Two Sundays Left on NW 13th, and What the Pearl's Calendar Looks Like After
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
The Pearl District Culinary Farmers Market has two Sundays left this year, Oct. 18 and Oct. 25. Both run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on NW 13th Avenue near Everett Street. It was supposed to end on Sept. 27. In September the Pearl District Neighborhood Association extended it through October, and KOIN reported that it had grown to 82 vendors and 108 booths across three full blocks.
For most of 2026, the busiest regular event in the Pearl came from the neighborhood itself. It was built by the neighborhood association with private donations. Once it ends, Sundays in the Pearl have no weekly event until someone organizes one.
The market is the main event of Re-Ignite the Pearl, a PDNA initiative that started this spring. In April, PDNA president Bruce Studer told the Northwest Examiner that foot traffic in the district was down 30%. "Foot traffic drives everything," he said. He described the plan as events that would "create a flywheel of activity." The same report said the town hall and the summer events were paid for with private donations and no city help. Ray Davis, the former Umpqua Bank CEO and a Pearl resident, helped organize the effort and talked with supporters who gave money.
The kickoff town hall at The Armory filled up. The Northwest Examiner reported that the auditorium seats about 600 and that people were turned away.
The market had been gone from the Pearl for a decade. KOIN described it as reopening "after a 10-year hiatus." About 2,000 people came on opening day, June 7. The Northwest Examiner reported that some vendors sold out halfway through the four-hour window. By early September, Studer was telling Portland Pearl Rotary that 3,000 to 4,000 people were coming regularly.
He gave KOIN this explanation for the extension:
"We've heard loud and clear from our vendors and our guests that they aren't ready to see this market end."
The number that best shows the change came from the same Rotary talk. A year ago the association staged four events. By the end of 2026 it expects to have staged 33.
The market calls itself a chef's market, and that shaped who sold there. On the PDNA's market page, Pearl restaurants are listed next to the farms and makers.
The page says vendors rotate each week. It also says the market covers the stretch of 13th between Davis and Glisan. In the second week, Andina chef Andrew Dunleavy did a cooking demonstration at the market. Kimiko Matsuda, the market's executive producer, told the Northwest Examiner the goal was a place where people could "connect with the people behind their food."
This matters for November. Many of the businesses that sold on 13th have permanent dining rooms a short walk from the market. When the street goes back to traffic after Oct. 25, those kitchens stay put at their own addresses.
Five days after the last market, the Pearl loses one of its long-running dining rooms. Oven & Shaker, at 1134 NW Everett St., closes after service on Friday, Oct. 30, after nearly 15 years. OregonLive reported that owner Ryan Magarian pointed to changing tastes, the rising cost of goods and labor, and other economic pressures. In his words, these make it "extraordinarily difficult for independent restaurants like ours." He also wrote that there are "simply more choices competing for a finite number of dining dollars and evenings out."
Co-owner Cathy Whims said she wanted the pizzeria to "feel generous, lively, delicious and a little irreverent." She added that she is "enormously proud of what we created." OregonLive reported that the Portland International Airport location will stay open. Oct. 30 is the announced closing date. A call ahead that week is the simplest way to confirm the room is still serving.
Two of the Pearl's newest restaurants opened this year. Both are a few blocks from 13th.
The Malarkey opened July 31 at 1210 NW Hoyt St., in the former Oba space. It serves wood-fired steak and seafood, with chef Jose "Lalo" Camarena running the kitchen. In September, Eater Portland added it to its guide to new restaurants. Eater praised its Mexican American-influenced dishes and suggested diners stay a while to take in the decor. Brian Malarkey, its chef-owner, gave OregonLive a frank take on what he'd taken on: "If I deliver, I'll be good."
Guay Tiew is a Thai noodle shop at 330 NW 10th Ave. Willamette Week reviewed it in August and reported that it took over its Pearl space at the end of March. Owner Chookiat "Hamm" Saenguraiporn told Portland Monthly that the response to his first restaurant, Khao Moo Dang, gave him the confidence to focus on bold, authentic guay tiew.
After the market, the Pearl's calendar shifts to its institutions: Powell's, Portland Center Stage at The Armory, the galleries, and the neighborhood association's own meetings. Here is what's scheduled from now to the end of November.
All through October, which is Portland Textile X Month, Pearl galleries are taking part in a citywide program of more than 40 exhibitions, workshops, talks and gatherings. The Pearl District Portfolio keeps the list of participating galleries.
After Oct. 25, nothing on this list repeats every week. The Nov. 12 annual meeting is where the PDNA elects new board members and officers. That board will be making decisions after the first year of Re-Ignite.
Studer has talked about a holiday promotion called "Light Up the Pearl." He told Pearl Rotary, "We're going to make it the Peacock Lane of downtown Portland!" No dates or details have been published. Re-Ignite hasn't announced anything for 2027 either, and that includes whether the market will be back in the spring.
The PDNA's last message of the season refers to the market in the past tense: "What a fabulous first year this has been." The market posts its rotating weekly vendor lineup on @pd_culinaryfarmersmarket.
For more on the parks and blocks around the market, see our Pearl District neighborhood guide and our walk through everyday life between the Pearl District parks.
At Erika Wrenn, we follow the Pearl's calendar block by block, from Jamison Square to NW 13th. If you'd like to talk about what the neighborhood's next season could mean for your building or your plans, let's connect.
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