Upcoming Plaza and Community Events
With our transition from the Plazas Newsletter to the broader Portland Street Life, we’re excited to start highlighting community events happening across the city! These large-scale events are made possible thanks to the Portland in the Streets team, who help bring our neighborhoods to life by permitting temporary street closures for public celebrations, markets, cultural gatherings, and more.
Here is what's on our radar for the month. New events from our partners are also regularly re-posted on the PBOT Instagram page.
Need help finding a PBOT Street Plaza? Check out the Plaza Directory!
Thursday, April 3
- First Thursdays at NW 13th Avenue Plaza: 5:00-9:00 PM. Join us in the Pearl District for First Thursday. Experience the work of local artists and makers along NW 13th Plaza on NW 13th Avenue between Everett and NW Irving streets. This event is sponsored by the Urban Art Network.
Wednesday, April 9
- Spring into Wellbeing Recess at Montgomery Plaza: 11:45 AM - 1:45 PM. SHAC Counseling Services and SHAC Health Promotion are partnering to host recess. Come play some of your old favorite playground games like hop scotch, four square, jumping rope, hula hoops, chalk and more!
Thursday, April 10
- In Concert Music Series - Johnny Franco and His Real Brother Dom at Montgomery Plaza: 11:00 AM -1:30 PM. If you haven’t seen Johnny Franco and His Real Brother Dom perform, you’re in for a real treat! This dynamic duo brings vintage rock 'n' roll flair, infectious energy, and undeniable sibling chemistry to every set. Recently moving from Sao Paulo, the duo has developed a cult following in Portland for their high energy performances blending Beatles-esque charm with a modern twist. Grab your lunch and head to Montgomery Street Plaza for a mid-day music break that’ll lift your spirits and get your toes tapping. Don’t miss it!
Saturday, April 12
- Beer Keg Strongman at Ankeny Rainbow Road: 11:00 AM-1:00 PM. Get ready for a day of outrageous fun and feats of strength as the neighborhood celebrates the grand re-opening of Gorges Beer with the Beer Keg Strongman Challenge! Think you’ve got what it takes? Step into the plaza and test your grit, muscle, and willpower with strongman-style challenges in a supportive, high-energy environment. From hoisting beer kegs to other wild athletic contests, this event is all about strength, community, and a little bit of ridiculousness. Not feeling competitive? No problem! Kick back on Gorges Beer’s gorgeous outdoor patio, enjoy a brew, and cheer on the competitors.
Thursday, April 17
- Woodblock Architecture 10 Year Anniversary on SW 9th Ave from SW Alder to SW Washington St: 4:00–9:00 PM. Celebrate a decade of design with the team behind Flock Food Hall! Join Woodblock Architecture for their 10-year anniversary party in downtown Portland. The event will feature food and drink from eight vendors inside Flock, plus outdoor tents for additional space. All are welcome to attend and explore the space this team helped bring to life.
Saturday, April 19
- Flip Side – Vegan Market on N Liberty St in front of Hail Snail: 11:00 AM–6:00 PM. Hail Snail invites you to Flip Side, a monthly vegan market in North Portland. With 30 vendors offering plant-based food, handmade goods, and more, this free, all-ages event is a great way to spend a Saturday. Come for the vibes, stay for the community!
Monday, April 21
- WHAT Hut at Montgomery Plaza: 11:15 AM-1:45 PM. Come visit the Wellness & Health Action Team at the WHAT Hut as they share wellness resources, have games, and give away swag. There is even free coffee! The Hut is a place for PSU students to receive peer support around self-care, stress management, and access a variety of other wellness resources. The WHAT Hut is a friendly, approachable way to positively engage with your peers around health and wellbeing topics.
Thursday, April 24
- Strong Towns PDX "Urbanist Happy Hour" at Ankeny Rainbow Road: 4:00-7:00 PM. Strong Towns PDX will host bike riders, housing and land use nerds, public transit geeks, and all those who like urban planning and design to meet and enjoy a social Thursday together. Get food at local businesses, eat in the plaza, and enjoy coffee or beverages while making new friends.
Saturday, April 26
- TEDxPortland at Keller Auditorium and Keller Fountain Park: 9:00 AM-7:00 PM.Join the conversation at one of Portland’s most dynamic events! TEDxPortland brings together world-class speakers, performers, and changemakers for a weekend of "Ideas Worth Spreading." The mainstage event will be held at Keller Auditorium with a public outdoor gathering on SW 3rd and Ira Keller Fountain Park featuring vendors, food, and community programming. Learn more at tedxportland.com.
