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Summer Free For All builds community through free, inclusive, and family-friendly activities that celebrate Portland’s diverse cultures and local artists.
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Welcome to Summer!
Each summer, Summer Free For All Cultural Events (SFFA) partners with community groups, artists, nonprofits, culturally-specific groups, and more to produce free concerts, movies, and cultural events throughout Portland. If you are looking to bring an amazing event to your community, our team is ready to help!
Summer 2024 Concert/Performance Schedule
July Concert/Performance Events
- Saturday, July 6 | 6pm— East Portland Summer Arts Festival: Allen Stone, Soul-stirring R&B melodies and energetic vibes | Ventura Park
- Sunday, July 7 | 6pm—East Portland Summer Arts Festival: Sheila E., World famous singer, drummer, and queen of percussion | Ventura Park
- Thursday, July 11 | 6:30pm—Melao de Cuba Salsa Orchestra, The beauty and exuberance of traditional and current Cuban music| Mt. Tabor Park- Amphitheater
- Friday, July 12 | 6:30pm—Picante, Traditional Afro-Cuban music with a fusion of Latin Jazz |McCoy park
- Saturday, July 13 | 6:30pm—Tequila Highway, Upbeat cumbia and Latin funk rhythms | Gilbert Heights Park
- Saturday, July 13 | 12pm—Samoan Festival Celebrating Samoan culture through dance, singing, art, food, and more! | Peninsula Park
- Sunday, July 14 | 5pm—Television in the Park: Martin and The Jeffersons, A reenactment of two hit TV shows | Mt. Tabor Park- Amphitheater
- Thursday, July 18 | 6:30pm—Wamba, World beat with exciting African percussions and danceable grooves | Glenhaven Park
- Friday, July 19 | 6:30pm—Ache Son, Traditional and vibrant Cuban Music | Glenwood Park
- Saturday, July 20 | 6pm—BridgeCity Soul, Old school and new school R&B, soul, and funk | Knott Park
- Friday, July 26 | 6:30pm—King Louie and Andy Stokes, Dynamic sounds of soul, blues, and jazz| Jamison Square
- Saturday, July 27 | 6:30pm—Glass of Hearts, Blondie tribute band delivering all the punk, disco, and energy!| Kenton Park
- Saturday, July 27 | 12pm— Jim PepperFest 2024: Speak/Sing Native, Celebrate the legacy of Kaw/Muscogee musician Jim Pepper, featuring Native artists and fry bread | Columbia Park Annex
August Concert/Performance Events
- Thursday, August 1 | 6:30pm—Ashleigh Flynn and The Riveters, All-female rock, country, and folk band |Hoyt Arboretum-Stevens Pavilion
- Thursday, August 1 | 6:30pm—The Norman Sylvester Band, Featuring Lenanne Miller, Join the Boogie Cat for a night of original blues and R&B! | Unthank Park
- Saturday, August 3 | 6:30pm—Barrio Mestizo, Classic and contemporary salsa, cumbia, cha cha cha, and more | Verdell Rutherford Park
- Sunday, August 4 | 6pm—Opera in the Park Portland, Romantic, unforgettable melodies from Verdi's beloved opera, "La Traviata" | Peninsula Park
- Thursday, August 8 | 6:30pm—Beat Frequency, Pop, funk, and R&B duo with sweet, sultry, and soaring vocals | Woodstock Park
- Saturday, August 10 | 6pm—Washington Park Summer Festival: Rejoice Diaspora Dance, An evening of dance from Afrobeats to Second Line, with original music performed by Darrell Grant and an amazing lineup of musicians | Washington Park - Rose Garden Ampitheater
- Sunday, August 11 | 6pm—Washington Park Summer Festival: Edna Vazquez with Mariachi Portland, A family-friendly evening of traditional Mexican Folk Music | Washington Park - Rose Garden Ampitheater
- Thursday, August 15 | 6:30pm—Yankl Falk's Carpathian-Pacific Express, Klezmer groove, Eastern European fiddle, multilingual raucous exuberance! | Essex Park
