Discover how Montavilla boosters turned SE Stark Street into a mile of music, vendors, and community spirit …
SE Stark Street turns into a pedestrian promenade, as the 13th Annual Montavilla Street Fair is underway.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A bright, warm summer Sunday turned SE Stark Street in downtown Montavilla into a packed pedestrian promenade, as the 13th Montavilla Street Fair drew crowds to shop, dine, and reconnect on July 26. From SE 76th to 82nd avenues, canopies and booths lined the pavement – while brick‑and‑mortar shops, restaurants, and bars opened their doors wide to the flow of visitors.
The Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association (METBA) again took over Stark Street under a City of Portland street‑closure permit, transforming the historic commercial strip into a family‑friendly festival. Organizers built on last year’s record turnout, bringing in more than 180 vendors offering food, art, clothing, games, antiques, and services.
Fairgoers pack SE Stark Street as canopies, food vendors, and live music transform downtown Montavilla into a car‑free festival.
The fair also coincided with the Montavilla Farmers Market, giving families another reason to spend the day in the neighborhood.
Music and merchants share the spotlight
From late morning on into the early evening, the fair offered a lively soundtrack on four stages – ranging from kids‑focused performances to touring artists.
Music drifting from the Main, Brewery, Plaza, and Honk! PDX stages mixed with the aromas of grilled food and festival treats. Parents pushed strollers under the shade of vendor tents, while kids tugged them toward balloon artists, game booths, and snack stands.
Visitors browse rows of local vendors as Stark Street becomes a marketplace of food, art, clothing, and crafts during the Montavilla Street Fair.
The fair’s footprint showed how the District has evolved. Longtime anchors shared the street with newer storefronts that have opened in recent years, all of them benefiting from thousands of people walking past their doors. Some restaurants pushed their service out to the curb with special menus and sidewalk seating. Retailers extended racks and tables into the street, turning everyday shopping into a festival‑style browse.
METBA President Neil Mattson viewed the day as both a celebration and a marker of recovery. “We’re thrilled to have such a tight‑knit community that steps up to make large‑scale events like our street fair possible, and the economic impact is significant,” Mattson reflected, adding that while the district lost key businesses during the pandemic, new entrepreneurs are now establishing themselves in their place in Montavilla.
Hiroko Saso of Yellow Heart Sunshine Bakery sells her yummy cookies.
A tradition that tracks neighborhood resilience
The fair built on more than a decade of experience. METBA first hosted the street fair in 2011 on side-streets north of Stark, then moved over to Stark Street itself for fairs from 2015 through 2019. After a two‑year pause in 2020 and 2021 to focus internally, the fair returned in 2022, and continues through the present. [CLICK HERE to see our story about last’s years Street Fair – with video – and links to back to the METBA’s first event!]
Visitors browse rows of local vendors as SE Stark Street becomes a marketplace of food, art, clothing, and crafts during the Montavilla Street Fair.
Throughout the 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. schedule, fairgoers moved between vendor tents, music stages, and businesses. Many carried bags of products and crafts; others lingered in the shade of storefront awnings, visiting with neighbors they had not seen in months.
By evening, as vendors packed up and Stark Street reopened to traffic, the Montavilla business district had logged another successful fair – underscoring the neighborhood’s resilience, and its role as a local destination. The free event reflected METBA’s mission to strengthen the district’s economy while welcoming the broader community into its storefronts and public spaces.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