- Cycle Oregon Community Block Party on SE Sherman Between SE 10th and SE 11th Ave: 12:00–5:00 PM. Celebrate the joy of cycling at this family-friendly community block party hosted by Cycle Oregon! Featuring a kids’ bike rodeo, helmet giveaways, community partner booths including BikePOC and Black Girls Do Bike, and plenty of bike stoke to go around. Free and open to the public. Learn more at cycleoregon.com.
- Space Bass Presents: What's Shakin!? at Ankeny Alley: 3:00-10:00 PM. A FREE dance party to celebrate music, art and the core values that make the Tectonic SHIFT Festival such an incredible event each year. Featuring some fun interactive theme camps, and several of Portland's favorite DJ's (Mienne, Jen Jiggedy and Marcus Funkhouser to name a few). Come shake your booty, meet new friends, and practice radical self expression while weaving this inspired community web.
Monday, April 28
- WHAT Hut at Montgomery Plaza: 11:15-AM-1:45 PM. Come visit the Wellness & Health Action Team at the WHAT Hut as they share wellness resources, have games, and give away swag. There is even free coffee! The Hut is a place for PSU students to receive peer support around self-care, stress management, and access a variety of other wellness resources. The WHAT Hut is a friendly, approachable way to positively engage with your peers around health and wellbeing topics.
Thursday, May 1
- First Thursdays at NW 13th Avenue Plaza: 5:00-9:00 PM. Join us in the Pearl District for First Thursday. Experience the work of local artists and makers along NW 13th Plaza on NW 13th Avenue between Everett and NW Irving streets. This event is sponsored by the Urban Art Network.
Saturday, May 3
- 503 Day at Ankeny Alley: 1:00-6:03 PM.This free and all-ages block party, hosted by City Cast Portland and Hey Portland, honors our city’s iconic area code with live music, drag performances, karaoke with local celebs, food vendors, and a proclamation at 5:03 PM declaring 503 Day an official Portland holiday. Be one of the first 100 attendees to snag a free swag-filled tote! Come show your love for Portland and celebrate everything that makes this city one of a kind.
- The Arleta Triangle Arts and Crafts Kaleidoscope at Arleta Triangle Square: 11:00 AM-5:00 PM. An Arts and crafts event featuring makers from the Portland metro area in collaboration with Mt Scott Arleta Neighborhood Association.
Sunday, May 4
- The Arleta Triangle Arts and Crafts Kaleidoscope at Arleta Triangle Square: 11:00 AM-5:00 PM. An Arts and crafts event featuring makers from the Portland metro area in collaboration with Mt Scott Arleta Neighborhood Association.
Want to Throw a Free Event in a PBOT Plaza?
Plazas are for Portlanders and we love to see them thrive! Want to throw a performance, dance party, craft market, seed swap, game night, neighborhood meet and greet, or something else?
The Small Plaza Activation Process is intended to remove barriers for small-scale (less than 100 people) neighborhood-based activities that build social and community connections in PBOT plazas. Best of all, permits under Small Plaza Activation are 100% FREE.
Looking to throw something larger? Apply for a Community Event with Portland in the Streets!
🌈Finding Friends Over the Rainbow: Community Advocates Band Together to Support Their Neighborhood Plaza
In past issues, we’ve celebrated some of the community champions behind our beloved plazas—like the St. Johns Boosters, Friends of the Commons, and the Ankeny Alley Association. This month, we’re thrilled to welcome the newest crew to the plaza family: Friends of Rainbow Road! Formed this year, this energetic group of business owners, neighborhood advocates, and community dreamers is bringing big heart and bright ideas to the Rainbow Road Plaza in the Buckman-Kerns area. With support from the Kerns Neighborhood Association, Buckman Community Association, and Strong Towns PDX, they’re on a mission to make this colorful community space even more magical.
Recently, Plaza Coordinator Greg Raisman and Plaza Communications Lead Tyler Smith joined the Friends at Moonshot Tavern for a hands-on design session that felt a bit like playing a board game. Using a scaled map and real budget constraints, the friends group collaboratively planned the public seating layout for the plaza. After thoughtful discussion and creative visioning, the group landed on designs. What's more, fresh new furniture is already on its way for the 2025 plaza season!
But what people really say makes this plaza shine isn’t just the seating or the murals...it’s the people. Shay Emmons, a Friend of Rainbow Road and owner of Inner Beast Strength and Conditioning, shared her thoughts on the value of the plaza:
"Plazas are SO important to me. They are bright spots in the city, a reminder of why I choose Portland as my home. Plazas show that the city cares about bikes, pedestrians, and small businesses. Plazas show that the city cares about PEOPLE.
Friends of Rainbow Road is doing something special here, turning this space into a place where people can show up, hang out, and feel like they’re part of something bigger. After covid, more than ever, it’s so important for us to reconnect and re-engage—and to have public places to do that. Friends of Rainbow Road is trying to protect that.
