Portland International Airport’s new main terminal features pre-security eateries like Loyal Legion and The Country Cat. | Photo by Cambrie Juarez, PDXtoday
If you’re flying out of Portland International Airport now through Sunday, July 6, join the crowd. Around 5.84 million travelers are expected to for the Fourth of July weekend, a 1.4% increase from previous the record.
Ahead of the holiday travel madness, here’s what you need to know to successfully navigate PDX.
Current airport updates
If you’ve been to Portland International Airport recently, you’ve likely seen construction. It’s all part of a $2 billion investment to improve and grow PDX, which already expanded Concourse E, updated Concourse B, and consolidated the ground transit system.
This multi-phase development is expected to be completed in December, but Phase 1 landed last August with:
14 local restaurants, shops, and kiosks, including local favorites like Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Loyal Legion, and Powell’s Books, in addition to larger brands like Pendleton and Columbia
Free First Thursday | Thursday, July 3-Thursday, Dec. 4 | Times vary | Portland Art Museum | Free | Explore the art museum at no cost — events at the PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater are also free.
Friday, July 4
Portland Craft Beer Festival | Friday, July 4-Sunday, July 6 | 12-9 p.m. | Elizabeth Caruthers Park | $43 | Grab a pint — or two — at this fest entirely devoted to brews made within Portland’s city limits.
Waterfront Blues Festival | Friday, July 4-Saturday, July 5 | 12-10 p.m. | Tom McCall Waterfront Park | $40+ | Happiness is sitting by the river taking in shows from a comfy lawn chair.
First Friday PDX | Friday, July 4-Friday, June 5 | Times vary | Locations vary | Free | Here’s another “first” for you — take a self-guided tour of 23+ independent galleries, shops, and studios in East Portland.
Saturday, July 5
4th of July at Abbey Road Farm | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | Abbey Road Farm, Carlton | Free | Play lawn games, sip wine, and munch on smash burgers during the holiday weekend.
Kid’s Flea Market | 1-3 p.m. | 13503 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, WA | $10 | Kids must be responsible for pricing, selling, and handling cash and change at this youth market, but parental supervision is required.
Sunday, July 6
4th Annual Brag Awards | 6-9 p.m. | Clinton Street Theater | $18 | The audience will judge the performers at this burlesque and drag show.
As you gear up for Fourth of July festivities, here’s a gentle reminder that fireworks are banned within the City of Portland. To help enforce the safety measure, the city released a new online form that will allow residents to report fireworks use to Portland Fire & Rescue.
Arts
The Oregon legislature approved $137.5 million in state bonds to support a new performing arts and culture center at Portland State University. The downtown facility is expected to open in 2030 and feature a 1,200-seat theater + academic space. (KGW 8)
Announced
This year’s World Naked Bike Ride — yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like — will take off from Grant Park on Saturday, July 26 at 8:30 p.m. The event advocates for non-gasoline dependent travel + cyclist and pedestrian safety, and is run entirely by volunteers.
Development
Goodbye, Lloyd Center Nordstrom. The former site of the department store was torn down earlier this week to make way for a new 68,000-sqft live music venue. (KOIN)
Real Estate
The iconic New Chinatown-Japantown Historic District building that formerly housed Tuck Lung grocery is on the market for $6.4 million. Guardian Real Estate Services previously purchased the building in 2017 for $8.25 million, and said they have a prospective buyer lined up. (Oregon Live)
Ranked
McMinnville’s Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is the No. 9 best aviation museum in the US, according to Travel + Leisure. Seattle’s The Museum of Flight also scored a top spot, at No. 2. Road trip — or, should we say, plane trip — anyone?
Answered
Wow, y’all really know your local history. More than 59% of our readers knew which year the first-ever Waterfront Blues Festival took place in Portland: 1988. Learn more about the Rose City of the ‘80s.
Listen
T-minus eight weeks before college football returns. Stay on top of recruiting + the pre-season buzz every day from the local experts of the Oregon Ducks with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
Older Adults
Your fifties + beyond is a great time to build wealth. Beyond basics like bulk shopping and retirement accounts, here are 14 financial benefits seniors are entitled to (but often forget to claim).*
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The Portland Timbers just spent $25 million on the 13-acre property currently housing the team’s training facility, allowing them to expand and build a Portland Timbers Performance Center. Upgrades in the works for the “best-in-class training home” include a second grass field + viewing deck. See more renderings.
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
The Oregon Zoo recently released 483 Oregon silverspot butterfly larvae (aka, the zoo’s tiniest residents) on Saddle Mountain, as part of ongoing attempts to help rebuild populations of the threatened species. This year alone, the zoo has reared and released ~2,000 silverspots.
Zoo conservationists released 483 Oregon silverspots in the coastal mountain range last week as part of the recovery effort for this endangered Northwest butterfly.
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