CityFair kicks off Friday evening at Portland Waterfront Park, and the opening night fireworks show is set to go live at 10 p.m. KATU will carry the display on KUNP, KATU.com and the station’s Facebook and YouTube pages, giving viewers a front-row seat whether they are near the river or watching from home. For readers looking for the details in one place, see Fireworks Portland Tonight: CityFair opens at Waterfront Park with 10 p.m. show.
The gates open at 5 p.m. Friday, and the fair will bring together food stands, live entertainment, carnival rides, craft booths and vendors. Single-day adult admission is $15, season passes cost $25 and a Family Fun Pack is $100. Children 6 and younger get in free, while military members and veterans receive free admission at the gate.
The event runs across three weekends, with the first stretch continuing Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday and Memorial Day from noon to 9 p.m. CityFair returns May 29-31 after Memorial Day weekend, before the final weekend from June 5-7. It is part of the Rose Festival coverage, and KATU is the new home of the Rose Festival.
The practical problem for anyone heading to the waterfront is parking. Festival organizers said spaces near Portland Waterfront Park are limited and urged visitors to use TriMet transportation options instead. That warning matters most Friday night, when the fireworks draw the biggest crowd and the waterfront will be busiest just as the event opens.
For Portland, the draw is straightforward: a fireworks show, a summer fair and a three-weekend run that starts Friday night and builds from there.
