Portland in September – Events, Things to Do, and Weather

August 28, 2023

Last Updated: December 28, 2023

Portland in September can be one of the hardest months to plan for! September can be one of the best months to visit Portland. Because the shoulder season of good weather and less crowds. In the last five years though, almost every September has been marked by wildfire season. 2020 being the worst so far, causing the most devastation throughout the state in recent history. And air quality so bad in the Portland area that we spent almost two weeks indoors. Thankfully mid to late September is also the start of the rainy season. So while you can’t plan for wildfires, you can keep it in mind that your September in Oregon will need to be flexible. In past years, that’s meant not planning ahead too far for forest or travel adventures, planning to visit the Oregon coast, and just having more last-minute fun closer to the Portland area.

So as long as you’re not dealing with forest fire smoke, September is one of the most beautiful months of the year. We still have more daylight, the weather is warm, kids are heading back to school so things are starting to settle down as far as busy season and crowds, and camping temperatures are cooling off compared to the heat of August. So here’s more info about visiting Portland in September – weather, events and my favorite things to do in Portland during the last month of summer. Jump to:

September Events
Things to Do
Weather – what to expect & historical averages

Portland September Events

Watching the Swifts flying at Chapman Elementary Chimney – every September Vaux swifts migrate and stop at the Chapman Elementary chimney in NW Portland. You can gather and watch as the fly and swoop into the chimney at dusk.
Portland Polish Festival – September 16-17, 2023 – North Portland celebrating Polish culture and traditions.
Feast Portland – Canceled 2023. In mid-September, Portland’s international food festival – Feast PDX – celebrates all things amazing food and drinks.
Rose City Comic Con – September 8-10, 2023.
Negroni Week – September 18-24, 2023 – Negroni Week is back and now it’s in September! This annual fundraising event by Imbibe is when cocktail bars and restaurants offer up Negroni specials and a portion of sales go to a worthy cause.
TBA Festival (Time Based Art) – August – November, 2023 – Time Based Art Festival is one of those kind of random Portland art exhibits. Usually 10 days of contemporary arts and performances.
Portland Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest – September 15 – October 1, 2023. This pop-up is at the Prost! Marketplace on N. Mississippi. Every day featured new rotating taps from area breweries.
Oaks Park Oktoberfest – September 22-24, 2023 – A three day festival in Sellwood, celebrating German food and beer.
Portland Fresh Hop Festival – September 29-30, 2023. Celebrate fresh hop with this two day event at Oaks Park!
Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patches on Sauvie Island – opens late September.

Things to Do in Portland in September

Here’s my friendly reminder that September is technically still summer until the 3rd week. By Labor Day weekend, I’m usually in full-on “savor the last of summer” mode, trying to fit in all my last minute things to do before summer ends. Getting out on the water, kayaking/SUP, swimming in lakes near Mt Hood, floating the river, visiting the Oregon coast, doing the fruit loop through Hood River and Parkdale, and planning a final camping trip, and savoring those late summer views.

September is also the start of fresh hop season with plenty of fun Portland beer festivals. And usually brings Feast the food festival to Portland!

Portland Weather in September

Note: If you want to know about the weather you can always visit a weather website. But one of the most frequent texts I get from friends about to visit Portland is about the weather. So that’s why I include this weather section. It’s how to interpret Portland weather forecasts by a local. :)

The weather in Portland [Oregon] in September is usually still nice and warm. While August can be too hot some years, September is usually more comfortable temperatures. But the air quality is the most unpredictable part of late August and early to mid September. Wildfires all along the west coast impact Portland’s air quality. Usually there’s like one weekend near the beginning of September where a rainstorm and wind rolls in and it’s kind of a fakeout before the heat comes back for a few more weeks.

As for daylight hours, September still averages 12.5 hours of total daylight, starting the month with a 7:45pm sunset and ending the month with a 6:50pm sunset. Sunrise moves from 6:30am to 7am. This means you have a bit less daylight hours for outdoor adventures, but still enough to get some end of season exploring and camping in.

The average September temperatures are highs in the mid 70s and lows in the mid 50s. That’s not to say, it’s only in the mid-70s, that’s the historical average. We usually have at least a week of high 80s and low 90s scattered through the start of September. It’s also the first month of rain after a dry summer (which we need after wildfire season!). We only average 5 rainy days in September though, so the rains usually come in one stormy weekend early in the month and then the rest toward the end of September, for a total average rainfall of 1.7″.