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GO: Turkey Trot
Prepare for the most confoundingly American holiday on the calendar by joining your fellow run-walkers at Portland International Raceway for a preview of Winter Wonderland. This annual pre-holiday event spouts off in waves: two family 5k runs, one competitive 5k and two 200-yard Kids Fun Runs, all taking place through the dazzling winter light show the Speedway is so popular for. If Thanksgiving as a concept bums you out, this is a great moment symbolically to run away while simultaneously making new running buddies. Très Portland. Portland International Raceway, 1940 N Victory Blvd., hoodtocoast.com. 5 pm Wednesday, Nov 26. $65, kids run free.
GO: 41st Annual Tree Lighting at Pioneer Square
Join your fellow die-hard Portland holiday enthusiasts in Pioneer Square for the city’s signature holiday ceremony, the annual Tree Lighting. This year’s festivities orbit a community sing-along led by Pink Martini’s own Thomas Lauderdale as well as a cabal of Portland’s finest musicians and choral singers. And once everyone’s pipes are warmed up, Santa Claus will perform the ceremonial switch-flipping, sending power to the more than 10,000 colorful lights on our city’s beloved nondenominational, secular evergreen. Happy Holidays indeed. Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th Ave., thesquarepdx.org. 5:30 pm Friday, Nov. 28. Free.
WATCH: Annual Pants on Fire Best-of Show
Whether you’re a Thanksgiving hater or you’re ’bout that life, consider burning yesterday’s calories and/or leftover vitriol via riotous laughter at one of the city’s most popular underground storytelling events, Pants on Fire, where—over the course of two shows, one PG and one NC-17—storytellers, comedians, artists, writers, celebrities and musicians tell outrageous, hard-to-believe, 100% true stories. The gimmick? One storyteller’s tale is a big fat lie. Regardless of whether you can clock the liar, the show promises a good time for both families and the 21-plus crowd. McMenamins White Eagle Saloon, 836 N Russell St., 7deadlysinsshow.org. 6 pm all ages, 9 pm 21+ Friday, Nov 28. $26.10.
GO: Grinch Skate
Both the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who will attend on the Lloyd Center’s historic ice for this costumed fandango of skating chicanery. Skaters of all skill levels and ages are encouraged not only to come and attempt to glide with the other residents of Lloyd’s imagined Whoville, but to do so in a costume that would (at least try to) make Dr. Seuss himself proud. And frankly, if you’re a novice skater anyway, a thick, bootied costume will probably help soften your inevitable thrills and spills. Bonus: Lloyd Center, now bereft of chain stores, will be bustling with small artisan holiday pop-up shops, so maybe bring a spare tote. Lloyd Center, 2201 Lloyd Center, lloydcenter.com. 2–4 pm Saturday, Nov 29. $20.
SEE: Stomp
For the uninitiated, Stomp is an international percussion sensation, exploring explosive, provocative, and totally unique percussion instruments like matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps, and more to fill the auditorium with rhythms so cacophonous your goose bumps will stay bumped for hours after final curtain. This new edition will feature two new full-scale routines, so superfans, get your blood pressure in check before Stomp’s legendary beats knock ’em up a few degrees. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., portland5.com. 7:30 pm Saturday, 1 and 6:30 pm Sunday, Nov. 29 and 30. $42.
SEE: The Enchanted Toyshop
John Clifford created and choreographed this production especially for the Portland Ballet in an effort to showcase a range of skill, styles and performance in an evergreen production built to entertain generations. Since its premiere in 2003, The Enchanted Toyshop has achieved just that, becoming TPB’s signature annual showpiece and a winter tradition for lovers of dance, fantasy, and all things sparklingly holiday themed. Lincoln Hall, 1620 SW Park Ave., theportlandballet.org. 1, 4 and 7 pm Saturday, Nov 29. $10–$40.
SEE: The Muppet Movie (1979)
In case you missed it, there’s a lot of Muppet action happening lately, namely a Seth Rogan/Sabrina Carpenter-helmed 50th anniversary Muppet Show special on deck for 2026, and a Miss Piggy standalone project produced by Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence and written by Cole Escola. All that Muppet chatter makes now feels like an excellent time to revisit—or experience for the first time—the original 1979 Muppet origin story on the big screen, as it was meant to be seen. And hey, no Waldorfing or Stadlering in the back; leave that to the professionals. Tomorrow Theater, 3530 SE Division St., tomorrowtheater.org. 3 pm Saturday, Nov 29. $15.
GO: World Forest Center’s Free Day
Nov. 30 is the last in the Discovery Museum’s Free Day Series, so catch it if you can, especially if you’ve yet to experience a bird’s-eye view of a Northwest forest, revel in humanity’s connection to the woods, and playfully investigate the challenges and opportunities facing our woodsy resources. The museum’s interactive and featured art exhibits can do more than start conversations about ecological diversity in forests; they can get you hyped for the incoming spring and summer camping season—no rain boots required. World Forestry Center, 4033 SW Canyon Road, worldforestry.org. 10 am–4 pm Sunday, Nov 30. Free.
GO: Joe Sacco in Conversation With Kate Klep-Stebbins
Reflecting his training in journalism right here in Oregon, Joe Sacco’s autobiographical comics are a cornerstone of the graphic novel genre, challenging the art of visual storytelling with deep emotionality and raw authenticity. Works about his time in Palestine and Bosnia remain some of the most vital recordings of the complexities of war that also happen to be rendered in comics format. His newest tome, The Once and Future Riot, examines the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and violence in Uttar Pradesh, India, while untangling the pendulum swings that repeat over time. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., powells.com. 7 pm Tuesday, Dec 2. Free.
