Prosper Portland and Partners Mark Successful Holiday Events Season
February 14, 2025
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Shawn Uhlman, Prosper Portland
Data from Placer.ai shows attendance is up at holiday activations.
Prosper Portland’s Office of Events and Film has completed the 2024 Downtown For the Holidays Report. The report notes attendance increases at all eight events that were tracked, including impressive attendance numbers at two new events.
The success of this year’s holiday events is due in large part to the efforts of the Office of Events and Film, Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland Metro Chamber, and Downtown Clean & Safe to coordinate event plans, share marketing resources, and coalesce around the theme of “Downtown for the Holidays” in a showing of mutual support.
“Increased attendance at well-established events is certainly welcome news. The large turnouts for new activations like Snow Day Village and the New Year’s Eve Drone Show is extremely exciting,” said Prosper Portland Project Manager Amanda Park. “The early planning work and strong partnerships were essential to our shared success.”
There were modest overall gains in foot traffic throughout the central city compared with 2023 totals, but curated events and activations all saw substantial attendance increases from last year.
“Collaborating with our downtown partners brought efficiencies and a stronger unified voice that attracted record-breaking crowds to The Square this holiday season,” said Pioneer Courthouse Square Director of Marketing Theresa Vetsch-Sandoval.
“Portland shines brightest when we come together. The holiday season is a perfect example of how collaboration—between businesses, artists, and our community—creates something truly magical,” said Downtown Portland Clean & Safe Senior Director for Downtown Programs Sydney Mead. “From our first-ever Snow Day Village at Director Park to the unique shopping experiences in our downtown stores, it’s this shared effort that makes downtown a place of joy and connection during the holidays.”
“Portland is clearly an event town, and I’m pleased to see that the unified efforts of partners from the public, private, and non-profit sectors had a positive impact this past holiday season,” said Mayor Keith Wilson. “I am confident our dedicated partners will continue to bring their passion, energy, and focus to the 100-plus events and activations happening throughout the city in 2025.”
Downtown events and activations continue to draw visitors year-round, with events like the Rose Festival, Waterfront Blues Festival, and PDX Live at Pioneer Courthouse Square continuing this momentum into spring and summer. For a complete list of upcoming events, visit TravelPortland.com/events.
