Around the Sun: A Blog About Saving Money in Portland, Oregon, and beyond

Free Events This Weekend in Portland: Dec 5–7

December 5th, 2008

Admission is free for all events below. Have a great weekend!

All weekend

• Holiday Ale Festival in Pioneer Courthouse Square: Admission is free; the beer is not. Free rootbeer for designated drivers. Ages 21+. For more information, visit the event website.

• Festival of Nativities in Vancouver: Display of more than 600 nativity scenes from around the world, artwork, live music, and children’s activities. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (10509 SE 5th St, Vancouver), noon to 9:00 pm. Live nativity performance on Saturday at 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

Friday, December 5

• Holiday Celebration in Multnomah Village: The Village tree will be lit at 6:42 pm. All evening, carolers, Santa and local merchants will spread Christmas cheer. For more information, visit the Multnomah Village website.

• Tree Lighting Celebration in Beaverton: Children’s crafts, tree lighting, music, Santa and more. Beaverton Round Fountain Plaza (12600 SW Crescent St, adjacent to the Beaverton Central MAX Station), 6:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Holiday Celebration in Tualatin: Tree lighting, arts and crafts for the kids, Santa, treats, and more. Tualatin Commons (8325 SW Nyberg St), 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Tree Lighting Celebration in Camas: Tree lighting, caroling, Santa, refreshments, kids’ activities and more. Downtown Camas, 6:30 pm. For more information, visit the Camas website or download this flyer.

• Free First Friday Night at Portland Children’s Museum: Admission to the museum is free from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Repeal Day Celebration: Dewar’s Scotch Whisky and McMenamins celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition with a free show featuring Langhorne Slim, Fogatron, flappers, fire dancers and more. Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd). Doors open at 6:30 pm. Show starts at 7:30 pm. Ages 21+. For more information, visit the event website.

• First Friday Art Shows and Openings:

  • The Big 100: One night only—100 artists. 10 works a piece. 1,000 pieces of art. Olympic Mills Commerce Center (107 SE Washington). 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

  • First Friday East Portland Gallery Art Walk: Several galleries on the East side open their doors to the public from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on the first Friday of each month. Go to this website for the list of galleries. In addition to those, Bowl of Thistles and Tilde will also host artist receptions.

  • The 100th Monkey Studio (110 SE 16th Ave): Two art shows featuring 10 artists, as well as pieces by the Zimbabwe Artist Project. Live music and treats. Also showing: “Painted Positive,” a movie by Terry Haines. All ages welcome. 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

  • Destroy Store (1712 E. Burnside St): reception for artists Steve Mathews, Charlie Kraft and Chris Haberman. Beer compliments of Widmer. Beats courtesy of Infamous 1. 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

  • Press Club: reception for artist Dan Kohler, 7:00 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St, 503.233.5656.

  • Q Center (69 SE Taylor Ave): reception for artists Paul Francis Fukui and Paul Soriano. 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

  • Also, go to PORT for more events.

• Holiday Train Event: Staver Locomotive (2537 NW 29th Ave) invites all to see their display of model steam locomotives. If you wish, you can bring a donation of cash, TriMet tickets or gift cards for Friendly House. 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website

• Strangled Darlings (website) will perform at East Burn (1800 E. Burnside) at 8:00 pm. Visit the East Burn website for more information.

• Greg Clarke (website) will perform at Edgefield at 7:00 pm. Ages 21+. For more information, visit the Edgefield website.

• Chickweed (website) will perform at Rock Creek Tavern at 9:00 pm. All ages until 10:00 pm. For more information, visit the Rock Creek Tavern website.

• Contributing writers of “Hunger and Thirst: Food Literature” will speak at Looking Glass Bookstore (7983 SE 13th Ave) at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

Saturday, December 6

• Christmas Ship Parade will be cruising in Camas starting at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Lighting of Maddax Woods in West Linn: Enjoy a magical walk down a lit, accessible path through the Woods and to the viewing platform on the Willamette River. Free hot chocolate. 5785 River Street, West Linn, 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Caroling Parade and Tree Lighting in Hillsboro: Meet at 4:45 pm at the Glenn and Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center (527 E. Main St) and carol your way to the Civic Center. Stay for the Mayor’s Tree Lighting on the Civic Center Plaza and more caroling at 5:15 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Tree Lighting Festivities in Tigard: Join friends and neighbors in downtown Tigard at 5:30 pm for a holiday tree lighting event. Santa will arrive at Liberty Park at the corner of 99W and Main Street to light the tree around 6:00 pm. Visits with Santa, hot cocoa and cookies, music from Radio Disney, and more. For more information, visit the event website.

