Couve Culture Weekender: July 31 - Aug 3

It’s Thursday July 31st in the Couve…

Assuming my kiddo shakes this mystery summer bug—I’m hauling the fam downtown for the Arts & Music Festival. Meanwhile, I’m still wrangling the last two restaurants for the Couve Card. Help a pal out: scroll to the intro poll and tell me if you’d buy Couve-themed board games or puzzles.

The weekend’s stuffed with funk horns, vintage circus shenanigans, and fair-food that’ll deep-fry your Fitbit. Ready?

Here are my top 5 picks for the week:

• Clark County Fair

• Vancouver Arts & Music Festival

• Friday Night Movies: Coco

• First Friday Downtown

• Brewing Bridges Festival

✈️ Cheap Flights

Staring at PDX’s departures board has me dreaming bigger than my weekend to-do list. Cabo’s calling with tacos on the beach, Sydney’s flirting with upside-down summer in August, and Seoul is basically an all-night street-food binge waiting to happen. Next rainy season, I’m cashing in those fares before they vanish like parking spots on Main Street.

PDX - Cabo 🇲🇽
From $375, normally $550+
Departing OCT - DEC 2025
Alaska Airlines
Economy
Nonstop
*Price will last ~4-5 days
sample pricing

PDX - Sydney, Australia 🦘
From $785, normally $1350+
Departing AUG - SEP 2025
Air Canada
Economy
Layovers
1h43m in Vancouver
1h25m in Vancouver (return)
*Price will last ~2-3 days
sample pricing

PDX - South Korea ㉿
From $861, normally $1170+
Departing AUG - SEP 2025
United Airlines
Economy
Layovers
57m in San Francisco
4h44m in San Francisco (return)
*Price will last ~2-3 days
sample pricing

First Friday Events

Burnt Bridge Cellars | 1500 Broadway St | Three-course Indian feast meets local art wall and Story & Tune’s feel-good jams—sip the house red and call it culture.

Art at the Cave | 108 E Evergreen Blvd | “Achromatic” goes full grayscale—proof that black-and-white still slaps harder than a Monday I-5 backup.

Dandelion Teahouse & Apothecary | 109 W 7th St | $5 craft-anything night: tea in one hand, glitter in the other, judgment left at the door.

Eras Vintage Marketplace | 111 W 7th St | Sneak peek of a future Wine Garden while treasure-hunting 30+ dreamy, nostalgia-soaked booths—summer vibes now, cozy fall plotting next.

Featured Event

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Thursday July 31

10:00 AM | East Vancouver Farmers Market | Columbia Tech Center | FREE
🥕 Mid-day produce hunting so fresh even your basil feels smug.
Veg out

11:00 AM | Salmon Creek Farmers Market | Legacy Hospital | FREE
🧑‍🌾 Hospital parking lot → pop-up veggie nirvana. I dare you to leave without kettle corn.
Farm-fresh scoop

4:00 PM | July 31 - Aug 3 | Shoestring Circus Big Top | Brothers Cascadia Brewing | $16–$48
🎪 Broadway-polished acrobats + craft beer = peak Clark County culture clash.
Under the tent

5:00 PM | July 31 - Aug 3 | Vancouver Arts & Music Fest Kickoff | Esther Short Park | FREE
🎶 Four days, three stages, one downtown takeover. From Inuit soul to Tito Puente Jr., this fest turns Main Street into a mixtape. I’ll be the one dancing badly by the food trucks.
Get artsy

6:00 PM | Emily Rath Author Signing | The Romance Era Bookshop | $25
📚 Regency thirst trap meets stenciled-edge special edition. Bookish swoon, guaranteed.
Limited copies

6:30 PM | Jennifer Batten & Full Steam | Dorothy Fox Park | FREE
🎸 Michael Jackson’s ex-guitarist shreds Camas. BYO lawn chair, leave with new tinnitus.
Rock the park

Friday August 1

10:00 AM | Aug 1 - Aug 10 | Clark County Fair | Fairgrounds | $13+
🎡 Ten straight days of rides, rodeo, and corn dogs bigger than your toddler. I’m here for the demolition derby (and maybe the mini-donuts).
Fair fun awaits

12:00 PM | Yoga & Wine | Burnt Bridge Cellars | $28
🧘‍♀️ Sun salutations, then sauv blanc hydration. Namast-yay.
Reserve a mat

1:00 PM | Sunflower Festival Opens | O’Keefe Farms | $0–$10
🌻 Seventy sunflower varieties—selfies basically take themselves.
Chase the blooms

5:00 PM | First Friday Downtown | Vancouver USA | FREE
🖼️ Art walks, late-night shops, and enough street music to drown out the railroad horns. Perfect pre-dinner wander.
Movie deets

6:30 PM | Friday Night Movies: Coco | Esther Short Park | FREE
📽️ Pack a blanket, hum “Remember Me,” and cry discreetly in public. Bonus: zero theater sticky floors.
Movie night

7:00 PM | Open Mic Night | Bula Kava House | FREE
🎤 From slam poets to ukulele crooners—kava helps the courage.
Take the mic

7:00 PM | Brothers Osborne | Clark County Fair | From $30
🤠 Country-rock guitar twang, denim for days, and corn-dog fuel—meet me two-stepping by the grandstand.
Grab your grandstand seat

8:30 PM | Festival After Hours | Loowit Brewing | FREE (21+)
🎵 Tunahead & pals keep the fest glow alive—plus giveaways.
Late-night beats

9:00 PM | Glitter & Gasoline | Cascade Bar & Grill | $5
💃 Rock-pop-soul mashup that’ll wreck your step count.
Shine on

