The Portland Winter Light Festival Opens in 2 Weeks

The Portland Winter Light Festival kicks off its most significant and dynamic festival with a full roster of over 100 works of art. The free, all-ages  outdoor festival will take place February 3 - 11. Returning for the festival’s eighth year is presenting sponsor is PGE, with additional critical support from Prosper Portland, Downtown Portland, Travel Portland, and more. The theme is “The Light of Stars.” Admission is free.

Choose Your Own Adventure

The festival will feature major anchor art sites with large-scale interactive art and performances and pop-up art in storefronts, retail spaces, front yards, and public spaces throughout Portland. Guests are encouraged to embrace this citywide art scavenger hunt and visit as many locations as possible! Anchor sites are open only on the Friday and Saturday nights of February 3-4 and 10-11. Many pop-up installations will be viewable from the street throughout the eight-evening event. Visitors are encouraged to check the times before heading out.

2020 Portland Winter Light Festival (Photo by Timothy Niou Photography)
2020 Portland Winter Light Festival Twinkke Trees (Photo by Brooke Hoyer)
2022 Portland Winter Light Festival Booty Bump mobile dance floor by Scott Sunn (Photo by Brooke Hoyer)
Festival highlights include:

• Mechan 42: Space Explorer, PDXWLF’s first formal artist commission by local artist Tyler Fuqua. This 16’ tall space robot will be displayed at Salmon Springs Fountain throughout February.
• Pioneer Courthouse Square: Featuring the return of fire art to the festival after a two-year hiatus! Portland’s living room will be filled with fire sculptures, interactive art, ice sculptures, pop-up performance, food carts, and more. The site will feature an opening night fire performance on February 3rd; stay tuned!   
• The World Trade Center: Featuring two levels of interactive light art, a water vortex, Pop- up performances, opportunities for hands-on art exploration, food carts, and more!
• Electric Blocks at SE 2nd and Clay: Featuring large-scale projection mapping, the silent disco dance party, interactive art installations, food carts, and more.  Pop-up light art installations, projections, sculptures, and more throughout the city.