Portland Five Things to do This Weekend

1. For the third year, dozens of local breweries, distilleries, and cideries are gathering in Vancouver’s Esther Short Park for the Vancouver Spring Brewfest Mar. 17 and 18.

At the nonprofit festival, visitors can sample brews, ciders, and mead while enjoying St. Patrick’s Day-themed music and March Madness basketball games on two big-screen TVs.

Tickets range from $7 to $30 for the 21-and-older event.

For tickets, visit the event website.

2. The Amazing Race meets a three-hour sightseeing tour of the Rose City for the Urban Adventure Quest scavenger hunt in Portland.

Beginning at Pioneer Courthouse Square, players can start and stop at their own pace while enjoying all the sights and sounds of downtown Portland, guided entirely by their cell phones through historic Portland hotels, monuments, and even Powell’s City of Books.

The family friendly tour requires roughly 2 miles of walking, and tickets are $49 for a team of two to five people.

For more information, click here.

3. Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub will hold its 26th annual St. Patrick’s Day festival beginning Mar. 17 through Mar. 19 at both Kells Downtown (112 S.W. Second Ave.) and Kells Brewpub (210 NW 21st Ave.) in Portland.

Live music, traditional Irish dancing, food, drinks, and more will be made available to visitors of all ages, including the 7 th annual black-tie ‘smoker’, which pits Golden Glove Irish boxers against the best amateur fighters in the U.S.

For more information, visit the Kells website.

4. Portland-based nonprofit organization, Abby’s Closet, will host its 13th Annual Prom Gown Giveaway on Saturday, Mar. 18 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Mar. 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 N.E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Portland.

Featuring more than 6,000 prom dresses ranging in size from 0 to 26, the two-day event provides local high school students an opportunity to shop the largest prom gown closet in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

For more information, visit the Abby's Closet website.

5. Beginning with a 5k fun run at 11 a.m. Saturday, the Sellwood Moreland St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival is a family friendly event at St. Agatha Catholic School, 7960 S.E. 15th Ave. in Portland.

The Sellwood Middle School Marching Band is scheduled to perform, and the parade is expected to showcase Portland Fire & Rescue's big truck, motorcycle police, childcare with decorated bikes and wagons, and more.

For adults, Guinness beer and other brews from Hopworks brewing will be available.

For more information and a complete schedule, visit the event website here.