Winter wonderland ❄️

Winter events happening in and around Portland

silver falls state park winter portland.png

Just when we thought the falls at Silver Falls State Park couldn’t get any more majestic... | Photo via Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept.

Get your fuzzy socks and hot cocoa ready Portland. From light displays to holiday performances and festive parties, winter is where Rose City thrives.

Gather the family and friends and celebrate what makes the holiday season special with this guide featuring 23 winter events happening between December and February.

⛄ Winter festivals

Christmas Festival of Lights | Friday, Nov. 25-Friday, Dec. 30 (closed on Christmas) | 5-9:30 p.m. (Nov. 25-Dec. 16); 4:30-9:30 p.m. (Dec. 17-Dec. 30) | The Grotto, 8840 NE Skidmore St. | $0-$14 | The peaceful wooded sanctuary transforms into a glowing winter wonderland with lights, outdoor carolers, and dozens of chorale performances inside the Chapel of Mary with its cathedral-like acoustics.

Portland Winter Light Festival | Friday, Feb. 3-Saturday, Feb. 11 | Times vary | Locations across the metro area | Free | Illuminated sculptures, video projections, pop-up performances, food carts, and more turn the City of Roses into a magical electric wonderland.

Children walk through a geometric-shaped light installation lit with cool green-blue tones. — This year marks the eighth annual Portland Winter Light Festival.

🧣 Holiday events

Pittock Mansion Christmas | Monday, Nov. 21-Wednesday, Jan. 4 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | Pittock Mansion, 3229 NW Pittock Dr. | $0-$15.50 | Ring in the holidays with this year’s “Music Makes the Season” exhibit, complete with festive, music-themed displays created by volunteer decorators.

Crafty Wonderland Holiday Art + Craft Market | Friday, Dec. 9-Sunday, Dec. 11 | Friday, 5-9 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | Oregon Convention Center | $0-$20 | Shop from over 225 booths of handmade goods, with everything from cross stitch kits to greeting cards.

A home outlined with holiday lights and The Grinch yard decorations. — The Peacock Lane tradition reportedly dates to 1932.

✨ Light displays

Christmas Ships Parade | Friday, Dec. 2-Wednesday, Dec. 21 | Times vary | Various locations on the Columbia and Willamette rivers | Free | Brightly lit, colorful flotillas will set sail for the 68th year, drawing thousands of onlookers to the river banks.

Peacock Lane | Thursday, Dec. 15-Saturday, Dec. 31 | 6-11 p.m. | Southeast Peacock Lane | Free | “Portland’s Christmas Street” is back in full force this year, with a cocoa booth, pedestrian-only nights, and four residential blocks of homes decked out in holiday lights.

KICK OFF THE WINTER FESTIVITIES

The most wonderful time of year to get out and explore the city is…

A. Spring
B. Summer
C. Fall
D. Winter
E. All of them

LET US KNOW

Click here to have your event featured.

Wednesday, Nov. 16

Every Husband’s Nightmare Bazaar and Vintage Marketplace | Wednesday, Nov. 16-Saturday, Nov. 19 | Times vary | Westside Commons, Wingspan Convention Center, 801 NE 34th Ave., Hillsboro | Free | Browse home, garden, and seasonal decor, Oregon foods, personal care, jewelry, and more at the 34th annual extravaganza.

Thursday, Nov. 17

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Brooklyn Nets | Thursday, Nov. 17 | 7 p.m. | Moda Center, 1 N. Center Court St., Portland | $20+ | It’ll be nothin’ but net for the home team with this showdown between All-Stars Damian Lillard and Kevin Durant.

Friday, Nov. 18

5th Annual Festival of Ornaments | Friday, Nov. 18-Sunday, Nov. 20 | Times vary | A Framer’s Touch, 1920 21st Ave. Ste. A, Forest Grove | Free | Enjoy wine tasting, local treats, and chances to win door prizes while browsing 2,000+ bespoke Christmas ornaments.
Snowvana | Friday, Nov. 18-Sunday, Nov. 20 | Times vary | Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Portland | $12-$79 | Get stoked for the return of snow sports with gear vendors, fun activities, and 12+ hours of ski films from the Mt. Hood Film Fest.
BrewLights | Friday, Nov. 18-Saturday, Nov. 19 | 4-10 p.m. | Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Rd., Portland | $35-$65 | Enjoy the twinkling magical wonderland of ZooLights sans kids at this 21+ event featuring food carts, live music, and more than 45 local breweries.

