Events and activities
Mayor Charlie Hales and his wife Nancy attended a Ramadan celebration in 2015. [1] [2] The Ramadan Tent Project was brought to the city for the first time in 2016. [3] In 2017, Oregon Public Broadcasting said Ramadan celebrations at the Muslim Education Center in southwest Portland "took on new tones" after the Portland train attack, [4] which occurred just before Ramadan and prompted the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) to add patrols during the holiday. [5] In 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the local community had to adapt to social distancing requirements. [6] [7] The University of Portland has provided resources to students during Ramadan. [8]
The Islamic Center of Portland has an annual open house ahead of Ramadan. [9] The Port of Portland has considered establishing a prayer room for Ramadan at Portland International Airport. [10]
The Oregonian and The New York Times have reported on how Portland Trail Blazers player Enes Kanter Freedom observes Ramadan. [11]
Food and drink
DarSalam, [12] Mira's East African Cuisine, [13] and Queen Mama's Kitchen are among local restaurants that have served customary food and drinks for the holiday. [14] In 2025, a writer for Bon Appétit described writing about Ramadan food traditions in the U.S., while living in Portland in 2017, and recalled: "As I visited mosques and community centers across the city, I kept hearing the same thing from Muslim teens: During Ramadan, especially after leaving the mosque late at night, they love to visit Portland's famed doughnut chain Voodoo Doughnuts. Why? They love the cheekiness and the idea of eating something seemingly haram—it is not—at a place that serves doughnuts with a Satan sign on it, and another called the 'Cock-N-Balls.'" [15] Rose City Book Pub served iftar dinners every night during Ramadan in 2025. [16]
In 2025, the Muslim Advisory Council hosted twenty PPB officers to join local Muslim in breaking a fast through iftar at the Multnomah Arts Center. [17] [18]
