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City Cast Portland

Summer’s finally here. Here's how to make the most of it.

Rachel Monahan

August is our hottest month, so we all need to figure out how to stay cool.

Here’s a tip for how to keep your house comfortable, when it feels like the AC is overtaxed or if you want to be more energy efficient:

It isn’t common in Portland yet, but people are starting to do this in my neighborhood. If you put the shades on the outside of the window, it means you 

. At my house, we’ve added them to some of our south-facing windows. And it has made a surprising difference.

Don’t make it hotter inside than it has to be

Open your windows during the cooler parts of the day

, and get some fans going to move the air through. We’re lucky that even in our heat waves, it tends to cool down at night. Ceiling fans are also an energy-efficient way to keep air moving.

 Just like in the winter, you can use weather-stripping to keep out the elements.

Also: Plan your escapes to places that aren't as hot. If you can, head up in the mountains or get out to the coast. After all, they’re an essential part of 

: Revisit some of our picks for having fun 

, so consider going for a last visit — including for a 

August is our hottest month, so we all need to figure out how to stay cool in Portland - check out a few tips we've gathered.

Tips for a Better August 2026 in Portland, Oregon

Tips for a Better August 2026 in Portland

Summer’s finally here. Here's how to make the most of it in Portland.

Portland Summer Guide

Summer Guide

Giulia Fiaoni

Summer in Portland often feels ideal — the weather is 

 moderate, people seem friendlier than usual, and there's an endless list of exciting events and dreamy outdoor destinations to explore. But if we're being honest, not everything on our summer bucket lists ends up hitting the mark. Last week on the podcast, I joined host Claudia Meza and executive producer John Notarianni to debate what we think are 

the most overrated (and underrated) summer to-dos

 in our city. Here's some of what we came up with:

We were all in agreement that a river swim is perfectly rated, but where you swim can make all the difference.

John's hot take: "I think that swimming at 

 is dramatically overrated because it is so crowded. You are always in a traffic jam trying to get there. There's never anywhere to park. Once you get there, there's very little shade."

 is a little overrated. Any other river is infinitely better, less crowded, usually cleaner. I get people love the tubing…but every time I've gone I've been like, 'I wish I was at the Clackamas.'"

I had a suggestion for an alternative: Swimming at 

. " It's so much less crowded, and the terrain is a lot more interesting. It's not just a sandy beachfront; it's this rocky, mossy terrain. There's a little hike in, and a lot of the time you'll see folks driving their remote-controlled robot cars around the rocks. It's the cutest thing." 

 to pick up tortas for lunch — I think they have some of the best in town.

John and I also had suggestions for less traditional, car-centric outdoor fun.

 movie theater in Newberg, Ore. "You can either watch it in your car with your friends or bring lawn chairs and sit right outside your car. It is just such a fun way to make seeing a movie the most social experience possible."

. " It wasn't like this big, macho event. It was family-friendly…it was not only your standard super fast, like Lamborghini race cars, but they also did a vintage race car race where it was like all different kinds of cars, like Mini Coopers."

Even Portland's most tourist-friendly attractions and activities can be fun for locals, so it was not easy to come up with some 

 overrated picks. Here are some of our gripes and recommendations:

 is overrated. It has nothing to do with the nudity…It's just the crowd. It is so crowded that it turns into a world naked bike walk," says John.

 is overrated. "I would suggest going to 

 instead. It's half the amount of roses, but the way that it's laid out in the symmetry of the garden space is so mind-blowingly beautiful." 

 After a visit to the garden, get dinner and drinks a short walk away on North Killingsworth. Plus, to learn more about Peninsula Park, check out yesterday's edition of our 

Claudia has a more general take: " Anything you have to wait in line for already, you're losing. You're losing daylight. You're losing your heat tolerance. Unless that line is like misted and it comes with free drinks, hell no."

 and making a night out of it. " You can go and walk behind these cascading waterfalls that come out of the fountain. It's amazing at night, the way that it's lit up. It's just this wonderful auditory, visual experience." 

 theme park near Salem. " It almost has this kind of outsider art vibe, where everything is just really interesting and meticulously made. You can go see the giant witch with the mouth you can walk into or the life-size gingerbread house. And they do have rides."