Saturday, Nov. 19

75th Anniversary Model Railroad Show | Saturday, Nov. 19-Sunday, Dec. 4 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club, 2505 N. Vancouver Ave., Portland | $5-$25 | All aboard for this peek into “one of Portland’s most closely kept secrets” where you’ll see the club’s new 60-ft-by-70-ft model railroad layout of Portland and the Columbia Gorge in the 1950s.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

MORE EVENTS FOR THE HERE + NOW

Weather

54º | Sunny | 2% chance of rain

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 7:11 a.m.
Set: 4:38 p.m.

Edu

OHSU has launched the Oregon Nursing Education Academy in an effort to boost the number of nurses amid a nationwide shortage. The new academy, supported by a $4 million federal grant, aims to train 63 faculty nurses and 92 preceptors (experienced nurses who mentor students and grads) from the PNW in four years. 🩺 (Portland Business Journal)

Plan Ahead

My People’s Market returns for a fifth year this Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20 at the Oregon Convention Center. “Portland’s largest BIPOC market” celebrates community, culture, and business with 140+ local makers, merchants, artists, and crafters offering products ranging from stationery to skincare. (Portland Monthly)

Coming Soon

No Saint, a pizzeria that lived its first three years as a popup, will evolve into a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the former Handsome Pizza/Seastar Bakery space at 1615 NE Killingsworth St. Guests can expect a menu that’s inspired by the owners’ New York roots with a PNW twist. 🍕 (Portland Monthly)

Try This

You’ve heard of it, you’ve thought about trying it, and now’s the time to wheely do it. Secret Roller Disco is taking place tomorrow, Nov. 17, in the former Marshall’s space at the Lloyd Center. This week’s free skate gathering will feature DJs, the Rose City Rollers Skatemobile, and Awake Coffee. 🛼
While we’re still thinking about pizza (and let’s be honest, that’s all the time), Wild Child Pizza is giving us food for tot. The brand new restaurant at 2032 NE Alberta St. serves pies with rectangular sourdough crust, house-made sauces — try the Sriracha ranch — and a range of toppings, including tater tots. (Eater Portland)

Ranked

Multiple Willamette Valley wines made Wine Spectator’s newly released Top 100 list. Drouhin Oregon Roserock’s Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay from 2020 was the highest-ranked Oregon wine at No. 15. Wine Spectator’s Tim Fish gave the vintage 94 points, calling it “opulent and refined” with notes of pear, cantaloupe, and spice. 🍷 (Portland Business Journal)

DYK

Did you know this is your last chance to share your Black Friday deals with our PDXtoday readers? Promote your business with us by submitting a deal to be included in our Fri., Nov. 25 newsletter. Pricing varies by market + must be submitted by today, Wed., Nov. 16.

Shop

Psst — Thanksgiving is next Thursday, Nov. 24. If you’re planning to serve turkey, don’t forget that a meat thermometer is essential to avoiding a potential case of food poisoning. Try this waterproof digital meat thermometer with 53,000+ five star reviews or splurge on this smart meat thermometer that connects to your phone via Bluetooth.*

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Weeping for a willow 🍃

Crews cut down Cathedral Park’s famous willow tree

Gothic-style arches support a tall bridge above a lush park with a willow tree at the center.

A 2009 plan for improving Cathedral Park proposed removing the willow to “improve the view.” | Photo by @cambrieee_

An iconic willow tree at Cathedral Park is no more. Portland Parks and Recreation said the tree, which stood beneath one of the gothic arches of the St. Johns Bridge, toppled onto nearby power lines during a windstorm last week. The tree reportedly knocked out power for thousands of residents and caught on fire, so it was cut down and removed.

Officials think the tree’s root system was already failing before the storm. The parks department said the city’s policy is to replace a tree whenever one falls, but we don’t yet know if another willow will be planted in this one’s place.

Its graceful boughs are immortalized in countless photos from the weddings, engagements, and other special events held at Cathedral Park over the years. While it may be gone, there are still hundreds of other beautiful trees representing dozens of species to see and appreciate. You can learn more about them by taking a virtual tour created by the Urban Forestry group’s Tree Inventory Project.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Cambrie.

Editor’s pick: Did you see that the Earth’s population was expected to reach 8 billion yesterday? There are some interesting takeaways from the milestone — like even though that’s a huge number, population growth has actually slowed and took 12 years to go from 7 billion to 8 billion.

Our lifespans are also lengthening and quality of life has improved across the globe (the number of people living in extreme poverty has reportedly fallen from 44% in 1974 to 10% today), though much work still needs to be done.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Take a hike to Oregon’s smallest lighthouse.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Cambrie Juarez, Ben McBee, Britt Thorson, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Terri Kiesenhofer | Advertise with us.

Content marked with an * was created in partnership with 6AM City’s advertising partners. Paid content helps keep this newsletter free. 6AM City may also receive a commission on purchases made through affiliate links in this newsletter.

ADVERTISE | SHOP | CAREERS | ETHICS

Did a friend forward this free newsletter to you?