College Commencement

Lewis & Clark College Commencement takes place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The Memorial Coliseum has advised that there will be an unusually high number of cars and extremely limited parking in the Rose Quarter, particularly at the end of the ceremony. With that in mind, we strongly encourage graduates and guests to:

• Take advantage of Portland’s mass transit, TriMet. TriMet’s MAX (light rail) system includes a stop at the Moda Center (Yellow, Red, Green and Blue lines), a short walk from Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
• Take advantage of the college’s free OtterBus, which will be running on a loop from downtown to Veterans Memorial Coliseum via the Oregon Convention’s parking garage.
• Use your preferred app-based ride-share platform or take a taxi to the event.
• Arrive early! If you must drive to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, we would strongly encourage you to arrive early as their is limited parking available onsite that will be dedicated to to the CAS Commencement. Driver’s should try parking at the Memorial Coliseum’s West Garage, which has been reserved for commencement. We expect the West Garage to fill early.

 

1. Take advantage of Portland’s mass transit, TriMet. TriMet’s MAX (light rail) system includes a stop at the Moda Center (Yellow, Red, Green and Blue lines), a short walk from Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
2. Take advantage of the college’s free OtterBus, which will be running on a loop from downtown to Veterans Memorial Coliseum via the Oregon Convention’s parking garage.
3. Use your preferred app-based ride-share platform or take a taxi to the event.
4. Arrive early! If you must drive to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, we would strongly encourage you to arrive early as their is limited parking available onsite that will be dedicated to to the CAS Commencement. Driver’s should try parking at the Memorial Coliseum’s West Garage, which has been reserved for commencement. We expect the West Garage to fill early.

Yes! We encourage you to take advantage of our free OtterBus, which will be running on a loop from downtown to Veterans Memorial Coliseum via the Oregon Convention’s parking garage.

We strongly encourage you to arrive early to Commencement due to the high number of cars and extremely limited parking in the Rose Quarter.

Please follow this link to find recommended hotels in the area!

We adhere to the policies of the commencement venue, which can be found here (see prohibited items). Guests are not allowed to bring a bag or purse that is larger than 14” x 14” x 6”. This policy will be strictly enforced by the venue. If you bring a purse or bag larger than these dimensions, you will not be allowed to enter the venue. The only exceptions are baby/diaper bags and medical bags. All bags will be subject to being searched and passed through an X-Ray machine.