1803 Fund becomes founding anchor partner of Sneaker Week PDX's K.I.C-OFF Festival 2026, bringing "Motion in The Low End" to Portland's historic Lower Albina district.
Sneaker Week PDX and 1803 Fund have announced a landmark founding partnership anchoring K.I.C-OFF Festival 2026 — themed Motion in The Low End — three days of culture, creativity, entrepreneurship, and community in Portland's historic Lower Albina district.
The festival activates The Low End, an 1803 Fund-backed investment district built to advance long-term Black prosperity through art, fashion, music, dialogue, and commerce. Programming spans the Art Shed and Art Shed Lot as the primary hub, plus the Little Room Venue and additional activation sites across Lower Albina.
"The Low End is an emerging district where creativity, culture, entrepreneurship, learning, and community life converge... Sneaker Week has spent years creating pathways for Black creatives and entrepreneurs, and we're excited to welcome that energy into a space designed to support community, connection, and long-term prosperity." — Tory Campbell, 1803 Fund VP of Community & Partnerships
As founding anchor partner, 1803 Fund co-stewards the flagship festival, with the Art Shed, Art Shed Lot, and Little Room hosting VIP programming and industry panels alongside outdoor activations across the neighborhood footprint.
"Portland is the sneaker capital of the world and Sneaker Week PDX exists to make sure the next generation inherits not just the legacy of Black culture and creativity, but the economic power that comes with having visibility to life changing career opportunities. Partnering with the 1803 Fund in the Lower Albina district is the most important thing we have ever done to bring access and awareness to Portland's historically Black neighborhood." — Herbert Beauclere, Sneaker Week PDX Founder
Friday, July 31 — Knowledge Day: Free design workshops, KIC FLIX featuring Scarlett Creative, and S.P.A.R.K by designer Wilson Smith III.
Saturday, August 1 — Innovation Day: The Sneaker Week Tech Talk and Demo, The Design Combine contest, and the Sustainability Soirée.
Sunday, August 2 — Culture Day: An Art and Activism discussion, live musical performances, and the K.I.C-OFF Car Show.
Portland is the global capital of sneaker design and innovation — home to Nike, Adidas, and dozens of leading footwear brands, in an industry officially recognized as the city's signature sector. Sneaker Week PDX sits at the intersection of that industry and the cultural movement Black creators have long driven, and this partnership leans further into direct-access career pathways for underrepresented communities — while leveraging an established network of entrepreneurs and creatives of color as key production partners.
Single-day passes run $25, and the 3-Day Pass is $65 (3-Day VIP includes swag and VIP-area access). Motion in The Low End lands July 31–August 2 across The Low End in Lower Albina, Portland — get your pass and be part of it.
