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

Free Events in Portland: October 28–31

October 26th, 2011

Happy Halloween!

Note: The following events offer free admission, but might charge for activities or food and drink.

Events are sorted by start time. If I missed anything, please leave a comment.

Every day through Halloween

Davis Graveyard: Each October, the Davis’s transform their property into a realistic, haunted graveyard. Get the full experience (sound, fog, ghost effects, and animations) every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through Halloween from dusk to 11:00 pm (10:00 pm on Sunday). Get the lite version (lights only) every Monday through Thursday from dusk to 10:00 pm. 8703 SE 43rd Ave in Milwaukie.

Friday, October 28

Halloween Spooktacular: Lots of fun, games, prizes, and food. Appropriate for children in preschool through 5th grade. Admission is free; need to buy tickets for activities. St. Johns Community Center (8427 N. Central), 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

Halloween Monster Mash: Wear your costume and dance with other sociable ghouls, make creepy crafts, and play bewitching games. Peninsula Park Community Center (700 N. Rosa Parks Way), 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

Grave Tales (In the Dark): Join storyteller Megan Miller on a haunting tour of Oswego Pioneer Cemetery by lantern light. Oswego Pioneer Cemetery (17401 Stafford Rd, Lake Oswego), 7:00 pm.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee of YarnHarlot.com talks about her new book. Powell’s City of Books on Burnside, 7:30 pm.

The 1980s: A night of live music featuring Henpeck, The Eastsiders, Future Proof, A Season of Tanagers, Plucker, The My Oh Mys, and more. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N. Mississippi Ave. Doors open at 8:30 pm; show starts at 9:00 pm. Ages 21+.

Saturday, October 29

Home Energy IQ (registration required): Discover easy ways to save energy at home. Warehouse/Portland Green Parenting (3434 SE Milwaukie), 9:00 am.

Amtrak 40th Anniversary: Union Station will host this exhibit of scale model trains and memorabilia. Chuggington Depot will entertain children ages 2–7 and their families. 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Ray Friesen demonstrates how to make a comic book and talks about Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken. A Chlidren’s Place Bookstore (4807 NE Fremont Street), 11:00 am.

Portland Green Halloween Event: Healthy treats (sugar-free and organic), costume contest, face painting, and a talented photographer. 2390 NW Thurman St, 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Lake Oswego Storytelling Festival: At 1:00 pm, Lake Oswego Public Library will host a performance by storyteller Rick Huddle and an open mic. At 3:00 pm, take a walking tour of Old Town Lake Oswego (registration required). At 7:00 pm, enjoy an evening of performances by storytellers Leslie Slape, Alton Chung, and Will Hornyak at Lakewood Center for the Arts.

Children’s Author Jane Shapiro shares her new book, Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art, as well as leads a recycling activity perfect for young ones. A Chlidren’s Place Bookstore (4807 NE Fremont Street), 2:00 pm.

Build Your Own Terrarium: A terrarium is a miniature garden that you can grow inside of a glass container. Each family will take home their own terrarium. Appropriate for grades K–5. Limited to 15 families, first come, first served. Central Library (801 SW 10th Ave), 2:00 pm.

Grown-ups Intro to Picture Books: This class is an introduction to the process of creating picture books as well as the publishing industry. All levels of experience welcome, aspiring authors and illustrators alike. Bring your book ideas and your questions. Gresham Library, 2:00 pm.

Puppet Show: Come sing and laugh with Penny’s Puppet Productions. Holgate Library (7905 SE Holgate Blvd), 4:00 pm.

Thriller Dance: The basketball court at Irving Park will be the site of this year’s Thrill Portland, a time to come together to dance Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance. You’re welcome to watch or join in. The dance starts at 7:00 pm. If you want to dance, be there to register between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm. Watch last year’s dance here.

Sunday, October 30

Amtrak 40th Anniversary: Union Station will host this exhibit of scale model trains and memorabilia. Chuggington Depot will entertain children ages 2–7 and their families. 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Dia de los Muertos Events and Parade: From 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, take part in sugar skull decorating and an altar build at Someday Lounge (125 NW 5th Ave). The parade will start at 3:00 pm at Pioneer Place Mall and travel to Someday Lounge where the day will end with live entertainment.

