December Events
Celebrate winter with beautiful light displays, belly-warming beer and other great Portland events.
During the year’s final month, Portland overflows with seasonal events and activities. Whether you want to revel in favorite traditional holiday activities, finish shopping for everything on your list or cheer on your favorites, December has it all. Read on for some of our top picks for December events in Portland, or search our full events calendar to see everything on offer.
Holiday Traditions
Revel in the city’s holiday spirit with annual Holiday Events and Activities. Portland gets into the season’s spirit with festive holiday decorations at the Festival of Trees at the Oregon Convention Center. Annual performance traditions include Gospel Christmas by the Oregon Symphony and a moving seasonal performance from the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus. See the dazzling display of twinkling cheer at ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo, featuring over a million colored bulbs. You can see the display without children at BrewLights and sample some local brews and ciders at the same time. Stroll down Southeast Portland’s Peacock Lane, where residents have lit their houses with holiday spirit since the 1920s.
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Holiday Shopping
With no sales tax and an extensive variety of holiday shopping events, Portland is a great place to finish up everything on your list for the holidays. Support artists and entrepreneurs of color at My People’s Market, held in the Oregon Convention Center. The Convention Center also holds the popular Crafty Wonderland, the city’s largest arts and crafts market.
At the Oregon Buddhist Temple Holiday Craft Fair, you can peruse handmade goods from local artisans held by the oldest Buddhist organization in Oregon. Scandinavian traditions are showcased at the annual ScanFair, boasting traditional Nordic musicians, dancers, vendors and treats. Find an authentic German nutcracker or sip traditional German mulled wine at the Silverton Christmas Market.
Catch a Game
Want to take a break from the holidays and experience a different kind of cheer? December in Portland offers many opportunities to get on your feet and cheer on some of your favorite teams.
Portland loves their Blazers, and if basketball is also your sport, you can catch one of the Portland Trail Blazers games at the Moda Center throughout December. If you’re more of a winter sports fan, then get yourself a ticket to see Portland’s junior ice hockey team, the Portland Winterhawks, play at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum all winter.
Sitting trackside at the roller derby can be an exciting (and sometimes dangerous) sport in itself, but it’s worth the risk to see one of Portland’s beloved Rose City Rollers games at Oaks Amusement Park. Or, sit up in the safer bleacher seats and bring the whole family to one of their Rose City Rollers Juniors games.
More December Events 2024
Check out our editor's picks for top things to do in December in Portland.
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