a very anemic almost empty looking gyro for the outrageous price of $14 each, the taste was decent....but after waiting an hour in line to get it? Not worth it. I would bring my own food next time. Luckily I did get a beer and the commemorative mug which was soooooo pretty! The beer line went super fast which was nice. Overall I loved going to this Ren faire on their opening day, Saturday which was Fantasy/Fairy day! If I lived closer I'd go every weekend and see it all! I sadly did not get to see the jousting or any little shows as we were not well prepared or organized enough this time around. We did stay the entirety of the faire and only left at closing time around 7:00pm.

We've gone every year for the last four. Faire has been a constant and something we've looked…read moreforward to every year since we started going. Usually parking is a pain but the line has never been more than maybe 10 min wait. No ADA accessibility was a final straw for my disabled mother last year.. AND THEN this first Saturday was a joke and we all left highly disappointed. There weren't enough portas in the parking lot, so tp was out and tanks were full by 330ish. We missed most of the shows waiting for 2.5 hours to get in with one of the longest lines I've ever seen (don't forget having families stand in the road). Then we found out most of our favorite faire food was sold out. Waited in line for other food to be told they had very limited options. Proceeded to wait almost an hour for mead. Highly disappointed in the fact that Faire sold as many tickets as they did but continued to keep ONE entrance, ONE check in booth, and the same amount of space. Also seems like the food vendors were highly unprepared for the amount of people. Unless things change, I don't see us spending money for this Faire next year. Which is a huge shame. AND ON TOP OF IT ALL, people couldn't even be bothered to say HAZZAH.

Really love the concept. Really underwhelmed with the quality of vendors…read more Pros Great concept Plenty of food and booze options Music Free event. Cons If you're looking for artisan quality handmade goods this is not the place Not a lot of vendors. I expected more Many commercial vendors. Not all are handmade. Overall it was an ok e Terence but I wouldn't come back.

This place is so much fun. My friends and I went to the Portland Night Market for their 90's Night!…read moreYou step in and the first thing you see are their decorations. A jumbo, sparkly Furby, Tetris pieces, gold chain balloons, dolphins, cassettes, Gameboys, Lisa Frank, Tamagotchi, and many other things. We went through the building to the back for food. There was a small variety of carts but enough to satisfy. We got the wood fired pizza. Yum! Inside there were a lot of vendors selling a variety of 90's themed creations or different things I haven't seen at other markets. This included: wooden Pokémon cards, wands, jewelry (Selena, origami), drinks and treats, caricatures, ceramics, and so much more. I had hair tinsel put in at one of the beauty vendors. There was a range of amount and cost, which I felt was fair. I got 5-6 hot pink tinsel. It took some time, but the ladies were very nice. I was highly satisfied with the result, and I've only lost 1 after 9 months! This place was a 10/10 would go again. The only issue was it was a little crowded, but that didn't stop me from getting through. Lol.

I had never been but my fiance had several years back pre covid. We knew parking was going to be…read morehard plus we drive a truck so we always expect that. We found parking with in 10 minutes and only had to walk 1/2 a mile to the festival. I know my fiance was a little sad they didn't have the coins for currency but the bracelets made it quick. As she explained the event to me I was worried we would be there 4-5 hours stuck in long lines. We were there at 12 pm Saturday and the most we waited for 10 minutes. Things were quick, effient and well ran. Let's talk about the food!!! OMG amazing!!! We tried everything pretty much but shared it amongst our self. We left so full and we took a few items home we couldn't finish. Admission was $5 then it was what ever you wanted to purchase food wise. So much fun!!

FINALLY attended. I loved it. The iconography in the church alone is worth the two hour trip, and…read moredrinking Greek wine, eating Greek food, and listening to Greek music in war-torn Portland is a treat. My favorite part was absolutely and by far the 'tour' we took. It was actually a beautiful lecture on Greek Orthodoxy by a devout priest with a thick accent and the charisma of ten men. I learned more about the differences between most americanized xtianity and what they practice in that beautiful place than I ever had before, and was blessed to do so in a beautiful setting on a beautiful day surrounded by joy and the smells and sounds of revelry. I am far and beyond not xtian, I practice something somewhat wider, but by my own rules I get to partake in all ideas of spirituality and many of the practices in many flavors with great exuberance. In this. Some days are more beautiful than others. This man, this priest, was truly moved by his beliefs, and I believe Greek priests to be some of the most educated practitioners of any dogma. He had such a beautiful grasp of the nature of his church, and a wonderful knack for communicating those ideas to any newcomer who might cross his path with interest. So unlike the many small clickish churches in the community I'm surrounded by. Instead of exclusionary, it is open-armed, ready to share without force what they believe with examples and proof as to the impact such beliefs can have in a life that needs it. It truly feels welcoming. If you have the chance to walk into one of their public events, do it. Even if it's just to learn some history of a colorful people and stare at the beautiful walls that will surround you. The upstairs presentation of beloved loaned items that represent a variety of subjects in the history of the culture was impressive, and the enthusiasm of those showing it off can't be matched. I was heartbroken we couldn't stay for the dancing. The venue is well organized and easy to navigate, and it's one of the few festivals I've been in Oregon where people were polite all around. Eat the food and you're completely winning! They are a community who love to feed you! Opa!

Went to the fair last night. Almost as good as in 2024. Good quese briria with fresh and hot soup…read more The fried oreos were great too! Lots of fun rides, wish there was the plant vendor indoors who lot of great plants last time I visited. Brads reptiles house is always fun!

This is a pretty small fair with the usual fried food, rides, and animals. It's free to enter, but…read moreI'm not convinced it's worth the price of admission. If you don't want to ride the rides, there isn't a lot to see or do.