Observed on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan and across the Asian diaspora as a time to gather with family, honor the harvest and admire the full moon. Traditions include eating mooncakes, lighting lanterns and sharing stories that stretch back more than 3,000 years.
In the Portland area, communities are marking the occasion with cultural festivals, moon-viewing gatherings, food workshops and family activities at gardens, libraries and community centers. Here’s a look at what’s planned for 2025.
Make Me a Mooncake – Hands-On Workshop at GeekEasy Café
GeekEasy Anime Café is offering small, hands-on workshops to teach the art of making the Mid-Autumn Festival’s most iconic pastry. Participants will receive step-by-step instruction on how to make two different mooncake doughs: a crumbly shortbread-style pastry and the more traditional golden crust. The session will also explore the range of fillings that bring mooncakes to life, with options such as red bean, mung bean, custard and lotus paste available to mix and match. Attendees will leave with eight handmade mooncakes.
Tuesdays and Thursdays in September; GeekEasy Anime Café, 310 N.W. Davis St.; $60; eventbrite.com/e/make-me-a-mooncake-hands-on-workshop-at-geekeasy-cafe-tickets-1645474662009
Mid-Autumn Festival at Lan Su Chinese Garden
Lan Su Chinese Garden has reimagined its Mid-Autumn programming this year with a three-day celebration that blends cultural education, family-friendly activities and evening performances. During the day, Mid-Autumn Across Asia highlights traditions from China, Vietnam and Japan with lantern making, storytelling, garden tours and meeting rabbits from Rose City Rabbit Rescue. At night, the garden transforms for Mid-Autumn Night Out, a lantern-lit experience featuring fire dancing by Paradise of Samoa, a twilight lantern parade and a chance to leave “love notes under the moon.”
10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. daytime event, 7:30-9:30 p.m. evening event, Friday-Sunday, Sept. 26-28; Lan Su Chinese Garden, 239 N.W. Everett St.; daytime admission $16, evening admission $34; lansugarden.org/midautumn
Mid-Autumn Festival Night at GeekEasy Anime Café
GeekEasy Anime Café is also hosting a special evening celebration with food, music and activities. The buffet-style dinner will include items such as chow mein, marinated quail eggs, chicken karaage sandwich pinwheels, Japanese nachos with soy guacamole and egg and coconut tarts. Entertainment includes karaoke, a trivia contest with prizes and a cultural talk about the myths and traditions surrounding the holiday. Children can join lantern-making activities, with limited-edition rabbit lanterns available. Each guest leaves with a gift bag filled with mooncakes and other festival treats.
6:30-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4; GeekEasy Anime Café, 310 N.W. Davis St.; $20 adults, $10 kids 6-12, free for under 6; eventbrite.com/e/mid-autumn-festival-night-at-geek-easy-anime-cafe-tickets-1678198700489?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Portland Mid-Autumn Festival
The White Lotus Foundation will once again host Portland’s largest Mid-Autumn Festival, a two-day event drawing thousands of visitors to Southeast Portland. Taking place at Shun Fat Supermarket, the festival will feature more than 100 vendors selling Asian food, snacks, drinks and handmade crafts. Families can join the free lantern parade and sample mooncakes at the event. More than 10 cultural performances, from traditional dance and martial arts to live music, are scheduled across the weekend. An after-hours party is planned for both nights, offering extended programming until midnight.
Noon-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 4-5; Shun Fat Supermarket, 5253 S.E. 82nd Ave.; free; eventbrite.com/e/portland-mid-autumn-festival-2025-tickets-1584440587449
O-Tsukimi, the Moonviewing Festival at Portland Japanese Garden
The Japanese tradition of moonviewing, or O-Tsukimi, will take place over three evenings at the Portland Japanese Garden. Attendees are invited to stroll lantern-lit paths, sip sake and tea, listen to koto and shakuhachi performances and compose haiku while awaiting the moonrise. A vegetarian bento meal is provided by Obon Shokudo, and the garden’s tea house hosts a candle-lit ceremony. Timed to align with the harvest moon, the event offers one of the city’s most atmospheric ways to experience Mid-Autumn.
5 p.m. Sunday, 5:30 Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 5-7; Portland Japanese Garden, 611 S.W. Kingston Ave.; $55 members, $70 nonmembers; japanesegarden.org/events/o-tsukimi-moonviewing-festival-2025
Multnomah County libraries
Throughout the festival season, branches of Multnomah County Library will host free cultural programs designed for all ages. Activities include crafting LED paper lanterns, origami, tai chi lessons, storytelling and musical performances. Events are scheduled at multiple branches between late September and mid-October.
Sept. 27-Oct. 12; times and locations vary; free; multcolib.org/events-classes, search “Mid-Autumn.”
The Brookwood Library
The Brookwood Library in Hillsboro is also marking the festival with a Vietnamese star lantern-making workshop and Mid-Autumn Festival with musical performances, crafting and cultural storytelling.
6-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 30, lantern making and 1:30-3:30 p.m, Saturday, Oct. 18, festival; Hillsboro Public Library, Brookwood, 2850 N.E. Brookwood Pkwy.; free; wccls.bibliocommons.com/v2/events, search “Mid-Autumn.”
— Chiara Profenna covers religion, faith and cultural connections. Reach her at 503-221-4327; [email protected] or @chiaraprofenna.
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