Portland Event & Entertainment Guide
The Sound
Portland takes its live music personally. This is a city where people will argue about which tiny venue has the best sound for forty-five minutes, and they'll all be right about different rooms. The Crystal Ballroom has been hosting shows since 1914 - the floor is on a mechanical "floating" system that literally bounces when the crowd jumps, and if that doesn't sell you, nothing will. Doug Fir Lounge is a mid-century modern basement venue attached to a motel that somehow became one of the best rooms in the Pacific Northwest. The bookings are impeccable.
Revolution Hall, a converted high school auditorium in inner Southeast, handles the mid-size touring acts and has a rooftop bar with a city view that's worth showing up early for. Mississippi Studios on Mississippi Ave is tiny, cozy, and has a bar attached called Bar Bar (yes, really) that does solid burgers. And in the summer, the outdoor shows at Edgefield - the McMenamins compound out in Troutdale - are perfect. Grab a Ruby on the lawn and watch a band play as the sun sets over the gorge.
Game Day
Providence Park is where the Portland Timbers play, and the atmosphere is certifiably insane. The Timbers Army supporters' section is standing-room only, and they bring chainsaws, enormous tifos, smoke bombs, and a level of coordinated chanting that makes European ultras nod in approval. It's honestly a top-tier live sports experience, even if you don't care about soccer. The Thorns (women's team) play here too, and the crowds are massive. Moda Center downtown hosts the Portland Trail Blazers and the big touring concerts - Rip City is still very much a basketball town.
Eat This
The food carts. Portland has over 500 of them, organized into pods scattered across the city. The big one downtown (Cartlandia moved, but Hawthorne Asylum and others have picked up the slack) can handle an entire meal from appetizer to dessert across four different cuisines. Matt's BBQ does Texas-style brisket out of a cart that would hold its own in Austin. Nong's Khao Man Gai serves exactly one thing - Thai chicken and rice - and it's perfect. For sit-down, Canard on Southeast Division does a duck stack that's become a Portland must-eat, and Lardo's pork meatball banh mi might be the best sandwich in a city obsessed with sandwiches.
Drink Up
Portland has more breweries per capita than any city in America, and the beer culture here isn't just deep, it's competitive. Great Notion in the Alberta Arts District does hazy IPAs and smoothie sours that are destination-worthy. Wayfinder in inner Southeast makes the best lager in the city (fight me). And Hair of the Dog does big, weird Belgian-inspired bottles that you age in your closet like wine. For cocktails, Expatriate on Northeast Prescott does a killer Last Word, and Rum Club is exactly what it sounds like and exactly as good as you'd hope.
Oh, and yes - go to Powell's Books. It's a full city block of books. And Voodoo Doughnut is a tourist trap but the bacon maple bar is still fun. You're allowed to enjoy things.
Weird, wonderful, and always worth the rain. Evil Tickets has your Timbers tickets, Trail Blazers games, and Crystal Ballroom shows all in one spot.
