The Portland Expo Center will once again host Cirque du Soleil for a limited engagement run of Alegria. The show will premier June 16th and will run through July 17th, 2022.
This is the Portland Expo Center's fourth time hosting Cirque du Soleil since 2012.
Working closely with the Portland Expo Center and its partners; Cirque du Soleil will transform the lower parking lots into a fantastic event space, creating a home and technical space for these international performers for over two months. The logistics to accommodate transportation and parking needs, while ensuring seamless coexistence with other scheduled events, required significant planning and coordination.
“I am so pleased to welcome back Cirque du Soleil to the Portland Expo Center campus. This partnership has been a game-changer for our city and particularly North Portland." said Matthew P. Rotchford, the executive director of the Portland Expo Center. "With the impacts from the pandemic over the past two years, we are all ready for the kind of joy that Cirque’s Alegria will bring to our region, as well as the job and economic impacts created by Expo Center’s events.”
Rotchford pointed out that prior Cirque du Soleil performances have consistently generated millions of dollars of economic impact to greater-Portland as well as welcoming vitally needed tourists to our region. “The return of Cirque du Soleil to the Portland Expo Center in North Portland is a cause for celebration and has historically driven the Expo Center’s economic impact to over $54 million through local spending, restaurants, hotel nights and jobs created.”
Rotchford continued, “The Expo’s role as the region’s community cultural campus helps us bring local, regional and international events like Cirque du Soleil to drive the economy for all of us in the region – I couldn’t be more proud of our team.”
Metro's Visitor Venues – the Oregon Convention Center, the Portland Expo Center, the Oregon Zoo and Portland'5 Centers for the Arts are each slowly building back and welcoming guests for a myriad of events once again. The addition of Cirque du Soleil to Expo’s client mix is a deliberate effort to diversify the venue’s portfolio to strengthen the facility’s long-term financial outlook. The Portland Expo Center is unique among similar publicly-owned venues across the country since it pays its own general obligation bond, thus saving taxpayers that cost.
Since Cirque’s first visit in 2012, the Expo Center has undergone numerous facility improvements aimed at enhancing the patrons experience. Rotchford says that while local public consumer shows such as the Portland Home and Garden Show or the Portland Boat Show continue to provide a solid foundation for the facility’s business, “increases in hosting weekday tradeshows, community fundraisers, cultural events, concerts and unique offerings such as Cirque, result in the Expo Center’s continuing evolution as a gathering place for all peoples, and all types of events.”
"Over the Expo Center’s 100 year history, we have become the home to so many diverse and significant events on our historic campus. As a proud neighbor here in North Portland, we want events like these to help drive dollars into our neighborhood small businesses." Rotchford said. "I want to encourage everyone to come see Alegria, but to also make a date night to remember, by including visits to our wonderful local restaurants and unique shops in the area – make your evening both fun and impactful.”
Source: Cirque du Soleil