Portland weekend events, May 4-6: Cinco de Mayo, Kentucky Derby and 'The Maltese Falcon'

Welcome to May. Cinco de Mayo awaits you, as does the Kentucky Derby, and the obligatory Derby parties (and hats). Add that to a nice mix of music, comedy and literary events, and you've got yourself a weekend. Without further ado, please enjoy this lovingly-curated list of Portland events.

FRIDAY May 4

Wild Flag at Crystal Ballroom - Carrie Brownstein & co. play a hometown show, and will be joined by fellow local favorites, The Thermals. 9 p.m. $15. Tickets.

Jon Raymond at Powell's City of Books - Northwest "it" scribe Raymond ("Old Joy" and "Wendy & Lucy") will be reading from his new novel, "Rain Dragon." 7:30 p.m. FREE.

Greg Proops at Helium Comedy Club - Former "Whose Line is it Anyway" standout and current "Smartest Man in the World" podcaster will be in town for three nights of witty repartee. Thu-Sat., 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. $20-25. Tickets.

SATURDAY May 5

Cinco de Mayo at McCall Waterfront Park - Here's a complete schedule for the 28th annual Cinco festival in downtown Portland. There will also be a Guinness World Record attempt on Saturday, too, for most people wearing a sombrero. Will you be one of them? Fri-Sun., 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. $4-8

Write Around Portland at Various - Free, two-hour, "Saturday Write!" creative writing workshops will be held at various locations around town. 10 a.m. - Noon. Preregistration required. FREE

Kentucky Derby Party at Portland Meadows - It's the 138th running of the Derby, and if you can't be in Louisville, you have a number of options to help get you into the spirit(s) around town. See also: Mission Theater, Blitz, Gypsy Lounge and the Left Bank Annex.

SUNDAY May 6

Portland Saturday Market at Waterfront - This is not news, but it bears repeating: "the largest continually operating outdoor arts & crafts market in the nation." Sat., 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. FREE.

'Ovo' by Cirque du Soleil at Portland Expo Center - Explore the world of insects in the latest from the extravagant circus troupe. Runs through May 20. Here's a review from the Oregonian. 1 p.m. & 5 p.m. Tickets.

'The Maltese Falcon' at Laurelhurst Theater - If you have never seen this Bogart/Huston classic on the big screen -- or maybe you just haven't seen it on the big screen in the last 70 years -- this would be an ideal time. Fri-Thurs., 7 p.m. $4.

Also receiving votes:

Jason Lytle (Grandaddy) at Al's Den (Thu-Sat.); Girl in a Coma at Dante's (Fri.); Cinco de Lebowski (Fri.); Natasha Leggero at Aladdin Theater (Sat.)

Movies opening this week: 'The Avengers,' 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,' 'LOL.' See complete Portland and Oregon movie listings.

Looking for more options? These folks are among your finest local resources:

Don't see your event here? Post your event using our public event submission form.

—Jeff Schmitt

View the original article here