It’s Labor Day: known both as the day to honor the American labor movement AND the official last long weekend of summer. Looking for ideas to maximize in the sun? From sports to festivals to markets galore, we’ve got you covered.

FAIRS

Oregon State Fair
Aug 25–Sept 6, Salem 
Get your cotton candy and corn dog fix at the annual Oregon State Fair, where you can say farewell to summer with rides, live music, a rodeo show, a magician show, a motorcycle stunt demonstration, and an Artisans Village. 

SPORTS

Timbers Home Game
2:30 p.m. Sept 4, Providence Park
It’s do-or-die time for the Portland Timbers as they face off against Atlanta United, with a berth to the playoffs at stake. Show up in all your greenery for this home game at Providence Park.

MARKETS

Music Millennium Sidewalk Sale
10 a.m.–7 p.m. Fri–Mon, Sept 2–5, 3158 E Burnside St
The turn of a calendar page, the beginning or ending of the school year ... these are fine markers, but for some audiophiles summer starts and stops with Music Millennium's annual Memorial Day and Labor Day sidewalk sales. Watch for tables and tents outside the shop, with the promise of thousands of new vinyl records plus select CDs and DVDs up to 70 percent off, used vinyl under $5, and used CDs as low as $1.  

Art in the Pearl
Sat–Mon, Sept 3–5, North Park Blocks, FREE
This annual craft fair has been going strong since the late ’90s, transforming the North Park Blocks into a momentary oasis of clay, metal, jewelry, prints, and more. The 2022 festival will feature more than 100 vendors and a to-be-announced program of hands-on art activities for kids and adults alike.

FESTIVALS

Oregon Symphony Waterfront Festival
Sat, Sept 3, Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park, FREE
This all-day engagement kicks off at 1 p.m. with a string of performances from groups including Portland Taiko and the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and vocalists including Alonzo Chadwick and LaRhonda Steele. Then, at 7, the Oregon Symphony will take the stage to perform a dizzying smorgasbord of crowdpleasers: some Mozart, some Puccini, some Tchaikovsky, some Brahms, and—in honor of the film’s 40th anniversary—the theme from E.T. by John Williams.

Comedy in the Park
Fri, Sept 2, Laurelhurst Park, FREE
There’s no drink minimum at Kickstand Comedy’s summer series, hosted in partnership with the Portland Mercury: they swap cocktail tables for picnic blankets and host comics from near and far in Laurelhurst Park. The metaphorical doors are at 6, and local comic/hosts Tory Ward, Seth Allen, and Jaren George start the show at 6:30.

Lose Yr Mind Fest
Fri–Sat, Sept 2–3, Various Locations, $25–120
The Dandy Warhols are headlining the eighth iteration of this scrappy festival, which will spread across Central Eastside spots old and new: Bunk Bar, Vitalidad, the Get Down, and Lollipop Shoppe. Confirmed acts include hip-hop showcase the Thesis, a barrage of names from Mama Bird Recording Co, MAITA, Soft Kill, and more.