We at Urban Nest are all about getting out into the community and finding fun and interesting things to do in Portland. Check out our September Picks below!
Art in the Pearl
September 3rd – 5th: Saturday & Sunday 10 – 6, Monday 10 – 5
NW Park Blocks, 300 NW Park Avenue, Portland / http://www.artinthepearl.com/
This Labor Day weekend take a tour through Portland’s local art scene on the North Park Blocks and check-out jury-selected works of 130 artists from Portland, Canada and the entire United States. Special events for kids include art workshops designed to inspire their inner van Gogh. From pottery to photography, jewelry to glass, there is art for everybody.
Dahlia Festival
September 3rd – 5th, Saturday, Sunday & Monday 10 am – 6 pm
Swan Island Dahlias, 995 NW 22nd, Canby, OR / dahlias.com
Paging all dahlia disciples, garden gurus, and flower children: this annual celebration will include more than 400 dahlia-centric arrangements, flower arranging lectures and discussions about our favorite summer flower.
Stumptown Stories
Tuesday, September 6th, 7:30 pm
Jack London Bar, 529 SW 4th Avenue
Every Tuesday night in September, you can learn more about the colorful history of our fair city as PSU prof Carl Abbott and other learned types discuss the history and legends of Portland.
MusicFestNW
September 7th – 11th, Wednesday – Sunday
Performances around Portland / schedule on-line at musicfestnw.com
This year Portland’s largest and most successful music festival is at it bigger and better than ever featuring three nights of concerts at Pioneer Courthouse Square in addition to shows at 18 of the city’s most venerable music venues. Produced by Willamette Week, MFNW teams up with music professionals from the local, regional and national music scene to curate this multi-venue festival featuring bands from indie, hip hop and punk roots.
Time Based Art (TBA) Festival
September 8th – 18th
Performances around Portland / schedule online at pica.org
The Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) presents its annual Time-Based Art Festival (TBA) featuring one-of-a-kind events in venues all across Portland. Check out innovative happenings by artists from across the country and around the globe as they participate in contemporary performances and visual art exhibits. Now in its 9th year, TBA activates the entire community with art and ideas and provides Portland recognition as a place to celebrate internationally-acclaimed contemporary art.
Muddy Boot Organic Festival
September 9 – 11th: Friday 7 – 9 pm, Saturday noon – 9 pm, Sunday noon – 5 pm
St. Philip Neri Church, 2408 SE 16th & Division / muddyboot.org
The weekend of festivities begins Friday evening with a keynote address from Joel Makower, the guru of green business practices. The festival continues with an abundant flow of organic beer, wine, and assorted foodstuffs, all washed down with live music from the likes of Freak Mountain Ramblers, Casey Neill, and Keep Your Fork There’s Pie.
Pink Martini
September 9 – 11th, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 7:30 pm
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Portland
Portland’s most famous international export, tango and sultry jazz ensemble Pink Martini, will slip on gowns and tuxes for a formal sit-down with the Oregon Symphony featuring Portland’s own legendary firebrand, singer Storm Large.
Pendelton Round-Up
September 14th – 17th, Wednesday – Saturday
Pendelton, Oregon
Saddle up for the annual historic Pendleton Round-Up, a real old-fashioned rodeo Oregon-style. Check out events from bareback riding and steer wrestling to Native American pageants, parades, and plenty of good ol’ country music.
Oregon Manifest
Friday, September 23, 7 – 10 pm
Pacific Northwest College of Art, 1241 NW Johnson Street / oregonmanifest.com
Portlanders consider their city to be the capital of hand-built bikes and this month the Pacific NW College of Art puts that claim to the test with Oregon Manifest, an ambitious challenge to bike makers to create prototypes for “the ultimate utility bike for modern living.” Designs will come from the nation’s top custom-frame builders, students, and intriguing collaborations (like a team featuring an industrial designer and a shipwright). Come check out the bikes and take a look what your future ride might look like.
Jackpot Film Festival
September 26th – 30th, Monday – Friday (schedule available on-line)
Baghdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne, Portland / jackpotrecords.com
Brought to the screen by the groovy cats at Jackpot Records, it’s the 8th annual smorgasbord of obscure hip-hop, psychedelic, folk, and garage rock movies. This year’s headliners include “The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector, Color me Obsessed (a film about the Replacements), Upside Down (the Creation Records story) and more. Decidedly low-concept, films are free and for all ages.