• Milwaukie Umbrella Parade & Tree Lighting: Decorate an umbrella and join the parade starting at the Waldorf School parking lot at 4:15 pm (21st and Monroe). Milwaukie High School Marching Band will lead the procession up Main Street and back to City Hall (10722 SE Main St) where the festivities will be capped with the Tree Lighting Ceremony, Santa, and treats at 5:30 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Holiday Tree Lighting & Community Celebration in West Linn: Music, treats, holiday cookie decorating, a visit with Santa, sing-a-longs, and more. Central Village (21900 Willamette Dr), 5:30 pm–9:00 pm. For more information, visit event website

• Winter Festival in Sherwood: Parade begins at 4:00 in old town Sherwood. Tree lighting at 5:00 pm. Other activities during the day. For more information, visit this blog or the Sherwood website. 

• Holiday Eats ‘n Treats: Q Center invites the LGBTQ community and allies to enjoy free breakfast, holiday film clips, and ornament-making from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. 69 SE Taylor Ave. For more information, visit the event website.

• Season of Lights Concert: Peter Zisa and other prominent Portland musicians will perform Chanukah and Christmas music. While there is no charge for the event, guests will have an opportunity to support community charitable organizations benefiting children. Old Church (SW 11th and Clay), 7:30 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Lincoln Crockett and Jim McKeon (website) will perform at East Burn (1800 E. Burnside) at 10:00 pm. Visit the East Burn website for more information.

• Brady Goss (website) will perform at Edgefield at 7:00 pm. Ages 21+. For more information, visit the Edgefield website.

• The Brothers Jam (website) will perform at Rock Creek Tavern at 9:00 pm. All ages until 10:00 pm. For more information, visit the Rock Creek Tavern website.

• Woodstock Library 100th Birthday Party: The celebration includes cake, music with guitarist Ronnie Robins, and fun. Woodstock Library (6008 SE 49th Ave), 4:00 pm to 5:45 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Penny’s Puppet Productions will treat families to a spinoff of “The Mitten,” a traditional Ukrainian tale. Free tickets for seating will be available 30 minutes prior to the program. Central Library (801 SW 10th Ave), 10:30 am–11:30 am. For more information, visit the event website.

• Children’s book author Addie Boswell will talk about her book “The Rain Stomper!” at Sellwood-Moreland Library (7860 SE 13th Ave) at 11:00 am. Kids will receive coloring sheets and bookmarks, as well as learn how to make a baton that they can twirl like Jazmin does in the book. For more information, visit the event website.

Sunday, December 7

• Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration in Happy Valley: Musical entertainment, horse-drawn carriage rides, refreshments, Santa, and more. Happy Valley City Hall (16000 SE Misty Dr), 4:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Authors Ursula Le Guin, Judy Jewell, Maura Conlon-McIvor and George Byron Wright will be chatting and signing books at Twenty-Third Avenue Books (1015 NW 23rd Ave) at 3:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Author J. A. Jance will talk about her book “Cruel Intent” at 2:00 pm at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside (1005 W. Burnside). For more information, visit the Powell’s website. She will also be speaking at Murder by the Book (3210 SE Hawthorne Blvd) at 5:00 pm. For more information, visit the MBTB website.

• “Mystery Train” will be showing at Press Club at 9:00 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St, 503.233.5656.

• Sunday Cinema Classics at St. Johns Library: “Meet Me in St. Louis” will be showing at 2:00 pm. Free tickets for limited seating will be available 30 minutes prior to the program, at 1:30 pm. 7510 N. Charleston Ave. For more information, visit the event website.

• Morgan Spurlock’s “What Would Jesus Buy?” will be showing at 6:30 pm at Moreland Bible Church (1648 SE Ellis). A community potluck will begin at 5:30 pm before the movie. For more information, visit the event website

• Sonny Hess and Lisa Mann will perform at Edgefield at 5:00 pm. Ages 21+. For more information, visit the Edgefield website.

• Irish Dance Show at Hillsboro Main Library: Maldon Meehan and her talented musicians and dancers will perform original choreography of Irish dance, modern dance, sean-nos dance, Cape Breton step dance, and American cloggin. Appropriate for all ages. Light refreshments will be served. 2:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

If you know of any other free events happening this weekend, please write a comment about it. If you’d like me to include an event in a future round-up, please contact me.

Entry Filed under: Art,Books,Charity,Children,Education,Entertainment,Events,Food,Free,Frugal living,Holidays,Kids,Literature,Movies,Music,Portland,Theater