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HANG OUT: Sneaky Sasquatch PDX: Artist Meet and Greet Reception
Sneaky Sasquatch is part citywide, multiartist public installation and part Portland-core scavenger hunt, with effigies to our beloved cryptid, the elusive Sasquatch (or Bigfoot, if you’re nasty), peppering spots throughout each quadrant. This kickoff event is a chance to meet the 20-plus creators responsible for the city’s sudden ’Squatch invasion and celebrate Comic Con and Geek Week. Urbanite, 1005 SE Grand Ave., urbanitepdx.com. 5 pm Wednesday, Sept. 9. Free. 21+.
NERD OUT: The Geeking Hour: Geek Week PDX Kickoff Party
Rose City Comic Con is coming, and it’s going to attract fans from all over the region. But Portland is geeky AF year-round, so why not celebrate both the con and our culture at once? Enter Geek Week—a con-adjacent series of special opportunities to interact with the nerdy events, spaces, parties, activities and small businesses that keep Portland’s nerdy reputation intact long after the convention has left the premises. And for the official kickoff party, heck yes, cosplay is encouraged. Hey Love, 920 E Burnside St., heylovepdx.com. 4 pm Thursday, Sept. 10. Free. 21+.
HELP OUT: The Standard’s Volunteer Expo
Mix and mingle with nonprofits and volunteer and donor opportunities at The Standard’s Volunteer Expo, the state’s largest gathering of its kind. Spend an afternoon with other civic-minded community members and leave feeling, ideally, by some measure, more involved in our city’s bright (fingers crossed) future. Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th Ave., thesquarepdx.org. 11 am Thursday, Sept. 10. Free. All ages.
DANCE: Vinyl Dance Party ft. DJ Action Slacks
In case you’re unaware, getting sweaty on the dance floor with a bunch of other sweaty booty shakers is strong medicine. Combat your end-of-summer malaise by taking a big dose on the low-stakes hardwood at the World Famous Kenton Club, where generations of booties before you have been thoroughly shaken and medicated. Portland fave DJ Action Slacks plays a mix of R&B, Motown and Chicago soul. Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick St., kentonclub.com. 7 pm Friday, Sept. 11. $10. 21+.
GO: Portland Dragon Boat Festival
For more than three decades, Portland’s Dragon Boat Festival has welcomed fall via the extravagant traditional dragon boats that color the banks of Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Produced in cooperation with our Taiwanese sister city, Kaohsiung, this tradition of racing dragon boats on the Willamette in Portland and on the Ai He in Kaohsiung is both mesmerizing and celebratory, so come through to both gaze in wonder and scream with glee. It’s tradition. Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 98 SW Naito Parkway, portlanddragonboats.com. 9 am–4:30 pm Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 12 and 13. Free. All ages.
SHOP: Portland Indigenous Marketplace
We are moments away from gifting season—get a jump on your holiday shopping and support our local Indigenous artisan community while putting your face in the sun. This outdoor event features arts and crafts vendors, education and community resources, and a cultural celebration designed to impart unapologetic joy. The Electric Blocks, 1615 SE 3rd Ave., indigenousmarketplace.org. 10 am–4 pm Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 12 and 13. Free. All ages.
SEE: The Moth Story Slam
This go-round, the theme of the evening is “Nine to Five” (surely in honor of St. Parton), so either bring your five-minute workplace story to share and gamble on scoring a random slot or, if you’re more audience than performer, simply bring your rapt attention and generous support to the storytellers whose personal lore makes The Moth the nation’s favorite live storytelling event. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., themoth.org. 8 pm Monday, Sept. 14. $20. 21+.
HEAR: Cortex
Cortex is one of the under-the-radar jazz acts of their generation. The group’s 1975 album Troupeau Bleu is widely regarded as a cornerstone of hip-hop sampling, providing over 200 samples to some of the greatest voices of the genre, including Tyler, The Creator; MF DOOM; Madlib; and so many more. True hip-hop heads, here’s your chance to flex your knowledge and see just how many bars you recognize when the original band is playing them live. Revolution Hall, 1001 SE Morrison St., revolutionhall.com. 8 pm Tuesday, Sept. 15. $65. 21+.
