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The first-ever Portland Weird Fest, a new festival celebrating Portland’s spirit of eccentricity, takes place from noon to 5 pm on Sept. 7 at Oaks Amusement Park.
Featuring vendors, live music, performance art, a beer garden, a costume contest and activities for kids, Portland Weird Fest is the latest project of Weird Portland United, a nonprofit founded in 2018 by local celebrity Brian “The Unipiper” Kidd to support local artists and to “keep Portland weird.”
“Our mission statement is to celebrate, amplify and incubate all things weird, and now we’re able to do so in one place,” says Weird Portland United president Christine Lassiter. “People are going to get a great appreciation for all things weird at one of Portland’s most iconic weird places, Oaks Park.”
Recent WPU projects include Keep Weird Alive, a grant program for artists whose livelihoods were jeopardized by the pandemic, and Portland Elvis Gold Lager, a beer developed in collaboration with Gigantic Brewing whose proceeds benefited local Elvis impersonator John “Elvis” Schroder after he was evicted from his home earlier this year. Schroder will perform at Portland Weird Fest alongside the Unipiper and local performance artist Una the Mermaid. Elvis Gold Lager will be available on tap.
Lassiter is keen to emphasize the importance of “weirdness” to Portland culture, which she sees as deeper and more meaningful than the surface-level eccentricities lampooned by the likes of Portlandia.
“I’m originally from East Texas, so I know a world where ‘weird’ is neither celebrated nor appreciated,” Lassiter says. “To be able to be in Portland where it’s such a big part of our culture is invaluable. It’s what makes us different from every other big city out there.”
GO: Portland Weird Fest at Oaks Amusement Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park Way, weirdportlandunited.org/weirdfest. Noon-5 pm Saturday Sept. 7. $15, children $1.