Family events in Portland, OR

Garcia Birthday Band returns to Oregon Zoo for its annual ZooNights appearance, taking place during the Days Between. After hours access to the zoo pairs live music with food carts, keeper chats, activities for all ages, and animal encounters that offer close-up connections with wildlife. Favorites include the zoo’s elephant ears, with local beer and wine available for adults. Guests can wander the forested pathways or relax in the amphitheater while GBB performs. All ages are welcome, and every ticket supports the Oregon Zoo’s work to protect endangered species locally and around the world.

Friday evenings through August become after-hours at the Oregon Zoo, with live music, food carts, keeper chats, activities for all ages, and animal encounters that offer close-up connections with wildlife. Enjoy tasty treats like the zoo’s beloved elephant ears, plus local beer and wine for adults. Explore the beautifully forested grounds or relax in the amphitheater while Garcia Birthday Band provides the soundtrack. Every ticket helps the Oregon Zoo safeguard endangered species at home and around the world, creating a summer night in Portland that blends fun, discovery, and a shared commitment to animals.

This event offers a day of video games, Pokémon cards, pop culture and a wide range of other collectibles in a lively swap meet setting where vendors buy, sell and trade with the public. Trading is welcome, with a limit of one backpack of items per person. If you have more to sell or trade, vendor tables are available for $120. Two rooms are planned, with one focused on gaming and the other centered on Pokémon cards. Collectors interested in related hobbies will find plenty to browse, from toys and comics to plush, fan art, posters, vintage clothing and even sports cards, with vendors arranged to help everyone see what is available. Tickets are available online or at the SideQuest Games store. Admission is $10 per adult when purchased in advance, or $15 on the day, and children under 12 enter free with a paying adult. Vendor inquiries can be sent to vendors@sidequestexpo.com, sponsor questions to josh@sidequestgamestore.com, and volunteer applications to volunteers@sidequestexpo.com.

Hosted by the Checs Car Club at Level Beer, this family-friendly showcase features traditional and custom pre-1980 cars, trucks, and motorcycles alongside local vendors and handmade goods. Enjoy live music, on-site tattooing, and raffle drawings throughout the event, including a free raffle just for kids. Craft beer from Level Beer and a variety of food carts add to the festive atmosphere as guests admire standout builds and browse maker booths. Spectator entry is free. Vehicle registration is $20 per car or motorcycle, and the first 35 vehicles to register receive a swag bag. Awards will be presented before the show wraps up.

Explore a vibrant selection of local goods, fresh products, and unique finds from neighborhood makers at this community farmers market. Shop local and grab a bite at the food carts at the Chop Chop Food Pod.

For one summer only, Porsche Studio Portland becomes Shifting Realities, a large-scale immersive art experience where technology, design, storytelling, music, and human imagination come together. Step into a series of connected worlds where each room encourages discovery, hands-on interaction, creativity, and play. Admission includes the chance to design a dream Porsche. Visitors can paint using brain activity, try mixed reality, aim for a fastest lap in professional racing simulators, dance with Porsche, decorate a pastry, move through immersive light, sound, and projection mapping installations, and capture memorable photos along the way. No two visits are the same. The experience evolves throughout the season with themed weeks, live performances, racing competitions, creator showcases, World Cup programming, family activities, music-focused moments, and special guest activations. Featured contributors include AMPHORA PROJECTS, LCAMERO, JOOLIA, BLCKSMTH, KELLY MAX, TRACEY PIPER, PHIL A. ROBINSON JR., BRIAN FREE, BROCK KEEN, JOHN DELOS REYES, and EDDY NUNEZ, along with additional collaborating artists, designers, technologists, and immersive creators. Plan for approximately 90 minutes. The event is family-friendly, timed entry is recommended, and a café and boutique are available on site.

A weeklong, half-day improv camp created for middle schoolers invites participants to learn through playful exploration in a supportive studio setting. With age-appropriate games and scene work, campers practice building stories together, listening and responding, thinking quickly, and expressing themselves with confidence. No prior acting or performance experience is required. Each session is packed with lively activities, collaborative challenges, and lots of laughter. The focus is not on being funny, but on growing communication skills, adaptability, and trust while having fun. Enrollment is limited to 10 to foster a close, connected group. Change Through Play welcomes participants of every race, religion, orientation, and ability. Whether a student is outgoing, shy, imaginative, or somewhere in between, this welcoming space encourages making friends, trying something new, and embracing creative possibilities.

At Music on Main, The Bundy Band presents an all-ages, open-to-the-public concert with seating available on a first come, first served basis and no tickets required. The ensemble draws from the sounds of New Orleans and the Pacific Northwest, uniting musicians who have performed together in various lineups for nearly three decades. The set can wander from traditional New Orleans jazz and second line brass to funk, standards, originals about Humanzees and Han Solo, and covers from artists like Charles Wright, The Band, and Phish. Along the way, Fleschner may ignite the organ, Savage may push the flute to bold extremes, and Bundy might run his clarinet through pedals for adventurous textures. Expect a performance that can travel to unexpected places, turning each tune into a shared journey.

Venardos Circus brings a Broadway-inspired, animal-free circus experience to The Lot at Zidell Yards in Portland. Created by former Ringling Bros. Ringmaster Kevin Venardos, the production blends world-class acts with a theatrical touch. Under a custom red and white big top, audiences are immersed in a nostalgic atmosphere that recalls the classic traveling circus. Expect aerial artistry, acrobatics, juggling, hand balancing, comic antics, daring feats, and illusions presented in an intimate setting. Doors open one hour before showtime with preshow entertainment and photo opportunities. Concessions include favorites like popcorn, cotton candy, and house-made pink lemonade. The performance runs about 90 minutes with a brief intermission. Onsite parking is available for $10. Tickets are sold only through the official Venardos Circus website, and offers from resellers or private posts are not accepted.

Enjoy a summer edition of the performers in the park series featuring Red Yarn, who blends lively music with playful puppetry for an all-ages audience. The event is planned for the outdoor amphitheater by the library, weather permitting. Support for this program is provided by the Friends of Ledding Library.

Garden Bros Nuclear Circus brings its high energy production to Portland at Portland International Raceway. Billed as the largest circus on Earth, this touring spectacular presents multiple performances. Special ticket offers are available, including a limited number of discounted adult general admission tickets starting at $23.27 with fees included, available online only. One child age 3 to 13 can attend free with a paid adult general admission when a child ticket is added at checkout, and children 2 and under are admitted free.