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GO: Giggle Bottom
Audiences for Gigglebottom’s first anniversary show don’t necessarily need to be avowed kinksters, but it might help the sexy comedy/education show go down a bit easier. Gigglebottom’s intimate comedy show’s modus operandi is exposing audiences—from vanilla to FetLife members (IYKYK)—to a kink they love. The show’s continuum then places queer standup comedians in demonstration of said kink. This time, comedians Imani, Mack Lee, Amir Kat, Joe John Sanchez III, Kelly Thomas and Ally J. Ward (voted Portland’s Funniest Person earlier this year) demonstrate human furniture and rope tying and suspension. While certainly subversive, the show’s primary focus is safety, consent, sharing, and community, so definitely come with an open mind, but maybe keep the legs closed until the end of the show. Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., 971-808-3331, gigglebottom.com. 7:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 25. $25. 21+.
DRINK: Zootoberfest
Indulge in the singular joy of drinking a foreign beer while gazing into an orangutan’s face at Oregon Zoo’s Zootoberfest—its spin on the annual Bavarian beer fest tradition. With 40-plus breweries and cideries offering samples of seasonal selections, plus a menagerie of food carts, special animal encounters, keeper chats, and live music by Top 40 cover band Rockit Radio, there’s plenty to explore. For those whose zoo experiences have felt stifled by a lack of lederhosen, dirndls or all-out animal costumes, now is your time to live your best zoo life. But please, no sharing beer with the animals, unless it’s the primate homie you arrived with. Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Road, 503-226-1561, oregonzoo.org/zootoberfest. 5:30 pm Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26 and 27. $30–$60. 21+.
GO: Atsuko Okatsuka: The Big Bowl Tour
Atsuko Okatsuka’s Big Bowl Tour arrives in Portland at a moment in history when progressive BIPOC, femme and immigrant voices are more crucial than ever. Okatsuka’s show will surely be a night of stomach-gripping laughter. The mixed-race comedian’s unique lens is exactly what’s needed as we navigate this intensely fuckass timeline, so prepare for hard truths, thought-provoking observations, and passionate dissent packaged in some of the funniest jokes you’ve probably ever heard. Newmark Theatre , 1111 SW Broadway, 503-248-4335, portland5.com/newmark-theatre. 7 pm Sunday, Sept. 28. $53.87–$89.42. 18+.
GO: Scrapbook
Great Notion Brewing’s Northwest 28th Avenue taproom hosts Scrapbook, a queer-led, multimedia storytelling event featuring coming-of-age stories told by queer-identifying storytellers and hosted by Jenna Britann and Jasmine Nothing. Moth and Backfence devotees may consider checking out this outlier event, where emerging storytellers can share their tales sans competition—i.e., nobody will leave crying about riggery and/or prize-based shenanigans, which makes for an overall more enjoyable night out. Great Notion Brewing, 2444 NW 28th Ave., 971-279-2183, greatnotion.com. 6:30 pm Monday, Sept. 29. $15. 21+.
EAT: The Wedge
The Wedge is a farmers market-style food fest with a focus on local artisan cheeses and charcuterie-esque accoutrements like specialty snacks, wines, spirits and ciders. Expect the usual award-winning suspects like Tillamook, Rogue Creamery, Don Froylan and Helvetia Creamery, alongside a wide selection of smaller producers in the Oregon cheesemaking scene. The festival is not exclusively for chewing on cheese, however. Proceeds go to the Oregon Cheese Guild, a collaborative effort to promote and support Oregon’s artisanal cheeses, create educational opportunities, and provide shared resources among cheesemakers. That said, insatiable cheese enthusiasts, loosen up those jaws and prepare to be satiated. Alder Block, 100 SE Alder St., 503-238-1367, thewedgeportland.com. Noon Saturday, Sept. 27. $28.63–$81.78. 21+.
GO: Weirdfest
Portland’s deep devotion to all (or most) things weird and wonderful can be fully evidenced at Weird Portland United’s annual Weirdfest. But square pegs need not fret—there’s no need to self-identify as a total weirdo to engage in this very Portland-specific arts and culture festival. This year, guests can expect a wholly weird and diverse slate of avant-garde performances, bizarre and unconventional art, freaky workshops and lectures, weird live music to do weird live dances to and, of course, all manner of weird characters prowling for weird pics. Oaks Amusement Park, 7805 Oaks Park Way, 503-233-5777, weirdportlandunited.org. 10:30 am–4 pm Saturday, Sept. 27. $15 (free for kids under 12).
SEE: Yoshida Chizuko Retrospective
In anticipation of its big grand reopening, PAM loyalists who’ve been fiending for their contemporary art fix (and literally anyone with an appreciation for art) can take in the work of groundbreaking modernist Yoshida Chizuko’s first major museum retrospective. The expansive exhibit features more than 100 works, many of which have never before been seen by the public. From early oil paintings, rare monotypes, woodblock prints, lithographs and zinc-plate mixed media prints, this exhibit prefaces a major planned acquisition from the Yoshida family estate, enriching the museum’s already exceptional holdings of 20th century Japanese prints. And please exit through the gift shop (it’s new and very cute). Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., 503-226-2811, portlandartmuseum.org. 10 am–5 pm Sept. 27–Jan. 4, 2026. $25 (free for children under 17).
