Pearl event pits art versus entertainment

What’s First Thursday about, and who decides?

Food trucks and vendors blocked Northwest 13th Avenue in front of River Pig Saloon, but there were no art displays despite the supposedly preferred theme.

The Pearl District’s identity entwines with Northwest 13th Avenue, where rival organizations now compete to define the true meaning of First Thursday, the art walk birthed at the beginning of the district’s renaissance in 1986.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation ruled that art in a family friendly atmosphere is what First Thursday is about and issued Urban Art Network exclusive permits to control commerce and activity on 13th Avenue between Hoyt and Kearney streets for the seven First Thursday events of the year.

The PBOT permit does not allow alcohol vendors in the right of way. A cluster of 13th Avenue bars and restaurant operators have had a different First Thursday tradition. They say their beer tents and dining patios have drawn large crowds to past First Thursdays, allowing them to underwrite special attractions, such as Black rodeo performers, a mechanical bull, live music and a breast cancer charity.
Beyond the competing visions for First Thursday nights is the matter of fair play.

Business operators say the city “colluded” with Urban Art Network to deny the street permits businesses have counted on for the past decade. Ramzy Hattar, operator of River Pig Saloon and Papi Chulo’s, said his applications were denied unexpectedly last year, ostensibly because they were requested too late.

So Hattar applied months early this year and waited for confirmation that never came. Instead, he was notified two weeks before the season-opening First Thursday on April 3 that he had again lost out to Urban Art Network.

“For two years running, they’ve gone and offered it to UAN,” River Pig manager Adam Keefe told the NW Examiner. “We applied earlier and then received no communication for two plus months.

His boss says he was the victim of bad faith.

“They went behind our backs to give UAN the permits without cost,” Hattar said, permits for which as a private business he would have been assessed a $3,800 fee.

Last month, PBOT hosted a meeting of stakeholders to clear the air, a meeting that “got heated,” in the words of one participant.

Keefe’s suspicions of collusion were only reinforced.

“My assumption is based on the transcript of the meeting, where UAN states that PBOT approached them to take the permit,” he said.

Judie Dunken, longtime chair of the association’s Safety and Livability Committee, agrees with that take.

“What UAN did was underhanded,” Dunken said.

UAN President Porsha Hendrix and Vice President Jennifer Kapnek spoke to the PDNA board earlier in the year, pledging to work with the neighborhood. But at the April First Thursday, Dunken said UAN went out of its way to divert customers from River Pig, placing food trucks in front of it. No art booths were on the block.

“That is not working together,” Dunken said. “That is pure underhandedness. … They did it without consulting Ramzy.”

Dunken admits she has a bias. Hattar is a fellow member of the PDNA board of directors, while the Art Network is not based in the Pearl District.

“These people don’t live here. They don’t know what booths cost,” she said.

Hendrix did not accept an offer to comment on this story, instead referring questions to PBOT.

PBOT spokesperson Dylan Rivera gave the bureau’s assessment of the issue

“In recent years, Urban Art Network, which organizes the First Thursday events, has reported complaints about unpermitted alcohol in the street and loud crowds into the late hours coming from River Pig patrons. The activity on this portion of the corridor has clashed with the arts and culture focus of the event.

“Urban Art Network reached out to PBOT to understand tools they could use to better control their event, given many complaints. PBOT told them that one option was to extend their permit to a larger geographical area (in front of River Pig). They decided to do this.”

That didn’t satisfy Dunken, who said, “Thirteenth Avenue should be managed better. It’s our biggest asset in the district.”

Other voices near, but not in the middle of, the kerfuffle also shared their perspectives.

Neighbors prefer calm

Christopher Hahn lives in the Irving Street Lofts, where he is president of the homeowners association.

“I’ve lived on Northwest 13th for 20 years and used to really enjoy First Thursday. It was a great event that promoted the arts and helped build community.

“Unfortunately, some bars and restaurants have since transformed it into an alcohol-fueled street party that no longer reflects any of those original cultural or communal goals—nor are they even trying to. What was once a vibrant, inclusive neighborhood event has devolved into a kind of Jekyll-and-Hyde affair: arts and crafts early, followed by music-blaring drunkenness late into the evening.

“The event has become divisive. Families and longtime residents who once looked forward to First Thursday are now choosing to stay away from the event. And the day after, [residents] are left to dodge the garbage, urine and vomit left behind from the night before.

“If the goal of any neighborhood event is to enhance the community it inhabits, we should be asking: Which parts of First Thursday actually achieve that, and which parts don’t?

“The Urban Art Network concludes its event at 9 p.m. … Why are other non-UAN activities still being approved to continue well beyond that time?

“Every person and organization I’ve spoken with supports the core of First Thursday, but not the late-night spillover that now defines its latter hours.

KEEN Footwear, a global shoe company headquartered next to River Pig on 13th Avenue, also puts art above entertainment.

“Our wish is that the First Thursday goes back to its roots as an art-focused family friendly event, and we support any actions that help move it in that direction,” wrote KEEN Senior Retail Manager Jason Bimberg in an email to River Pig in 2024. “Our strong preference is also that there is no alcohol on the street.”

Bimberg opposed River Pig’s 2024 request for a beer truck and DJ booth in its parking lot or in front of its store.

Hattar said it’s fine with him if the city wants First Thursdays to be about families and art, but if so, there should be a thoroughly discussed plan to do so, not a private deal with one organization. The current First Thursday arrangement deprives his businesses of $10,000 to $20,000 in potential revenue per month, he said, and with so many restaurants failing, the community needs to consider what is needed to keep 13th Avenue vital year-round.

Former First Thursdays jammed Northwest 13th Avenue to the dismay of neighbors.