Head to the North Park Blocks for the Pearl District Beer and Arts Fest July 29, 2023

North Park Blocks, Portland, OR


The festival is Saturday, July 29, 12pm – 8pm.


Mug and ticket sales close at 7:30pm.


Food and beverage service hours are Noon-8pm.

GENERAL ADMISSION – $30 Includes a souvenir mug and 10 drink tokens. 15% of all Pearlfest Beer & Arts Festival proceeds will be donated to Caldera Arts.

Photo courtesy of Mindysbeergear

More Info and Tickets

MUSIC: A lineup of talented Portland musicians takes the stage amongst a backdrop of beverages and fun. From folk, to funk, to covers, the Pearlfest musical sets represent the diverse soundscape of the city.

Backwoods Brewing Company and Deschutes Brewery have joined forces to throw our own special brewfest during what would have been the traditional calendar slot for OBF.

Our “Pearlfest” will be held near the traditonal brewery blocks where craft brewing began in the Pacific Northwest. Our goal is to raise money for charity by showcasing some of the best beer and cider in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

We are inviting over 20 breweries and cideries to participate in this one day festivus. In addition to beer and cider, we plan to include local artists showcasing their work (with some live demonstrations happening throughout the event), local vendors marketing their goods and local bands keeping us vibing throughout the event as well.

The North Park Blocks: A Place of Pride and Joy

Every year, the North Park Blocks in downtown Portland, Oregon, become a place of pride and joy for the LGBTQ+ community and their allies. The park is the starting point of the Portland Pride Parade, one of the largest and most colorful events in the city.

The parade route is about two miles long and takes about two hours to complete. It begins at the North Park Blocks, a city park that spans 12 blocks between West Burnside Street and Northwest Glisan Street. The park is one of the oldest in Portland and has a history of hosting cultural and social events.

The park offers a spacious and scenic setting for the parade participants to gather and prepare for the march. The park has grassy areas, trees, benches, fountains, sculptures, and playgrounds. The park also has restrooms and drinking fountains for the convenience of the visitors.

The Portland Pride Parade is organized by Pride Northwest, Inc., a nonprofit organization that aims to celebrate and support the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community in the Pacific Northwest. The parade is part of a week-long celebration that includes various events, such as concerts, parties, workshops, and more.

The parade attracts thousands of participants and spectators who march in solidarity for the LGBTQ+ rights and visibility. The parade features floats, bands, dancers, performers, activists, politicians, businesses, and community groups. The parade also showcases the rainbow flag, a symbol of pride and diversity for the LGBTQ+ people.

The Portland Pride Parade and Waterfront Festival are free and open to everyone who wants to join the celebration. They are also family-friendly and accessible to people with disabilities. The events are expected to draw more than 60,000 people this year.

If you are looking for a fun and meaningful way to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in Portland, don’t miss the Portland Pride Parade on July 16, 2023. For more information, visit portlandpride.org or pridenw.org.

Free Yoga in the Park Extended

Yoga in the Park extended through September! 

R2C Group will be hosting the 2nd annual ‘Yoga in the Park’! No sign up necessary, bring a mat, and join us at Park and Davis! Feel free to invite friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Yoga in the Park will be hosted on the following days 12PM-1PM: September 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th

Big shoutout to our Park Blocks neighbors – R2C Group








Business Damaged “Beyond Repair” by Influx of Homeless Campers

BY KATU.COM Staff and Lincoln Graves, KATU News
PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland wine bar is closing its doors after being damaged “beyond repair” by the “influx of homeless campers … drug use and other crimes.”

Remedy Wine Bar, which has been located on Northwest Everett Street by the North Park Blocks for three years, made the announcement on Facebook Tuesday.

Bar owner, Michael Madigan, first noticed the issue last summer.

North park block scene

“It was literally one day last June,” said Madigan. “I turned the corner and there were over 40 people camping right in this one block outside.”

Madigan says the problem only grew as the summer went on. KATU News reported on the issue several times during August and September.

“Along with the camping came drug deals and drug use and people having sex,” said Madigan.

As colder, wetter weather began to settle over Portland, the issue faded. But for Madigan, the damage was done.

remedy wine bar“Basically, our guests stopped coming because it became a very uncomfortable environment,” he said. “We never really recovered from that. Our business dropped by over 50 percent year to year and it still hasn’t recovered because people stopped coming to this part of town.”

Madigan knows homelessness can be a complex issue. He says his real issue is with how he believes the city is responding to the growing problems.

“The solution to the homeless problem is greater than what’s happening here on the park blocks,” he said. “The issue we had as a business community last summer is that the city didn’t do anything to correct it and for months it was a campground and free-for-all down here.”

Madigan plans to reopen Remedy Wine Bar in a new location in the future. Their last day at the Everett Street location is Jan. 30.








Park Behavior Drives Out Business

Remedywinebar
Remedy Wine Bar ~Stephanie Yao Long/The Oregonian

A historic city park should be an asset to adjacent businesses. But the city’s failure to address the deterioration of the North Park Blocks has claimed another causality. Remedy Wine Bar announced that it will close on January 30th.

In an announcement Remedy writes:

We’re sad to announce that Remedy Wine Bar will be closing at the end of this month, but we do intend to relocate! We have decided not to renew the lease at our current location overlooking the North Park Blocks due to the pervasive camping in and around the park throughout summer and fall of 2015, and the related crime issues, that went largely unaddressed by the city. We have little confidence things will be different this summer.

This past September, Glyph – a North Park Block’s cafe closed after deteriorating conditions in the park negatively impacted their park-side business. Glyph’s owner noted in the PDX Eater:

In the past, we’ve had homeless people and everything was fine. This summer was different. Palpably different. And I don’t know why that was. It had a different element… that is, a new more difficult element moved in… .

Mayor Hales and Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz ignored the conditions in the North Park Blocks for most of last summer. Their failure to address growing concerns about safe and livable parks has consequences.