The St. Johns Bizarre is a uniquely crafted FREE celebration that kicks off the summer street fair season in Portland.
Held annually on the second Saturday in May, the Bizarre brings music, crafts, and food to the crowds who traditionally attended the St. Johns Parade — along with the crowds who also now come for the Bizarre itself.
After the parade, a portion of the business district in the St. Johns is closed to traffic, and thousands of people fill our streets to sample dozens of juried craft vendors (a record 180 last year, after we expanded our footprint), two stages for music, great food, a beer garden serving local libations, and tons of games and activities. It’s an amazing community event with something for everyone.
The Bizarre is coordinated by a dedicated group of volunteers, all St. Johns residents who work throughout the year with local businesses and the community to make the event happen. We rely on the support of local businesses, community partners, and event sponsors, without which the event would not be possible. There are always opportunities to get involved. (Interested? Contact us.)
So who had the crazy idea to throw a street festival before, during and after a beloved parade? Nineteen years ago, a few of our neighbors got together for some beers on Parade Day (like you do).
They thought about how great it would be if all those people who came down for the parade had a reason to stay — and spend their time getting better acquainted with our historic business district and many shops and restaurants.
The goal wasn’t to upstage the Parade, but rather to build on those two hours of fun to squeeze out a whole day’s worth!
It was a simple thought: “I bet if we put a keg in the middle of the plaza and had some bands, folks would stick around and check out St Johns.”
But it was more than enough to get started.
And almost 20 years later (minus three years lost to COVID-19), the Bizarre is recognized citywide as one of the best street festivals in Portland!
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Molly Sterling | vendor coordinator
Ian Youngstrom | art/music director
Amyl Freeberg | volunteer coordinator
Babs Adamski
Barb Anderson
Scott Bricker
Liv Lenertz
Shamus Lynsky
Denis Theriault
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