POSTED JUNE 20, 2018
(Portland, OR) –
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) will host the Summer Free For All Kickoff Celebration starting at 10:30am on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at the new Luuwit View Park. The event is free and open to all and will feature a basketball clinic with our partners at the Portland Trail Blazers, soccer and field activities with partners from Nike and the Timbers/Thorns, a skateboard clinic, arts and crafts, music, free lunch, and family fun.
WHAT: Summer Free For All Kickoff Celebration
WHEN: Thursday, June 28, 2018, 10:30am-12:30pm (music, games and activities all day; free lunch served at noon)
WHERE: Luuwit View Park, NE 127th Avenue and Fremont Street
Join Portland Parks & Recreation, our valued premier-level sponsors (Bank of America, Collage, Comcast, 93.1 El Rey, Elmer’s Restaurants and iHeartMEDIA) neighbors, summer camp staff, kids, and your friends for recreation activities, arts and crafts, and music. Summer Free For All is only possible thanks to our hundreds of sponsors. For a complete list, please visit this link.
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)’s wildly popular Summer Free For All (SFFA) series is back for 2018, with amazing outdoor citywide events—all summer long. Summer Free For All (SFFA) is a community-building, annual series consisting of free and culturally diverse, music, movies, and recreation programs. This year, Movies in the Park and Concerts in the Park will take place at 43 different parks across the city, and the Free Lunch + Play program will again provide free lunches to youth while classes are not in session, in partnership with five local school districts.
Summer Free For All event guides are online at portlandoregon.gov/parks/sffa in English and eight other languages (Arabic, Burmese, Simple Chinese, Nepali, Russian, Spanish, Somali, and Vietnamese).
“Our ongoing commitment to the Summer Free For All program is important to us since it’s addressing the basic needs of local kids and families,” said Monique Barton, Bank of America Senior Vice President in Portland. “Coming together as a community to fight hunger and effectively address summer food insecurity among school-age children is a very worthy cause, and one we are truly proud to be a part of.”
“I’m delighted that Summer Free For All once again offers music from around the world, family-friendly movies, free lunches, art, sports, games, and such fun in Portland’s parks this summer,” say Portland Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz. “The programming is community-driven and community-focused, and being able to again offer free lunches at some park sites through the Free Lunch + Play program is a key public service. The strong SFFA partnerships and the support of local businesses and neighbors make production and coordination of Summer Free For All possible, and everyone benefits. I offer thanks to the sponsors, partners, and Portland Parks & Recreation staff for all the hard work that helps Portlanders enjoy another wonderful summer.”
“We’re so happy to be back for our fourth year supporting Summer Free for All,” said Rebecca Brown, Director of Community Impact for Comcast Oregon/SW Washington. “At Comcast, we are all about entertainment and we’re proud to help bring the fun of outdoor movies and concerts to our local friends and neighbors.”
“Our mission is ‘Healthy Parks, Healthy Portland’,” says Portland Parks & Recreation Interim Director Kia Selley. “Summer Free For All is a wonderful way many people first engage with Portland Parks & Recreation programs. Production of these special events is made possible through community partners, small local business, and corporate sponsors. This support leads to a lifetime of healthier, happier people of all ages, as well as a united community.”
Summer Free For All 2018 Features
2018 is the 12th season of free Movies in the Park. Portland Parks & Recreation is planning on showing around 35 Movies – including Coco, presented en español at our annual Festival Latino at the new Cully Park (grand opening on Saturday, June 30, 2018. 11:30am-4pm).
This year PP&R is proud to present a Bollywood documentary shown in Hindi with English subtitles, Chak de! India, on Wednesday, August 15 at Laurelhurst Park, in conjunction with Indian Independence Day.
There are 30 free, culturally diverse Concerts in the Park are on this year’s schedule, including music from Bloco Alegria (Rio-style samba), The Slants (Chinatown dance rock), Trujillo (Chicano rock), Portland Interfaith Gospel Choir (led by LaRhonda Steele), Speaker Minds (hip-hop and funk) and Dina y Los Rumberos (Cuban). PP&R is showing movies and concerts at 43 different parks across the city.
Through the Free Lunch + Play program - and thanks to our school district partners - PP&R expects to serve more than100,000 free, healthy lunches to children this summer in parks, PP&R community centers, and an east Portland apartment complex. 57% of young Portlanders qualify for free or reduced-price lunch during the school year. Portland Parks & Recreation supports families by offering nutritious meals and recreational activities during the summer break from school. The Free Lunch + Play program is accompanied by sports, games, crafts, and family activities. Lunches will be served at 25 sites across the city, including the new Luuwit View Park.
Mobile Play, part of Free Lunch + Play
Our Mobile Play program is back and will travel to seven sites in east Portland in park-deficient areas. Portland Parks & Recreation brings the park and play experience to children at apartment complexes and sites for kids to enjoy games and sports.
Washington Park Summer Festival
Enjoy world-class performances at the gorgeous International Rose Test Garden Amphitheater in Washington Park on July 27, 28, and 29, 2018.
- Friday, July 27 – Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater presents UPRISE
- Saturday, July 28 – Opera in the Park - Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
- Sunday, July 29 – Orquestra Pacifico Tropical
Festival Latino, at Cully Park on Saturday, August 11, 2018, 4pm until after sunset–vibrant, multicultural annual festival includes a soccer tournament, Zumba and Pound fitness activities with live music, and a showing of the popular movie Coco en español.
Tongan Day2018 – Saturday, August 18, 2018 at the soon-to-be-open Gateway Discovery Park, 1pm until after sunset–this is the second year of this special event, featuring Tongan and Pacific Islander music and dance performances, food, and a showing of Moana after sundown.
Stay up to date and follow Portland Parks & Recreation on both facebook.com/portlandparks and Twitter, @PDXParksandRec.
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