What is a Portland Festival anyway?

Well, Portland is a Louisville community in the west end that is of strong historical significance to Louisville. In the early days of the area, river traffic on the Ohio River had to come to a stop in Louisville because of a small waterfall known as the Falls of the Ohio.

Specialists could guide some boats through the cascades to continue their journey downriver, or in many cases, the boats would have to be offloaded, then transported by horse and wagon, or person, overland to below the Falls, where another boat would be waiting to be reloaded. Eventually, a canal and locks system was built to aid in getting the river traffic up and down the river. This caused the town of Portland to become a critical part of the area. Eventually, as Louisville expanded, Portland became another Louisville, similar to Germantown, Butcher Town, etc.

Each year, the community of Portland puts on a festival during the first week of June to celebrate their heritage and community spirit.

The festival this year included fair-like rides, food, and other street vendors, two performance stages with live acts and entertainment. The two-day festival started on Friday night, June 5th, and continued Saturday, June 6th, starting with a parade at Noon.