On any given summer evening, it’s not unusual to hear a dull roar coming from Lents Park in Southeast Portland. There, more than 3,000 fans routinely gather to cheer on the Portland Pickles, an amateur baseball league made up of collegiate players looking to improve their skills each summer, under the bright lights of Walker Stadium.
The Pickles won their first West Coast League championship in 2024, but fans aren’t only cheering for what’s happening on the field. Here’s all you need to know about the Portland Pickles — and how to join one of the loudest, most thrilling summertime parties in Portland.
Get the Scoop on the Pickles
The Pickles played their first game in 2016 and compete today in the 17-team West Coast League, home also to the Bend Elks, the Corvallis Knights and — as of 2025 — the Salem-based Marion Berries. The season runs between early June and early August, when the top eight teams advance to the playoffs to determine a league champion.
Unlike the Hillsboro Hops, which develops players for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Pickles aren’t part of a direct pipeline for Major League Baseball teams. Even so, several former Pickles have been drafted by major-league teams — including Alonzo Tredwell and Kyle Manzardo.
In 2025 the club announced it was launching Portland Bangers FC — a soccer team in USL League Two. The semi-professional club’s cheeky name references a long-distance goal scored in soccer, and its mascot is an anthropomorphic sausage dubbed Saucy T. Sausage.
Have Fun and Frolic at Pickles Games This Summer
What draws many fans to Walker Stadium isn’t the players or the pursuit of another title. It’s typically one of the many lighthearted promotions the Pickles offer in conjunction with the club’s 50 or so home games each season — with hijinks that might include a pregame professional wrestling match, a Taylor Swift-themed parade or even an Evel Knievel-inspired stuntman riding a motorcycle off a 75-foot-ramp in center field.
The team’s front office likes it that way. “We’re the baseball team for non-baseball fans,” says Courtney Schmidt, the team’s general manager. “A lot of people aren’t there for the baseball. They’re there for the environment and the fun.”
Some promotions are annual occurrences, such as a weekend-long celebration of the Oregon State Fair that includes carnival games and rides, as well as elephant ears and plenty of fair-inspired fried foods. Others are weekly offerings like Woof Wednesdays, where dogs receive free admission, and Youth Baseball Sundays — in which young baseball and softball players enjoy half-price tickets. Whatever the occasion, fans are often eager to celebrate by taking photos with the club’s mascot: a 7-foot-tall pickle named Dillon T. Pickle.
Most promotions, however, are one-time events — with one of the most popular being Exploding Whale Night in 2022. The evening’s highlight came when the team pretended to blow up a cardboard whale in center field, playfully referencing the time in 1970 that state officials blew up the remains of a beached sperm whale in Florence. In 2025, fans will come for fun events like Golden Retriever Night, Bee Sting Survivor Night and Fermentation Night, among others.
Ross Campbell, vice president of business development for the Pickles, says it’s all part of an effort to connect with baseball die-hards and nonfans alike. “Our main goal is to connect with everybody in the city, so we set up all these different promo nights to help more people feel comfortable,” he says. “There’s the baseball, but there’s also the giant party that happens right outside the field and inside the gates of Walker Stadium.”
Where to Eat and Drink in and Around Lents Park
Food is a part of the Pickles experience — so much so that the team employs a chef to dream up culinary specials throughout the season. Those fanciful creations occasionally include the Snickle, where a candy bar is wrapped inside a pickle, as well as pickled Jell-O, slices of pizza covered with pickles and other surreal offerings. Fans can also buy sausage dogs from Portland-based Zenner’s Sausage Company, fried pickles, ice cream and classic ballpark fare. Those of age can wash it all down with local craft beer and the occasional shot of pickle-flavored vodka.
If you’re looking to pregame with like-minded fans or celebrate another exciting win, The ZED sits a short walk from Walker Stadium. The food hall, beer bar and cocktail lounge brings together eight food vendors and craft beers from the Portland-based, German-inspired Zoiglhaus Brewing Company. Enjoy it all in the ZED’s family-friendly pavilion, which includes a play area for children and a stage for live music. A few doors down, The Eagle Eye Tavern hosts boisterous karaoke sessions between Friday and Monday evenings — and is a hit with hoarse Pickles fans fresh from the game.
Keep in mind that parking is limited in the stadium lot, and many fans park on the streets nearby. Consider sharing a ride or opting for public transportation to the park.
