Portland is known for its love of Thai cuisine, with over 125 Thai restaurants in the metro area, according to Nick Stanley, the Thai honorary consulate general in the city.
Stanley believes that Thai food is a key factor in making Portland a competitive tourist destination.
Representatives from the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles and Mayor Keith Wilson are set to speak this Saturday at the Portland Thai Festival, which showcases the city’s vibrant Thai culture and community.
The festival returns for its second year, taking place over the weekend at The Yard Apartments in Portland’s Central Eastside.
This free outdoor event promises two days filled with delectable Thai food, music, and cultural celebrations, inviting everyone to experience the warmth and creativity inherent in Thai culture.
Organized by Sith Chaisurote, president of Land and Houses USA, the festival aims to highlight the diversity and abundance of Thai food that inspired its inception.
With a grant from the Central Eastside Industrial Council’s “Better Together” program, this year’s festival expands upon last year’s debut, which attracted over 10,000 attendees and resulted in sold-out vendor dishes.
Chaisurote expressed the desire to activate the neighborhood and encourage attendees to explore everything the area has to offer.
Approximately 80% of the vendors from the inaugural festival will return this year.
One of these vendors is Sarah Jansala, chef and owner of Kati Thai Vegan, who shared her enthusiasm about the community coming together to celebrate Thai culture through food and activities.
Jansala, reflecting on the festival, noted, “It’s like bringing back my childhood memory.
On the streets of Thailand, we have street food festivals pretty much every weekend.”
This year, she plans to serve vegan-friendly dishes such as curry puffs, fresh spring rolls, and mango sticky rice.
The diverse offerings of Thai cuisine are a significant draw for attendees, as noted by Chaisurote.
Additionally, other cuisines such as Laotian and Japanese will be featured among the festival’s vendors.
Chaisurote emphasized that the festival aims to showcase the businesses and unique cultural aspects while blending into the community narrative, celebrating its creative diversity.
Apart from food, the festival will also feature traditional Thai dance performances by the Thai Association of Oregon and Muay Thai demonstrations from a Seattle-based group.
In addition to the cultural showcases, the festival will focus on health and wellness, with businesses like the Oregon Meditation Center and Knot Springs, a spa located within The Yard Apartments.
Chaisurote remarked, “Health and wellness are also important,” suggesting that meditation practices could help individuals cope with anxiety and depression amid global uncertainties.
The extensive range of vendors and activities underscores the contributions of the Portland Thai community, with hopes to attract even more attendees than last year, said both Chaisurote and Stanley.
“It’s good for all the people to get together,” Chaisurote concluded, urging not just the Thai community but also other Asian communities and food enthusiasts to join in celebrating cultural diversity.
The Portland Thai Festival is scheduled for June 21-22, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Yard Apartments, located at 33 N.E. Third Ave., Portland.
Entry to the festival is free, and more information can be found at tasteofthailandpdx.com.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated that former Mayor Ted Wheeler would speak at the Portland Thai Festival; the scheduled speaker is Mayor Keith Wilson.
image source from：oregonlive