Saturday August 2

9:00 AM | Pet Portraits | O.O. Howard House | FREE
🐶 Let Rover feel like a Vogue model for once.
Strike a paw-se

11:00 AM | Pomeroy Farm Days | Pomeroy Farm | $3+
🚜 Old-timey farm vibes, fresh air, zero Wi-Fi.
Farm fun

12:00 PM | Bottled-in-Bond Release | Quartz Mountain Distillers | FREE
🥃 Bourbon aged better than any of us since 2020.
First pour

3:00 PM | Brewing Bridges Fest | Heathen Estate Winery | $49–$64
🍻 Thirty breweries, one countryside vineyard, zero Wi-Fi—aka permission to ghost your inbox while sampling collab beers you’ll never see again.
Grab a glass

6:30 PM | Music on the Patio | Ole’s Outpost | FREE
🎸 Local rock, cold beer, good cause—Autism Empowerment wins.
Jam & donate

7:00 PM | George Thorogood & The Destroyers | Clark County Fair | From $30
🥃 “Bad to the Bone” riffs + elephant-ear sugar rush = legally required air-guitar solo.
Bad-to-the-bone tix

8:00 PM | Tombstone Shadow | Pregame Sports Bar | $10
⚡ ZZ Top to AC/DC—classic-rock cardio.
Rock out

9:00 PM | Rolling Tones + Cheap Sunglasses | Billy Blues | $10
👅 Stones swagger meets ZZ Top fuzz—triple-shot tribute night.
Get satisfaction

Sunday August 3

12:00 PM | Chelatchie Prairie Railroad | Yacolt | $20
🚂 Six-mile steam ride, river views, tunnel selfie—choo-choo-se wisely.
All aboard

6:00 PM | Sunday Sounds: Ants in the Kitchen | Columbia Tech Center | FREE
🕺 Funky horn band = your glutes’ weekly workout.
Concert info

6:00 PM | Paperback Writer (Beatles Tribute) | 14 Acres Winery | $29+
🎤 “Hey Jude” with vineyard acoustics—don’t forget your lawn chair.
Ticket to ride

7:00 PM | Kansas | Clark County Fair | From $30
🤘 “Carry On Wayward Son” blasting over funnel-cake fumes—classic-rock nirvana unlocked.
Carry on to tickets

Looking Ahead

(Nothing yet—keep those calendars warm!)

The Tape Deck

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Concert Calendar

SATURDAY, Aug 9, 2025 @ 8pm | Maren Morris | Cowlitz Ballroom | From $103.85 | 🌟 Tickets Here

WEDNESDAY, Aug 13, 2025 @ 7pm | Creed | Cascades Amphitheater | From $90 | 🤘 Tickets Here

THURSDAY, Aug 14, 2025 @ 6:30pm | Wiz Khalifa - Good Vibes Only Tour | Cascades Amphitheater | From $40.50 | 💨 Tickets Here

SATURDAY, Aug 16, 2025 @ 7pm | Above & Beyond | Cascades Amphitheater | From $56.50 | ✨ Tickets Here

SATURDAY, Aug 16, 2025 @ 8pm | Scotty McCreery | Cowlitz Ballroom | From $74.80 | 🤠 Tickets Here

SUNDAY, Aug 17, 2025 @ 7:30pm | Cyndi Lauper | Cascades Amphitheater | From $44 | 🤠 Tickets Here

THURSDAY, Aug 21, 2025 @ 7pm | Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms, and Spin Doctors | Cowlitz Ballroom | From $50 | 🎸 Tickets Here

FRIDAY, Aug 22, 2025 @ 7:30pm | Parker McCollum | Cascades Amphitheater | From $44 | 🤠 Tickets Here

SATURDAY, Aug 23, 2025 @ 7pm | Pantera | Cascades Amphitheater | From $55 | 🤘 Tickets Here

SUNDAY, Aug 24, 2025 @ 7pm | Nelly | Cowlitz Ballroom | From $186.03 | 🎤 Tickets Here

TUESDAY, Aug 26, 2025 @ 6:30pm | $uicideboy$ - Grey Day Tour | Cascades Amphitheater | From $68.20 | 🖤 Tickets Here

SATURDAY, Aug 30, 2025 @ 6:45pm | Toto + Men At Work + Christopher Cross | Cascades Amphitheater | From $30 | 🕶 Tickets Here

MONDAY, Sep 1, 2025 @ 7pm | Lil Wayne: Tha Carter VI Tour | Cascades Amphitheater | From $35 | 🎤 Tickets Here

THURSDAY, Sep 4, 2025 @ 7pm | The Offspring, Jimmy Eat World & New Found Glory | Cascades Amphitheater | From $52 | 🤘 Tickets Here

FRIDAY, Sep 19, 2025 @ 7:30pm | Billy Idol & Joan Jett and The Blackhearts | Cascades Amphitheater | From $44 | 🎸 Tickets Here

FRIDAY, Sep 26, 2025 @ 7:30pm | Thomas Rhett | Cascades Amphitheater | From $47 | 🤠 Tickets Here

WEDNESDAY, Oct 1, 2025 @ 7pm | Breaking Benjamin & Three Days Grace | Cascades Amphitheater | From $30 | 🤘 Tickets Here

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That’s the scoop—now excuse me while I refresh the Clark County Fair webcam and practice my corn-dog lunges. If you see me herding a half-healthy kid around Esther Short, say hi (offer hand sanitizer first). Catch you next Thursday—same Couve time, slightly different I-5 bottleneck.

—Jay from Couve Culture 🖤