The Portland National College Fair runs two sessions in Hall D at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Session one is Sunday 18 October 2026, 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific. Session two is Monday 19 October, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific. Admission is free and open to the public.
A family attending both sessions needs one night: 18 October. Follow this order and the booking holds.
Confirm the session first
Each session carries its own clock. Sunday runs 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., so a family within driving range makes it a day trip. Monday opens at 9:00 a.m., which puts the arrival on the Sunday night.
Pick the session. Pick the night. Pick the property. A parent who books before choosing the session books a night the family may not use.
The checkout hour a noon finish creates
The Monday session ends at 12:00 p.m. Ask for the checkout hour in writing and ask what a late checkout costs. A room released in the morning turns the second session into a wait beside the luggage.
The convention center rents lockers for short-term storage through LocketGo at three locations: the MLK Lobby, the Holladay Lobby and the Ginkoberry Concourse. A guest reserves one with a phone and a credit card.
The properties inside a walk
The venue sits in the Lloyd District. Seven properties from the hotelhuddle Portland directory sit inside three quarters of a mile on a straight line from the building:
Hyatt Regency Portland — 375 NE Holladay St, 97232. 0.19 miles.
Inn at the Convention Center — 420 NE Holladay St, 97232. 0.20 miles.
Hotel Eastlund — 1021 NE Grand Ave, 97232. 0.23 miles.
Motel 6 — 518 NE Holladay St, 97232. 0.23 miles.
Quality Inn Downtown Convention Center — 431 NE Multnomah, 97232. 0.31 miles.
Courtyard by Marriott Portland Downtown/Convention Center — 435 NE Wasco St, 97232. 0.36 miles.
DoubleTree by Hilton Portland — 1000 NE Multnomah St, 97232. 0.54 miles.
Distances are straight-line from the venue's OpenStreetMap coordinates to each property's coordinates. A walking route runs longer.
The building calendar for that week
The venue calendar lists four bookings across the fair week. The college fair holds Hall D on 18 and 19 October. The F27 North America Sales Meeting holds the Portland Ballroom from 19 to 22 October. WaterSmart Innovations holds Halls A-A1 from 20 to 22 October. The Oregon Podiatric Medical Association holds the Oregon Ballroom from 22 to 24 October.
Book 18 October early. Ask for the rate and the cancellation terms in writing.
The cashless rule before arrival
The venue runs cashless. Food and drink outlets, parking garages, locker rentals and vending machines take credit cards, debit cards and touchless payment. The drive-through parking booths take cards only.
A reverse ATM sits in the MLK Lobby, down the short hallway left of the welcome desk. It loads a Visa card once from the cash inserted and charges no fee. The card works at the cafes, the parking garage and any Visa terminal.
Parking, if you drive
The underground garage holds 800 spaces and opens at 6:00 a.m. Entry runs from NE Lloyd Blvd on P1 or NE First Avenue on P2. Clearance is 7 feet on P1 and 9 feet on P2. Up to 18 hours costs $15 with no in-and-out privilege, and event days carry a dynamic $15 to $25 rate at entry. Overnight parking is prohibited, and the garage can reach capacity.
The venue counts 566 metered spaces within three blocks, plus drop-off zones on MLK Blvd and Holladay Street. MAX light rail stops about 300 times a day near the front door, the Streetcar A Loop arrives at NE MLK and Hoyt every 15 minutes, and bus line 6 stops at NE MLK and Holladay.
The barcode
The fair page carries a registration link and a Print Your QR Code link. Registration produces a barcode that admission representatives scan to follow up with the student. Print it before the trip and keep a copy on the phone.
A school bringing a bus registers group attendance with the organiser. A family booking one room is a retail booking. Group requests across the network start at 10 rooms a night on the bookMyTeam how-it-works page, with some properties discounting from 5.
The order of operations
Choose the session. Register and print the barcode. Book the Sunday night if Monday is on the plan. Choose a property on Holladay, Multnomah or Wasco and fix the checkout hour in writing. Pack a card for parking and food. Walk to Hall D.