Skip to main content
A good manicure is more than just cuticle maintenance and a coat of polish. The creativity poured onto our nailbeds often takes as much effort and skill as other artisans’, and a new Portland festival seeks to unite professionals and appreciators of nails as art.
The first annual ManiFest presses on at the Buckman neighborhood event venue Union/Pine the weekend of April 4–6. Portland-area nail artists will display nail-based art alongside professional manicurists from across the country. Not only does the event look to be a networking hotbed for technicians and clients, but lovers of esthetics’ aesthetics.
“ManiFest is not just for seasoned professionals—it’s for everyone who shares a love for this art form,” ManiFest co-organizer Connie Wohn said in a statement. “This isn’t just about nails—it’s about the power of art to heal, inspire, and bring us together. It’s about manifesting something beautiful, bold, and utterly transformative for Portland and beyond.”
Along with showcasing work by more than 20 nail artists—including Natalie Minerva, whose designs featured prominently in the Max series Euphoria—ManiFest will include two garden-themed installations, a sensory immersion zone perfect for nail-based ASMR clacking, and a finger accent tattoo station (they’ve come a long way from hipster mustaches, wedding rings and digit-based words like “shh!” or “click!” for photographers).
The first two days of ManiFest run for 12 hours, with half the day rationed between 10 am and 4 pm and the second half running from 4 to 10 pm. Sunday, April 6, concludes ManiFest with one 10 am–5 pm shift. All times are open to guests of all ages.
“From nail techs to nail ‘girlies’ and ‘boys,’ soccer moms, and even celebrities, this event brings together all facets of the Nail Art world,” Wohn said.
SEE IT: ManiFest at Union/Pine, 525 SE Pine St., 971-254-4395, mani-fest.me. 10 am–4 pm and 4–10 pm Friday and Saturday, 10 am–5 pm Sunday, April 4–6. $25–$30.