Want to explore what the city has to offer? Check out Portland Night Market! Taking place inside a one-hundred-year-old produce row warehouse in SE Portland, Night Market is a free, all ages, quarterly event showcasing local food, drinks, culture, music, and retail from over 175 Oregon vendors.
Here are some tips and tricks to make your time out at Night Market a success:
Arrive early, especially if you’re not a fan of large crowds. From 4 to 6 there is plenty of elbow room. By 7, the place can be jam-packed. Getting there before 6 will also ensure you don’t have to wait in a long line for an alcohol wristband, or even to get inside the building, which can happen if it reaches max capacity inside. So be there early and start drinking sooner!
Don’t drive if you can avoid it. There are plenty of easy ways to get there without a car. Take the streetcar, it stops a few blocks away on Morrison and Alder, or take the number 6 bus, it stops on MLK and Morrison. You can also carpool with friends or take a Lyft. Nearby street parking has a two hour limit. There is a pay-to-park lot on 3rd and Alder, but it’s expensive and will fill up fast.
Don’t be shy about talking to vendors. Odds are they’re at Night Market because they’re passionate about what they do, and many of them even have full-time jobs in addition. Ask them questions about what they’re selling, and you will likely learn something new.
Go ahead and treat yo’self to the deluge of free samples you’ll find at Night Market. Just be wary that if you do indulge, it’s courteous to buy something from one of the vendors you discover, and you’ll be supporting Portland’s local economy too. The Candy Apothecary has delectable sweets and is owned by a pharmacist--hence the name.
If you get hungry for something bigger than a free sample, there is a bevy of food trucks located outside in the adjacent lot to the warehouse, such as Tight Tacos and Sammich PDX. Montage restaurant is also close-by, but be forewarned, as there will be a long wait for a table on Night Market nights.
Be sure to visit the Overcup Press booth where you’ll find an excellent selection of beautiful books for curious people like The Tall Trees series. Or pick up a copy of High-Proof PDX by local food and drink writer Karen Locke, and go on a mini distillery tour while you’re there. Some of the distilleries featured in High-Proof PDX have booths at Night Market like New Deal Distillery and Aria Gin. New Deal's Mud Puddle Bitter Chocolate Vodka is a must-try! Also check out Freeland Spirits, an up and coming women-owned and operated distillery making gin that goes down silky-smooth. The tonics and mixers you’ll find at Townshend's Distillery and Portland Bitters Project will perfectly complement the delicious spirits you purchase.
100 SE Alder St.
4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Upcoming 2018 dates:
March 23–24
May 11–12
September 7–8