(May 14, 2025) Enjoy a day of car-free streets for walking, biking, playing and shopping with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) at Southwest Portland Sunday Parkways, Presented by Kaiser Permanente on Sunday, May 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Since 2008, Portland Sunday Parkways has reimagined city streets as joyful, public spaces where people of all ages are invited to explore Portland neighborhoods, turning streets into lively corridors of movement, connection, and celebration. Kaiser Permanente is proud to return as Presenting Sponsor of Sunday Parkways for the 18th year.
“As a health care organization, we know there is a strong link between physical activity and health and mental wellness,” said Wendy Watson, president of Kaiser Permanente Northwest. “Our sponsorship represents our commitment to promote civic pride, support local businesses, and encourage people-powered modes of transportation. Encouraging people to walk, ride and bike Sunday Parkways with friends and family is a great way for everyone to get out, get active and get to know their neighbors, while also allowing us to improve community health."
"Portlanders see our streets as more than just a place for traveling through," said Deputy City Administrator of Public Works Priya Dhanapal. "Sunday Parkways offers a family-friendly way to discover local businesses and community groups in your area. When you experience a Sunday Parkways route, you'll see firsthand how fun it can be to bike, walk, or roll for transportation. We hope everyone in Portland can experience Sunday Parkways every day, by making biking, walking or walking to public transit a routine way you get around town."
Participants are welcome to join the route at any point and head in any direction. This event route is designed to highlight the network of neighborhood greenways and other infrastructure, parks, and community resources. The route features a number of newly completed or soon-to-be completed improvements for biking and walking in Southwest Portland.
This is an event for the whole family! There will be five featured stops along the route where people slow down to enjoy vendor marketplaces, community booths, free family-friendly activities, and live entertainment. Don’t forget to look for the Kaiser Permanente booth at each featured stop to take part in the Kaiser Permanente Sticker Hunt and win a fun prize!
Walking Route (3.6 miles): The self-guided walking route loops around the north side of Gabriel Park to the south side of the park and ventures onward to SW Canby Street. The path leads to SW 35th Avenue and crosses the multi-modal route on SW Capitol Highway. The route continues south along SW 35th Avenue, which leads to SW Spring Garden Street, loops through SW Spring Garden Park, and ends on SW Dolph Street. The path loops around Spring Garden Park and provides exposure to one of the many great walking trails SW Portland offers!
Biking & Rolling Route (2 miles): This route is for participants biking and rolling. Traveling north to south, it runs from the north end of Gabriel Park and continues on SW Vermont Street to 33rd Place, 33rd Place to Nevada Court, Nevada Court to 33rd Avenue, then entirely on SW Capitol Highway to Dolph Court, finishing up along Dolph Court until it meets Spring Garden Park.
Traffic impacts
During Southwest Portland Sunday Parkways, streets along the route will be closed to motorized traffic from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with limited local access to homes or businesses on the route. It is best to avoid driving in the area to avoid delays. Intersections will have temporary barricades set up with volunteers available to help people who are driving through to get where they need to go.
Parking on streets along the Southwest Sunday Parkways route is forbidden on the day of the event in five areas designated for vendor marketplace, community booths and activities in the streets. "No Parking" signs will be posted at those locations at least two days in advance.
Vehicles left on the route in areas posted for "no parking" will be cited and courtesy towed to a nearby location beginning at 6 a.m. on event day. Vehicle owners will be charged a citation for violating a posted "no parking" area, but will not be charged for the tow or storage.
In other areas along the route, PBOT strongly encourages residents and people with businesses along the route to park vehicles off the street, as much as possible. This would be especially helpful near the parks and in the Multnomah Village area.
The Southwest Portland Sunday Parkways route features designated crossings for motorized vehicles to allow safe passage through the area. Car traffic is permitted to cross SW 35th Avenue, eastbound and westbound, at SW Multnomah Boulevard and at SW Falcon Street. Vehicle traffic will also be allowed to cross SW Capitol Highway, northbound and southbound, at SW 35th Avenue and allowed to cross SW Vermont Street, northbound and southbound, at SW 35th Avenue. See the route map on the Sunday Parkways website for more details of the designated car crossing locations.
As part of Sunday Parkways partnership with TriMet, special bus detours will help riders navigate around the event. TriMet Bus People riding public transit should www.trimet.org/home/alerts for more details and the latest information on service impacts and updates.
Bus detours are in effect only on Sunday, May 18, starting at 8:30 a.m. Normal service will resume after 5:30 p.m. For more information about these detours, see the Prepare for Street Closures section of Sunday Parkways website.
Plan ahead and stay in the loop! Bookmark the Sunday Parkways public Google map for information on designated car crossing points, TriMet detour routes, the event routes and more!
New event features this year
There will be five activation areas along the SW route offering vendor marketplaces, community booths, free family-friendly activities, and live entertainment. This event provides something for the whole family, including the following new features at this year’s SW event:
- The event’s walking route will be self-guided and has been expanded to 3.6 miles to showcase more of SW Trails work in this neighborhood and offer more scenery as participants experience Sunday Parkways on foot. Look for the tall blue Kaiser Permanente flags in Gabriel Park and Spring Garden Park for the start of this walking route.
- Sunday Parkways in partnership with Multnomah Neighborhood Association will host live musical performances during this event at Village Park, a beautiful greenspace located along the event’s walking route at the corner of SW 36th Ave and SW Troy Street! Bring a chair or blanket and settle in for a high-energy, family friendly concert featuring Baz Moto and Understatement Of The Year.
- SW Sunday Parkways is bringing the roller disco groove to Multnomah Art Center’s parking lot with free skate rentals from Rose City Rollers skate mobile and non-stop jams from DJ Doc Rock. Lace up and enjoy some family-friendly fun on wheels—no experience required!
- Learn how to maintain your bike and fix a flat by attending free bike maintenance workshop hosted by Portland Bureau of Transportation's Portland By Cycle Team from 11:30 a.m. – noon, 1 – 1:30 p.m., 2 – 2:30 p.m., and 3 – 3:30 p.m. These workshops will be located next to the Sunday Parkways information booth in Multnomah Village at SW Capitol Highway and SW 36th Avenue.
Check out the Sunday Parkways website for full entertainment and programming details. You can also keep up to date by texting "Southwest" to 888-520-0526 for event updates.
Save the dates!
Mark your calendars for the next three Sunday Parkways events Presented by Kaiser Permanente in Northeast Cully on June 29, East Portland on July 27, and a brand-new event in Downtown Portland on Sept. 14!
About Sunday Parkways
Portland Sunday Parkways Presented by Kaiser Permanente, is a Portland Bureau of Transportation program in partnership with the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund that promotes healthy active living through a series of free events opening the city's largest public space - its streets - to walk, bike, roll, and connect with community. For more information, visit PortlandSundayParkways.org or call 311 / 503-823-4000.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.4 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.
About Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF)
The Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits initiative was passed by 65% of Portland voters in November 2018. It provides a consistent, long-term funding source and oversight structure to ensure that our community's climate action efforts are implemented to support social, economic and environmental benefits for all Portlanders, particularly communities of color and people with low incomes. The initiative was supported by a broad coalition of groups and individuals and represents the first environmental initiative in Oregon led by communities of color.