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February is still one of Portland’s colder months. And with the grey and drizzle stretching on for what feels like ages, it can leave your spirits feeling pretty low! If you live in the PNW, February is a great time to escape to a warmer area. In lieu of a winter getaway, even a Portland-area day trip to a sunnier area can do the trick! In winter we have to make use of any sunny days. So here’s more info about visiting Portland in February – weather, events, and the best things to do in Portland, Oregon in mid-winter.
February is also usually blessed with a few marvelous days or weekends of balmy sunshine. We call it February Fakeout. Yep, it even has a name! Suddenly everyone is out in t-shirts with faces pointed to the sun. And then it usually snows a little or rains or is terribly windy the next week just to remind us it’s most certainly still winter. Jump to:
- February Events
- Things to Do
- Weather – what to expect & February averages
Portland February Events
The winter months in Portland aren’t the busiest for events. I mentioned this in my When to Visit Portland post about January. Thankfully, February has a little bit more when it comes to events. Here are a few:
- Chinese New Year at Lan Su Chinese Garden – (starts February 10, 2024). Depending on the year – January or February. There are always Chinese New Year festivities happening in Portland’s Old Town/Chinatown and the Lan Su Chinese garden including the Lantern Viewing event.
- Portland Winter Light Festival – February 2-10, 2024. This is one of my favorite February events! This event has been running for a few years by Willamette Light Brigade. It lights up the Central Eastside and near OMSI and Tilikum Crossing Bridge with light – lights, fire, technology, music. So fun! It used to get super crowded so now the event is popups all over the city!
- Zwickelmania – February 17, 2024. This annual brewery festival is all about the breweries – with tours and free samples and is a really fun winter activity. While it used to be the first weekend was a Portland event, and the following Saturday Statewide – for 2024 they’ve moved to just one day.
- Oregon Craft Beer Month – celebrate with Zwickelmania and other beer events around the state.
- Portland Mardi Gras Parade – Feb 13, 2024. This Mardi Gras Parade is a Mississippi Ave Fat Tuesday tradition, hosted by the Mysti Krewe of Nimbus (Portland’s Louisiana-style Mardi Gras Krewe).
- Portland Jazz Festival – February 16 – March 2, 2024. Celebrating jazz music and culture, the BIAMP PDX Jazz Fest is a series of concerts and events over two weeks in February in celebration of Black History Month.
- Zero Proof Cocktail Week – Jan 29-Feb 10, 2024. Another of Portland Mercury’s self-created food and drink events. This event celebrates zero proof non-alcoholic cocktails and drinks around town.
- Dumpling Week – Feb 4-10, 2024. This event by The Oregonian celebrates all things wrapped in dough, with 30 area restaurants participating.
- Portland International Auto Show – February 22-25, 2024. This annual event at the Oregon Convention Center is a favorite of car enthusiasts.
- Highball Week – TBD 2024. Feb 20-26, 2023. Another of Portland Mercury’s self-created food and drink events. 7 days of $8 cocktails at various Portland bars (yeah last year it was $6, but life is $$$).
- Portland Concerts – the best resources for live music listings is WWeek’s Music Calendar (they also have art/performance/show listings), and Portland Mercury’s Music Calendar now by EverOut (and if it’s too cluttered, tap the star “Recommended” to see fewer listings).
Things to Do in Portland in February
Since February is just barely warmer and slightly less rainy than January it’s still very much wet winter time. This leaves you with rainy hikes, what used to be cozy restaurants – and is now cozy takeout. It’s a balancing act of being outside rain or shine and escaping back indoors after.
February can also feel like your last chance to enjoy some of those wintery things before things just get slushy up at Mt Hood with snowboarding, skiing, snowshoeing, or tubing at SkiBowl. Rainy hikes to waterfalls or through the gorge like Latourell Falls. February is also one of the best months for hotel deals (here are my fav cool hotels in Portland). Combine that with tax-free shopping, great brunch spots, restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries. One great thing in the winter months is a nice chance for locals to enjoy latest restaurants and things without all the lines that the summer season brings.
Portland Weather in February
Note: If you want to know about the weather you can 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 February is STILL cold and wet! With average highs at 50 and low temps in the high 30s, February is just a slightly warmer month that proves spring is coming! Add in an almost 50/50 chance of rain, but February is only the 4th rainiest month of the year, so not as bad as the months prior, and about 5″ of rainfall, almost an inch less than January! On the daylight front, February averages 10.5 hours of total daylight, starting the month with a 5:15pm sunset and ending the month with a 6pm sunset. Sunrise moves from 7:30am to 6:50am. So finally back to life where it’s not dark when you wake and come home from work. Portland spring is on its way! January is also the third wettest month of the year and averages 14 days of rain and 5.8″ of rainfall. And February also has a chance for snow, with about an inch of snow dusting the ground at some point.
Portland Historical Average February Weather by Day
Here are the High & Low Temperatures by average for February in Portland.
And with that, I wish you a happy February (or planning for)!
Read more: Portland in January, Winter in Portland, Portland in March
