News & City Life

Love Letters

An Illustrated Ode to Secret Roller Disco

Portland's best pop-up dance party on wheels.

07/23/2025 Illustrations by Shay Mirk

Our Sporting Past

The Portland Fire Is Back: Local Sports Teams Then and Now

You know the Blazers, Timbers, Thorns, and (soon-to-be-resurrected) Fire. But what about the Buckaroos, Rosebuds, and Forest Dragons?

07/15/2025 By Margaret Seiler

Water Ways

How a Jog and a Jump in the Willamette Became My Summer Ritual

I’ve learned to love Portland’s river like a friend.

07/07/2025 By Emily Chenoweth Illustrations by Davide Comai

Fourth of July

Fourth of July Fireworks in Portland and Beyond

Leave the explosives to the pros. From the waterfront to Oaks Park, Astoria to Hood River, here’s where to enjoy some spectacular displays.

06/24/2025 By Portland Monthly Staff

Editor’s Note

An Argument for Befriending the Willamette

Our river, ourselves.

06/23/2025 By Brooke Jackson-Glidden

As Seen on TV

Why Is PBS Teaching Me How to Sell Things Online?

The Portland-produced doc Generation: Freedom has a complex relationship to the problems it hopes to solve.

06/18/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Paddle to the People

These Kayakers See Climate Justice as Community Work

With a kayak lending library and social paddles, Mosquito Fleet wants to shift how we relate to the Willamette.

06/17/2025 By Rebecca Jacobson

LGBTQ+

Portland Pride Guide 2025

Our annual roundup of LGBTQ+ parades, pageants, concerts, drag shows, and festivals.

06/11/2025 By Portland Monthly Staff

No Reservations

Is Downtown Portland’s Tourism Industry Bouncing Back?

Five years after COVID, Portland hotels are filling back up—but nowhere near 2019 levels.

06/09/2025 By Winston Ross Illustrations by Matthew Billington

Local Legends

All the Things We’ve Done to Joan of Arc

One hundred years ago, the patron saint of France landed in Portland as a Great War monument. What does she mean today?

05/23/2025 By Matthew Trueherz Photography by Michael Novak

Q&A

Ripping the City with Brett Brown, Portland’s Favorite Reality Star

‘I don’t think there could ever be a Love Is Blind in Portland. It’s too small.’

05/14/2025 By Dalila Brent

Big Picture

In 1925 Portland, a Day of Bike Races and Costume Contests

Our city has always had fun on two wheels.

05/09/2025 By Rebecca Jacobson

Pub Time

Me, My Parents, and the Horse Brass Pub

A personal history of Portland’s most English bar.

05/08/2025 By Alex Frane Photography by Michael Novak

Love Letters

An Illustrated Ode to Dyke Hoops

The queer-friendly pickup games are still serious—but about building inclusive community.

05/05/2025 Illustrations by Shay Mirk By Shay Mirk and Brooke Jackson-Glidden

Style & Shopping

What Does Sustainable Fashion Mean to Portland in 2025?

DIY runway shows devoted to upcycling set a tone in the aughts that today’s students and designers are bringing back around.

04/22/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

onstage

5 Standouts from the TEDxPortland 2025 Lineup

Soccer star Christine Sinclair, a psychedelic psychotherapist, and a Laika animator are billed for the local TED offshoot.

04/21/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Ultimate Frisbee

A Professional Ultimate Frisbee Alliance Lands in Portland

Soar and Steel are now slinging discs in the Concordia neighborhood.

04/21/2025 By Alex Frane

talking trash

Artist-in-Residence, at the Dump

In the annual Glean program, artists rehash the city’s refuse. “Maybe this trash isn’t trash,” says the program manager.

04/16/2025 By Jaydra Johnson

Editor's Note

Portland’s West Side Is Cooler Than You Think

With its blend of unique shops, ambitious restaurants, and beautiful architecture, the west side deserves a second look.

04/09/2025 By Brooke Jackson-Glidden

Wheelie Good

These Are Portland's 15 Essential Annual Bike Rides

Bike proms, bike plays, and naked rides—few cities have livelier bike calendars than ours. Here are the can't-miss events.

04/07/2025 By Katherine Chew Hamilton and Rebecca Jacobson