Portland in the News: Chicken Beauty Contest, NYT’s Fave PDX Restaurant, Vegan Bites & More | September 17, 2026

Portland’s fanciest chickens will cluck and strut down the runway at Portland Weird Festival’s Chicken Beauty Contest this Saturday.

Speaking of chicken, the New York Times shouted out Division’s OK Chicken & Khao Soi in it’s 2026 Restaurant List.

And if you’re looking for your next favorite vegan spot, the Circle V vegan food and drink festival will highlight Portland plant-based creativity this Sunday.

Here’s a roundup of the goings-on in Portland this week:

• KOIN: Bite and sip into Portland vegan scene at Circle V
• Mercury: In Search of Portland reveals an evolving, ever-changing city
• PDX Monthly: Portland’s grocery store history A-Z
• OPB: Oregon’s comic universe
• OR Arts Watch: Documentary being made about late, great air guitar hero
• Portland Tribune: Portland Weird Fest brings chicken beauty contest, kids raves and bizarre bands to Oaks Park
• PDX Monthly: ‘Wildwood’ really is Laika’s most ambitious project yet
• AP: $1.1 Billion from Nike co-founder will build Oregon’s first women’s hospital
• Food & Wine: This Portland restaurant is an ambitious celebration of Vietnamese cuisine
• YouTube: ‘In Search of Portland’ walking tour
• KOIN: 2 Oregon restaurants featured along NYT’s 2026 favorite restaurants
• Here is Oregon: 10 new and upcoming Portland restaurants to know this fall