News Release: Celebrate open streets and downtown fun at Sunday Parkways on Sept. 14!

Press Release

(Sept. 9, 2025) Portland Sunday Parkways, Presented by Kaiser Permanente, returns to Downtown Portland on Sept. 14with a brand-new route for walking, biking, rolling, and playing in a vibrant car-free environment from 12 - 5 p.m. Made possible with funding from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) and led by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), this block party experience will highlight many of the unique amenities of Portland's city center-its public spaces, cultural destinations, and unique local businesses.

Hop on a bike bus to downtown or treat yourself to a staycation weekend

Join your neighbors on one of seven guided bike bus routes that will ride to the Downtown Portland Sunday Parkways event on Sept. 14. In partnership with Mike Bennett Studios, each route will feature a beloved illustrated safety critter as the route mascot. Volunteer route leaders will lead inbound rides to Downtown Portland Sunday Parkways, and outbound rides leaving the Downtown Portland Sunday Parkways ride on the Frog, Snail, Slug, Sloth, Manatee, Chameleon, and Turtle routes. For full details, see the Sunday Parkways bike bussection on the Sunday Parkways website.

Downtown Portland Sunday Parkways and PBOT are proud partners of Portland Staycation. Make it a weekend and join friends, family, and neighbors for Portland's first-ever Staycation, a three-day celebration of everything that makes our downtown vibrant: live music from PDX Pop Now, Timbers soccer, Downtown Sunday Parkways, special dining offers, and more.

Book a stay at a downtown hotel. Dine out. Show up. This is a weekend designed to activate the city from within-by Portlanders, for Portlanders. Visit PortlandStaycation.comfor deals and details.

Do you want to learn more about the Downtown Portland Sunday Parkways event? Keep up to date by texting "Downtown" to 888-520-0526 for the latest event updates and details during event week.

Music, performing arts, and entertainment can be enjoyed all along the 2.3 mile multimodal route. Photo by PBOT.

Experience downtown Portland like you never have before!

Sunday Parkways is thrilled to partner with local organizations and business to transform the heart of the city into a lively playground for all ages to explore.

Some of the highlights at Downtown Portland Sunday Parkways include:

• Experience SW Broadway like never before! From live jazz at the iconic Benson Hotelto delicious bites and beverages from The Heathman, Hilton Portland Downtown, Kimpton Hotel Vintage, Bidwell Marriott, and Hotel Luciaalong SW Broadway-plus a special activation from Dossier Hotelon SW Park Avenue-downtown transforms into a hub of music, flavor, and fun outside these landmark hotels.
• Grab a friend and rediscover downtown as a pedestrian with the Walk Portland Downtown Route! Walk Portlandis a pedestrian wayfinding pilot project that connects key destinations and seeks to make it easier than ever for people to explore the city on foot. You are invited to explore a section of the route during a guided walk at 2 p.m., starting next to the Pioneer Courthouse Square info booth on the corner of SW Broadway and Morrison Street. To explore the walking route at your own pace, look for the oval wayfinding signs and follow the marked route.
• Participate in the Kaiser Permanente Sticker Huntby visiting their four booths to engage in fun activities that promote healthy, active living. Collect a sticker at each location and bring your completed map to any Kaiser Permanente booth to earn a prize!
• James Beard Public Marketis coming to Pioneer Courthouse Square! Stop by to learn more about this year-round public market-opening in 2026-that celebrates Portland's own culinary son, James Beard, and showcases the best of our region's food and community.
• Fantasy Fest, in collaboration with Geek Week PDX, will transform Director Park into a celebration of all things geek. The festivities include a Cosplay Bike Ride beginning at 1 p.m. at the southwest corner of SW Park Avenue and Yamhill Street, a live-action Dungeons & Dragons experience, a curated marketplace featuring artists and vendors, and a special appearance from Draculaby Oregon Ballet Theatre.
• Enjoy Broadway and musical performances at Main Street Plazaon SW Broadway, hosted by Portland'5 Centers for the Arts, featuring the Metropolitan Youth Symphony,and Stumptown Stages.
• Experience dynamic performances on the Lovejoy Fountain stage hosted by Halprin Landscape Conservancyand TriMet, including the Takohachi Traditional Japanese Drums, Renegade Opera, MC "Shoehorn" Conely, and the Risk of Change performance troupe.
• Enjoy drag performances and interactive art activities at The Cart Blocks, plus explore the permanent food carts serving up delicious bites.
• Visit PSU Park Blocks to meet students and faculty from Portland State University, Oregon's most diverse university. Attendees can also learn about the 6-mile Green Loop linear park/multiuse path.