Today’s exercise was a great reminder that community doesn’t just happen—it’s built, piece by piece, by people who care a whole lot. I’m excited to see this space become a real hub for connection, movement, and existing together again."
We couldn’t agree more, Shay. As 2025 rolls on, Rainbow Road continues to be a place where Portlanders can slow down, connect, and just be together. Stay tuned for more updates as this joyful little stretch of street continues to blossom.
🌞 New Plaza Incoming! SE 37th & Hawthorne Gets a Summertime Glow-Up
This summer, the heart of Sunnyside is getting a little sunnier! We’re thrilled to announce a brand-new pedestrian plaza coming to SE 37th Avenue and Hawthorne Boulevard. Thanks to a stellar collaboration between the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association, Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association, PDX Main Streets, and PBOT, this colorful, car-free zone is set to transform a slice of the street into a lively hub for lounging, gathering, and celebrating the spirit of Southeast Portland.
From May through October, a half block of SE 37th off Hawthorne will close to cars and open up to… well, everything else! Picnic tables perfect for that slice from Straight From New York, public art and murals giving major Portland flair, a solar-powered kiosk to charge your phone and point you toward your next adventure, and leafy planters to bring bursts of green to street.
This site was selected after careful consultation with community members and organizations, including the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association and the Portland Bureau of Transportation. Outreach efforts included community engagement at the Hawthorne Street Fair in both 2023 and 2024, where residents voted on kiosk locations and shared feedback on desired plaza amenities. Recently, a community survey and focus groups collected input from the broader Hawthorne business district and surrounding neighborhoods while HBBA also hosted multiple meetings with local businesses and partnered with PBOT to present project updates at neighborhood meetings.
The project is funded by a $46,000 grant from Venture Portland to the HBBA, originally intended to create a solar-powered mini-resiliency kiosk. That initial idea soon sparked a bigger vision: a full-fledged seasonal plaza at SE 37th Avenue. The site selection, finalized in August 2024, reflects months of planning and collaboration to ensure the space meets the needs and aspirations of the community it serves.
Want to help shape this new public gem? Join the Friends of the Plaza group, enter the plaza naming contest, or submit a mural design. The plaza may be seasonal for now, but the memories? Those are built to last! To get involved, reach out to the HBBA or the SNA, and follow their newsletters or social media channels for the latest updates as opening day approaches.
🌱Scenes from the Plaza: Concordia Garden Fair Recap
Last month, the Friends of the Commons held a Spring Garden Fair. Check out the pics below and consider throwing your own by reserving a plaza in your neighborhood!
Do you have a great Public Plaza or Street Life Photo?
We'd love to feature it! Share your best PBOT Street Life photo with the world by tagging @PBOTinfo on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly Twitter). You can also email them directly to our team at PortlandStreetPlazas@portlandoregon.gov.
🔍Where can you find PBOT's Street Plazas?
PBOT has numerous active plazas that are ready for you, your friends, and family to enjoy. They are great places to grab a bite to eat, relax, enjoy live music, meet up with friends, and so much more. Check out our directory to find out about plazas near you!
What is the Portland Public Street Plaza Program?
Originally started during the Covid-19 pandemic to assist businesses and Portlanders, PBOT's Public Street Plaza program-built partnerships with community and local businesses to transform select streets into public spaces for cultural events, street fairs, pop-up markets, and more. The program uses PBOT's Livable Streets Strategy, adopted by Portland City Council in 2017 as its policy foundation to turn streets into inclusive public spaces that foster public life.
What started as a temporary solution is now becoming a permanent fixture in our city. The Street Plaza program reflects PBOT's commitment to climate action, mobility for all, and community building by creating spaces that everyone in Portland can use and enjoy.
What is Portland in the Streets?
PBOT's Portland in the Streets initiative aims to transform our streets into vibrant community hubs by supporting various programs that encourage social interaction, play, and cultural activities.
The team works closely with plazas and supports Portlanders in permitting for neighborhood block parties, outdoor dining, special events, food trucks, banners over the street, and much more!
Learn more on the Portland in the Streets homepage.
Contact Us
Feedback, suggestions, partnerships, photos or event ideas? We'd love to hear from you!
Email the plaza team at portlandstreetplazas@portlandoregon.gov and Portland in the Streets at portlandinthestreets@portlandoregon.gov.
Portland Public Street Plazas Funded by the American Rescue Plan
This project is funded by the American Rescue Plan, a federal economic stimulus bill designed to help communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession. The City of Portland is receiving $208 million of local recovery funds. Investments focus on three key priorities: houselessness response and household stabilization, business and commercial district stabilization, and community health and safety.
