The Central Eastside is Portland’s urban hub for fun, engaging activities this summer.
Events include PDX Flea, Street Bazaar, art exhibitions, family-friendly events and more in Central Eastside’s easy-to-access, indoor and outdoor spaces
PORTLAND, Ore.—The Central Eastside is the place to be this summer for pop-up markets, maker and artist showcases, street bazaars and other lively events in the Portland metro area. From family-friendly events like PDX Flea to art exhibits for youth and adults, the district will host a variety of summer events. The Central Eastside Industrial Council, the business association for the area, is happy to welcome these events, to partner and fiscally support many of them.
“The CEIC is proud to show that the Central Eastside is ready to welcome people to the district this summer with memorable experiences in the heart of the city,” says CEIC Executive Director Kate Merrill. “It’s been a challenging year and we know people are ready to have some fun through safe, accessible, lively and uplifting events.”
Click here for photos of past events, Jack Featherly art samples, mural photos and more.
Upcoming summer events in Portland’s Central Eastside include:
- SATOR Projects Presents: Jack Featherly Solo Exhibition Show at NOVA | satorprojects.com
Location: Nova at the Electric Blocks, 1607 SE 3rd Ave.
Dates: June 11 – July 17, 2021
Opening reception: Friday, June 11 at 5 p.m.
SATOR projects is a migrating exhibition series on a mission to seed arts into communities through exhibitions, public programs and events. Directed by Jess Nickel, Jack Featherly’s stylistically diverse paintings make for magnetic work, through his meticulous craft and use of overlapping blocks of color and pictorial lines. Additional exhibitions by local artists will be announced throughout the summer.
- Portland Opera Presents Frida | portlandopera.org | @portlandopera
Location: OMSI, Jordan Schnitzer CARE Summerstage (located at the southern end of OMSI’s campus, next to the Hampton Opera Center)
Dates: June 22, 24, 26 and 27
Portland Opera is delighted to announce a partnership with Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT), to bring outdoor performances to the stage this summer. Portland Opera will present four performances of Robert Xavier Rodríguez’s Frida. The libretto, which follows moments from Mexican painter Frida Kahlo’s life, features lyrics and monologues written by award-winning playwright Migdalia Cruz, and a book by Hilary Blecher. Each evening will begin with a performance by Ballet Folklórico at 8 p.m., followed by a 90-minute version of Frida at 8:30 p.m. without intermission. The Jordan Schnitzer CARE Summerstage will host various live performances from June 5 through June 27.
- Audrey McCall Cleanup & Beach Swim | humanaccessproject.com | @thebigfloat
Location: Audrey McCall Beach
Dates: June 24, July 22 and August 19
CEIC will be partnering with Human Access Project (HAP) and SOLVE for a monthly beach cleanup and swim at Audrey McCall Beach this summer. Mark your calendars for Thursday, June 24, July 22 and August 19 at 5:30 PM. More details and registration to come.
Take advantage of our great access points to the river – have fun and be safe!
- Portland Night Market | pdxnm.com | @portlandnightmarket
Location: 100 SE Alder St.
Dates: June 25 – 26, September 10 – 11
The Portland Night Market showcases many unique businesses that call Portland home. Blending food, culture, music, drinks, and retail together for an adventurous evening in the Central Eastside. Come meet some of Portland’s best makers and creators! The Portland Night Market is a quarterly event and open to all ages.
- Portland Flea| pdxflea.com | @portlandflea
Location: Nova parking lot at the Electric Blocks, 1615 SE 3rd Ave. at the corner of SE 2nd Avenue and SE Clay Street
Dates: June 27 | July 25 | August 15 & 29 | September 12 & 26
For 10 years, the Portland Flea has provided community space for Portland’s vintage seekers and tastemakers. In 2021, the flea moved to its new home, Nova at the Electric Blocks, and features 65+ local artists, makers and curators of the best vintage, handmade and locally-sourced goods in town. This outdoor family (and dog) friendly event is free and open for all.
- Street Bazaar | streetbazaarpdx.com | @streetbazaarpdx
Location: Nova parking lot at the Electric Blocks, 1615 SE 3rd Ave. at the corner of SE 2nd Avenue and SE Clay Street
Dates: July 23 | August 27 | September 24
The producers behind Portland Flea, Roux Portland and Portland Bazaar are now bringing a new summer series to the city. Street Bazaar brings the bold flavors, bright colors and vibrant energy of Portland’s food, drink, art and music scene together for a series of festive Friday nights in the Central Eastside. Come see some of the city’s rising chefs, artists and performers in an open-air outdoor experience.
- Summer Plazas in the Central Eastside
This summer, plazas will be popping up in the Central Eastside to offer community space to the public and feature weekend activities, such as street fairs and performances. The first plaza will be located between 10th and 11th avenues and SE Pine Street. Prosper Portland is creating an additional activation at Tilikum Plaza (behind the Opera Building) on SE 2nd Street. Visitors can expect mobile food trucks, pop-up performances and roller skating with Rose City Rollers on the weekends during the summer. The soft opening date is June 5. More details and locations for summer plazas coming soon!
- Central Eastside Mural District | pdxstreetart.org | @portlandstreetartalliance
The Central Eastside is home to many amazing murals and two more will be unveiled this summer under the Belmont Viaduct. Don’t miss out on the new project! Dates and information will be announced soon. Portland Street Art Alliance has suggested mural viewing routes for self-guided tours of the of the district murals.
- Monthly Cleanups | solveoregon.org
Interested in giving back to the community? Join the CEIC and SOLVE at the monthly Central Eastside cleanups. The next clean-up is June 25 at the Nova parking lot at the Electric Blocks to celebrate Pick it Up Portland. Here’s the link to register: https://www.solveoregon.org/opportunity/a0C1I00000QFUHtUAP
- Summer Fun at El Centro Milagro| milagro.org | @milagrotheatre
This summer the streets around Milagro, between SE Stark and SE Oak on SE 6th Ave, will be a cycle of fun activities. To get things moving, Milagro is working with other local business partners to film a bicycle video series entitled La Bici. If you’ve been looking for your big break into acting, there is room for interested individuals to sign up to dance in a Pride celebration at The Wayfinder, or enjoy an afternoon of sipping wine at Coopers Hall. Every Sunday in August, the Milagro will highlight a different performing group as part of El Zocalo Plaza Activation Project.
About the Central Eastside Industrial Council
CEIC is a non-profit, volunteer organization representing property owners, businesses, residents and makers in the Central Eastside. It operates the newest Enhanced Services District (ESD) in Portland, Central Eastside Together, and is currently pioneering new ways to help businesses survive the pandemic and set them up to thrive. The Central Eastside Industrial District, or CEID, stretches from 1-84 to Powell Boulevard and from the Willamette River to SE 12th Avenue. Over 22,000 people work at 1,300 businesses in the District in a diverse range of fields from research and manufacturing to retail and technology. http://www.ceic.cc/