People walk and roll along SW Park Avenue in downtown Portland. Photo by PBOT.

Getting to the downtown Portland event

Getting there can be part of the adventure! With limited parking available, we encourage you to walk, bike, roll, or hop on public transit. Plan ahead to make the most of your day and arrive ready for fun.

• Hop on one of seven guided Sunday Parkways bike bus routes! Bike Bus Volunteers will lead inbound rides to Downtown Portland Sunday Parkways, and outbound rides leaving the Downtown Portland Sunday Parkways ride. Full details on the Sunday Parkways website.
• Bookmark the Sunday Parkways Google mapto help with navigation on event day, find BIKETOWN bike-share stations along the route, and more.
• Roll into Sunday Parkways with BIKETOWNe-bikes and scooters! Get $2 off your ride when you end in the Sunday Parkways route. Please remember to lock the bike when you're done riding.
• Plan your bus route to get to the event using TriMet's Trip Planner. Bringing your bike is no problem as TriMet buses are equipped with bike racks.
• PBOT has shared e-scooter programs with Limeand BIKETOWN + Lyftthat you can access from your phone and pay by the minute to use.
• Traveling by car? Take advantage of the $7 all-day weekend rate at one of Portland's five public SmartPark parking garages.

Traffic impacts

During Downtown Portland Sunday Parkways, streets along the route will start to close to motorized traffic from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with limited local access available to homes and businesses on the route. Avoid the area to avoid delays!

The Downtown Portland Sunday Parkways route features designated crossings for motorized vehicles to allow safe passage through the area. Car traffic is permitted to cross the event route at the following major roadways: SW Washington, Alder, Taylor, Jefferson, Clay, and Market streets as well as SW Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth avenues.

Parking on streets along the Downtown Portland Sunday Parkways route is forbidden on the day of the event. "No Parking" signs will be posted in advance. Vehicles left on the route will be towed beginning at 6 a.m. on event day.

For more information about traffic impacts, see the Prepare for Street Closures sectionon the Sunday Parkways website.

TriMet Bus Detours

TriMet's MAX lines and Portland Streetcar will operate with normal Sunday routes and timing. Traffic flaggers will manage intersections along the event route featuring rail lines.

As part of Sunday Parkways partnership with TriMet, some bus lines will be detoured to help riders navigate around the event. Bus detours are in effect only on Sunday, Sept. 14, starting at 11 a.m. Normal service will resume after 5:30 p.m.

People riding TriMet buses should visit Trimet.org/Home/Alertsfor more details and the latest information on service impacts and updates.

Plan ahead and stay in the loop! Bookmark the Sunday Parkways public Google mapfor information on designated car crossing points, TriMet detour routes, the event route, and more!

About Portland Sunday Parkways

Portland Sunday ParkwaysPresented by Kaiser Permanente, is a Portland Bureau of Transportationprogram in partnership with the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) that promotes healthy active living through a series of free events opening the city's largest public space - its streets - to walk, bike, roll, and connect with community. For more information, visit PortlandSundayParkways.orgor call 3-1-1 (503-823-4000).

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanenteis committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve nearly 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-cl ass chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.

About Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF)

The Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) initiative was passed by 65% of Portland voters in November 2018. It provides a consistent, long-term funding source and oversight structure to ensure that our community's climate action efforts are implemented to support social, economic, and environmental benefits for all Portlanders, particularly communities who have been historically under-resourced. The initiative was supported by a broad coalition of groups and individuals and represents the first environmental initiative in Oregon led by communities on the frontlines of climate change.