As summer winds down and the temperature clicks ever upward, it’s a great time to take refuge under the trees of one of Portland’s dreamy parks and take in a show. This and every summer, our city offers an awe-inspiring array of free concerts, movies and performances for all. So bring your blanket and your happy hour Yeti and get ready to admire dozens of Portland’s cutest dogs while PDX performers serenade us! Here are a few of the remaining events of summer I’m most looking forward to:
Kickstand Comedy in the Park at Laurelhurst Park | Friday (Aug. 19, Sept. 2, Sept. 16 & Sept 30) | 6:00 pm
Arrive early to claim a close spot on the Laurelhurst grass because this mega-popular event featuring local and visiting comics has been drawing thousands of people!
“Date Night in the Park” Eldon T Jones + Friends at Columbia Park Annex | Friday (Aug. 19) | 6:30 pm
“Romantic sounds of saxophone jazz and love songs, featuring Arietta Ward, Rich Layton, Rae Gordon, and Ronnie Wright.”
Adult Soap Box Derby at Mt. Tabor Park | Saturday (Aug. 20) | 10 am – 4 pm
Some race to win, others to wow but everyone has a great time on this annual display of Art and Science in action on Mt. Tabor. Soapbox races zoom all day from the top of Tabor down to the finish line at the upper reservoir. Bring a chair, a cold beverage or two and wear some SPF!
Opera a la Cart at the Hampton Opera Center | Thursday (Aug. 25) | Noon
It seems rarer to see free opera than other music forms and this is a really cool concept: Operatic performances inspired by PDX’s food cart culture where the singers perform on a fold-out stage built by architecture students from PSU. There’s one performance left!
Sunday Aug 28 | Providence Stage Band at Laurelhurst Park | 6:00 pm
Bring a picnic and a parent (or grandparent!) who will get a kick out of the big band sounds from the 40s to the 70s!
The Oregon Symphony Annual Waterfront Concert | Saturday Sept. 3 | 7:00 pm
The cannons are being loaded! Celebrate the end of summer (and the oppressive heat?!) with the Oregon Symphony as they serenade us with Mozart, Morricone, Brahms and many more. And as always, the concert ends with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with LIVE cannon fire!
Free local PDX comedy shows can always be found here. (Ongoing!)
And … One week left to enjoy Original Practice Shakespeare in the Park all over PDX.
Friday, Aug 19, 7:00pm – Romeo and Juliet – Washington Park Amphitheatre
Saturday, Aug 20, 7:00pm – A Midsommer Nights Dreame – Washington Park Amphitheatre
Sunday, Aug 21, 2:00pm – Twelfe Night – Mt Tabor Amphitheatre
Sunday, Aug 21, 7:00pm – Apprentice/Intern Showcase – Mt Tabor Amphitheatre
Thursday, Aug 25, 7:00pm – The Tempest -Luwwit View Park
The remaining Summer Free For All festivities:
| Friday, August 19 | Luuwit View Park NE 127th Avenue and Fremont Street | MOVIE: Hook (1991) PG | 7:30pm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, August 19 | DATE NIGHT IN THE PARK Columbia Park Annex, N Woolsey Avenue and N Willamette Boulevard | CONCERT: Eldon T Jones + Friends – Romantic sounds of saxophone jazz and love songs, featuring Arietta Ward, Rich Layton, Rae Gordon, and Ronnie Wright. | 6:30pm |
| Saturday, August 20 | April Hill Park SW 58th Avenue and Miles Street | MOVIE: In the Heights (2021) PG-13 | 7:30pm |
| Saturday, August 20 | Gates Park Property SE 136th Avenue and SE Holgate Boulevard | CONCERT: The Jack Maybe Project – Pacific NW folk and blues | 6:30pm |
| Thursday, August 25 | The Fields Park 1099 NW Overton Street | MOVIE: The Frisco Kid (1979) PG | 7:30pm |
| Thursday, August 25 | Kʰunamokwst Park 5200 NE Alberta Street | CONCERT: King Louie & Sean Holmes – Dynamic sounds of jazz and soul blues | 6:30pm |
| Friday, August 26 | Glenhaven Park NE 82nd Avenue and Siskiyou Street | MOVIE: Moana (2016) PG | 7:30pm |
| Friday, August 26 | George Park N Burr Avenue and Fessenden Street | HIP HOP FESTIVAL: The Kidz Outside – Inaugural family-friendly hip-hop festival featuring youth performer, J Prodigy and St. Johns rapper Mat Randol | 6:30pm |
| Saturday, August 27 | Irving Park NE 7th Avenue and Fremont Street | CONCERT: Kimberly Monique – Singer, songwriter of old and new school R&B, soul, and funk | 6:30pm |
| Saturday, August 27 | Sewallcrest Park SE 31st Avenue and Stephens Street | MOVIE: Raya and The Last Dragon (2021) PG | 7:30pm |
| Sunday, August 28 | Laurelhurst Park SE 37th Avenue and Oak Street | CONCERT: Providence Stage Band – Big band sounds from the 40s to the 70s | 6:00pm |
| Thursday, September 1 | Overlook Park N Interstate Avenue and Fremont Street | MOVIE:West Side Story (2021) PG-13 | 7:30pm |
| Saturday, September 3 | Woodstock Park SE 50th Avenue and Steele Street | MOVIE: Soul (2020) PG | 7:30pm |
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