Portland Zombie Walk: Participate or observe. This is a family-friendly event. The walk begins at 12:00 pm at Hollywood Vintage (2757 Northeast Pacific St) and ends at the same location at 4:00 pm. The Voodoo Doughnut Van will be there too.

Decorate Mexican Sugar Skulls (kids): Sugar skulls are a traditional Mexican folk art used in the celebration of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Spielwerk Toys (3808 N. Williams Ave), 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Portland Opera Preview: Lecture/concert covers historical background, composer information, and musical selections from The Marriage of Figaro. Central Library, 2:00 pm.

Spooky Story Slam: Share your scariest tale. Sign up 30 minutes before the event. Stories should be no longer than five minutes. Recommended for teens and adults. Central Library, 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm.

The Haunts of Portland, Ghost Stories for a Rainy Night: Join professional storyteller Alton Chung as he takes you on a trip through the ghostly side of the city. Not suitable for children. Woodstock Library (6008 SE 49th Ave), 2:00 pm.

Dishing Up Oregon: Ashley Gartland talks about this collection of 145 recipes that celebrate the rich diversity of Oregon’s cuisine. Pastaworks, 2:00 pm.

Bridgeport Village Street of Treats: Kids activities, music, games, and more. Donate your canned goods for special treats. 7455 SW Bridgeport Rd, Tigard, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Flash Fright Treat Night 5: Black Wagon is hosting a Halloween open house for families with little ones. Dress up and stop by for treats. Photos will be taken and available for purchase. 3964 N. Mississippi Ave, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Mississippi Studios 8th Anniversary: Free burgers until midnight and 10 musical performances. 3939 N. Mississippi Ave, 7:00 pm to 1:00 am; music starts at 8:20 pm. Ages 21+.

Monday, October 31

Trick-or-Treat at the following malls:
Jantzen Beach Center, 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm (free kids activities and carousel rides too)
Lloyd Center, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Clackamas Town Center, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Cedar Hills Crossing, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

Tigard Trick-or-Treat Event: Trick-or-treat on Main Street in Tigard. Participating merchants will display a “Halloween Event” flyer in their window. 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Lake Oswego Harvest Fest: Bring your youngsters for games, crafts, a puppet show, and trick-or-treating. Millennium Plaza Park, 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm.

Halloween in Multnomah Village: Visit the Multnomah Arts Center and dozens of other local businesses as you trick-or-treat in downtown Multnomah Village. Free coffee at Starbucks. 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm.

Halloween at Kennedy School: Trick-or-treating, music from Freak Mountain Ramblers, and Willamette Radio Workshop performing works by Edgar Allen Poe. Kennedy School, 4:00 pm. All ages welcome.

Not So Spooky Stories: Pumpkins, black cats, and not so scary stories. Wear a costume if you like and join our parade. Woodstock Library (6008 SE 49th Ave), 4:00 pm to 4:45 pm.

Gresham Safe Trick-or-Treat: Main Avenue in Historic Downtown Gresham will be blocked off from traffic from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, so that local merchants can provide treats.

Harvest Hoopla: Face painting, games, art & crafts, haunted house, costume contest, and much more. Ages 4–12. Community Education Center, 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm; Regence Boys & Girls Club, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm; University Park Community Center, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

Michael Moore Book Signing: The Oscar-winning filmmaker has a new book, Here Comes Trouble, and will sign your copy at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside, 6:00 pm.

Halloween Bike Ride & Mobile Dance Party: Costumes and decorated bikes are highly encouraged. Meet at Dawson Park (Vancouver/Williams & NE Stanton/Morris, by Legacy Hospital) at 6:00 pm. Meeting point to first stop is an all-ages/family-friendly ride. Riders who continue on the ride at/after the first stop must be ages 21+.

More free events

For more free and low-cost events, check Portland on the Cheap, PDX Pipeline, and Dave Knows Portland.

For kids events, check UrbanMamas and PDX Kids Calendar.

For free concerts, see Concert Co-op.

Entry Filed under: Free