- Friday, August 16 | 6:30pm—Outer Orbit, Soul Funk Dance Party | Alberta Park
- Friday, August 16 | 6:30pm—Joshua Josue-El Gringo Mariachi, Americana/Chicano rock, cross-border songs, and stories of the working class | Pendleton Park
- Saturday, August 17 | 6:30pm—Kris Deelane & The Hurt, Motown soul revue with horns and dancing backup singers. Get ready to move! | Sellwood Park
- Thursday, August 22 | 6pm—Hip-Hop in the Park, Family-friendly, community-driven showcase of local hip-hop artists | Kʰunamokwst Park
- Friday, August 23 | 6:30pm—Macey Gard Band, Premier high-energy power pop and a get-down funky dance show! | Thompson Park
- Saturday, August 24 | 6:30pm—The Kidz Outside Festival, Third annual family-friendly hip-hop event with interactive activities and vendors| George Park
- Saturday, August 24 | 6pm—Celebrating Black Arts and Culture, Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center and Patton Square Park come to life with family-friendly arts activities and a concert presented by Albina Music Trust | Patton Square Park
- Thursday, August 29 | 6:30pm—Your Song My Song, Fun and interactive live music concert for all ages | Irving Park
- Friday, August 30 | 6:30pm—Bottleneck Blues Band, Traditional electric dance blues | Columbia Park
- Saturday, August 31 | 6pm—Providence Stage Band, Big band sounds from the 40s to today | Grant Park
Summer 2024 Movies Schedule
Movie Events start at 7:30pm. Movie screenings begin at dusk and/or when it is dark enough to see the movie onscreen.
July Movie Events
- Friday, July 12—Newsies (1992) PG | Overlook Park
- Thursday, July 18—Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) PG-13 | Colonel Summers Park
- Friday, July 19—Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959) NR |Fernhill Park
- Saturday, July 20—Whale Rider (2002) PG-13 | Kʰunamokwst Park
- Thursday, July 25—Little Mermaid (2023) PG | Wilshire Park
- Friday, July 26—Ferdinand (2017) PG | Mt. Scott Park
August Movie Events
- Friday, August 2—Turning Red (2022) PG | Berrydale Park
- Saturday, August 3—Madame Web (2024) PG-13 English with Spanish subtitles | Wilkes Park
- Thursday, August 8—Wonka (2023) PG | Brooklyn Park
- Friday, August 9—Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) PG | Holly Farm Park
- Thursday, August 15—Slumdog Millionaire (2008) PG-13 *subtitles not available | Oregon Park
- Saturday, August 17—Night at the Museum (2006) PG | Rose City Park
- Thursday, August 22—Top Gun: Maverick (2022) PG-13 | Elizabeth Caruthers Park
- Friday, August 23—Independence Day (1996) PG-13 | Luuwit View Park
- Friday, August 30—A Million Miles Away (2023) PG | Sewallcrest Park
- Saturday, August 31—Barbie (2023) PG-13 | Hamilton Park
How to Host an Event
Types of Events
SFFA has three types of events to choose from:
Concert/Performance Events
- Traditionally known as “Concerts in the Park”, these events feature a local band, artist, or performer
- Concert/Performance Events start at 6:30pm and end at 8:30pm
Movie Events
- Traditionally known as “Movies in the Park”, these events feature a screening of a movie
- Movie Events start at 7:30pm. Movie screenings begin at dusk and/or when it is dark enough to see the movie onscreen.
Other Cultural Events
- Other Cultural Events are events that don’t fit exactly into the “Concert” or “Movie” model. These types of events can include dance, theater, comedy, spoken word, mini-festivals, community gatherings, etc.
- If you have an idea for an event that doesn’t fit into the “Concert” or “Movie” category, we would love to hear from you!
Where and When?