Summer in Portland often feels ideal — the weather is mostly moderate, and there's an endless list of events and outdoor destinations to explore.

The Most Overrated (and Underrated) Portland Summer Activities

It’s a busy summer of fun festivals. Here’s a list of the ones that you shouldn’t miss! These picks are from Portland event guru Michele Venlee, who chatted with the City Cast Portland podcast 

(Four events are this weekend, so get your tickets now if they’re needed.)

“One that I really love is free comedy at Laurelhurst Park every Friday. I did that for the first time last year and I was hooked because — free comedy.”

That’s “for anyone who loves cider.”

“A really fun one that's gonna be happening this month is the Pride Vegan Night Market. We don't have a lot of food night markets.”

“I've been to a few cheese festivals in Portland and I feel like they're always really fun because we have so many great cheese purveyors here.”

“That's at the Fields Park. And that park's really pretty.”

It “is a big one that happens every year. There's also a lot of smaller street fairs too that I love to go to.”

Portland Pride Waterfront Festival and Parade

“That changed from this month to July. So a lot of people don't know that.”

Pride in Portland for two months this year.

“One that I'm looking forward to that first happened last year is the Tiger, Tiger, a celebration of the [Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander] community. There'll be music, lots of great food.”

My “personal favorite is the Portland Adult Soapbox Derby, which is a ton of fun. It happens at Mount Tabor and I honestly can't describe how creative these cars are. Last year there was a Peewee Herman one. There was a Monty Python, the Holy Grail. And they hold up too.”

More on Portland Summer Festivals

What Portland Festivals to Attend This Summer

Rain has ended early. The sun is out. It’s time to think about how to enjoy the summer ahead.

Find yourself a pint of Hood strawberries (right now). Pick 

 (July). Visit the Portland Farmers Market at PSU or your local neighborhood spot (all summer long).

 Festival (July 14-16), or find your favorite musician at 

), ride over the bridges during Bridge Pedal (

 anytime — and eat some curly fries or elephant ears.

How are you planning to enjoy this summer?

What’s Your Favorite PDX Summer Plan? Email Me 

How to Enjoy Portland This Summer

Willie Levenson from the Human Access Project has been working to advocate for a cleaner river and more people swimming in it. 

asked him for some guidance on where to go to swim this summer:

“I like swimming from docks myself. So number one, 

. That's on the floating section of the Esplanade. That dock used to be restricted to motorized boats, so it wasn't legal to swim off it or fish off of it. So it took us six years of work with PBOT and Oregon State Marine Board to get permission to add eight swimming ladders that took less than four hours to install. So that is the grind of activism.

“This summer, we're gonna be doing a Duckworth Wednesday concert series. You'll be able to ride your bike, 

check out an awesome sunset, and hear disco music every Wednesday

“It is an incredibly used park. I mean, you go there, and every day it's a river beach party. And there's no material difference in the water quality between that site, which is about three miles from downtown. That is a vision of what the future of Portland's gonna be.”

“That's where our River Hugger swim team swims, which is right off the Hawthorne Bridge on the north side. Human Access Project added two ladders to that dock, effectively making it a new public access point.

“Our River Hugger swim team swims across the Willamette and back every morning Monday through Saturday. If you're an intermediate level swimmer and you're into open water swimming, check out the river swim team, too.”

Other tips from Willie about getting in the water:

Not convinced to go for a swim? Maybe you want to learn more about the

 progress Portland has made in cleaning the Willamette River

Summer Guide

Tips for a Better August 2026 in Portland

The Most Overrated (and Underrated) Portland Summer Activities

What Portland Festivals to Attend This Summer

Latest articles

How to Enjoy Portland This Summer

Summer Guide: Willamette River Swimming Spots