- Summer Free For All Cultural Events are held at city parks. For all events, partners will provide their top three park locations and dates.
- Available dates for the 2024 season are on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from July 11th – August 31st.
- SFFA events are traditionally held in the evenings. If you have an idea for an event that takes place earlier, please get in touch.
Requesting Music Genres or Movie Titles
- For concert/performance events, partners will provide their top three music genres and/or performance types.
- For movie events, partnes will provide their top three movie choices.
All programming requests for events are made in consultation with SFFA and are subject to final approval by the SFFA team. This is to ensure that partners’ programming requests are available, logistically feasible, meet safety guidelines, and are in compliance with City rules and regulations
How Much Does It Cost?
- The Community Contribution for all partners hosting SFFA events begins at $1,000.00 and is due by Friday, June 7, 2024.
- For more information on the community contribution and onsite fundraising, take a look at our Community Partner Handbookor contact us at SFFA@PortlandOregon.gov.
What Does Summer Free For All Provide?
For most of our events, we provide the following services. However, depending on the type of event, responsibility for these services can be shared between SFFA and the partner hosting the event.
Performers
- Booking, contracting, and paying the band, artist, or performer
Permits
- Park Permit
- Noise Variance
- Movie license (movie events only)
Event Production
- Onsite staff/crew to setup, produce, and break down the event
- Port-a-potties (standard and ADA-accessible bathrooms)
- Trash collection and removal
- Movie screen and sound system (movie events only)
- Stage and/or performance area (concert/performance and cultural events only)
- Sound system and sound engineering (concert/performance and cultural events only)
Food Vendors
- Booking of onsite food vendor(s)
Marketing
- Event-specific banners
- Day-of onsite signage
- Promotion of the overall Summer Free For All Cultural Events program via websites, social media, radio and TV ads, and printed materials
What Does My Group Need to Do?
- Offer activities that enhance the event! Examples include: arts and crafts area, face painter, free haircuts, bouncy house, goat party, balloon animals, field games for adults and kids, and activities that tie into the theme of your event.
- Promote your event! Engage your community to ensure everyone has a chance to enjoy the event.
- Showcase groups that serve your community! Each group will have two “tabling” slots available to showcase social service groups, nonprofits, volunteer organizations, or other groups that support your neighborhood and community.
Parks Levy
- In keeping with the commitments of the passage of the 2020 Parks Levy, groups will help Summer Free For All Cultural Events support and advance the following levy goal:
- Provide park and recreation services to diverse populations including communities of color, seniors, teens, households experiencing poverty, immigrants and refugees, and people living with disabilities.
Demonstration of current/past work that supports and advances the goals of the Parks Levy will be a key factor in our evaluation of your application.
Community Partner Handbook
For important information on the expectations, roles, and responsibilities of a partnership with Summer Free For All Cultural Events, please read the Community Partner Handbook.
Tabling and Contributor Benefits
Are you interested in tabling at Summer Free For All cultural events this summer or making a contribution to the program?
Application Timelines
- Applications Open: December 4, 2023
- Applications Due: January 15, 2024, 11:59pm
- Acceptance Notifications: UPDATE - Week of January 22-26, 2024
- Community Contributions Due: June 7, 2024
How to Apply
Applications for the 2024 Summer Free For All Cultural Events season are now closed.
If you have questions about an application that was already submitted, please contact us at SFFA@PortlandOregon.gov.
Join Our Community Partner Mailing List
If you are a community group that’s not ready to apply this year but would like to stay up-to-date with the Summer Free For All program, join our mailing list!
Summer Free For All Community Partner Mailing List
2023 Summer Free For All Program Report
For a full picture of the 2023 season, check out our 2023 Summer Free For All Program Report.
Artists and Performers
Find more information about performing as part of the Summer Free For All program, visit our Opportunities for Local Artists and Performers page.
Food Vendors
Find more information about opportunities with the Summer Free For All program, visit our Opportunities for Local Food Vendors page.