A vibrant group in Portland, Oregon, known as the Food Court 5000, transforms mall walking into a lively event with retro outfits and 80s music. This inclusive group of all ages meets weekly to combine exercise and performance art in the Lloyd Center.
Key points
Food Court 5000 is a mall walking group in Portland, Oregon
Participants wear retro spandex and sweatbands
They walk to 80s music, blending exercise with performance art
The group meets weekly at the Lloyd Center
The Food Court 5000 loop along each floor of the Lloyd Center twice on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Ore.
The Food Court 5000 loop along each floor of the Lloyd Center twice on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Ore.
Celeste Noche for NPR
Celeste Noche for NPR
Mall walking is often seen as the domain of senior citizens who want a level, indoor path to get their steps in. But in Portland, Oregon, a group of all ages is creating a different kind of mall walk. They strap on retro spandex and sweatbands, blast 80s music, and essentially put on a high-viz, high-cardio parade through the mall that's part exercise … part performance art. The group – which meets weekly – is known as the Food Court 5000.
The Food Court 5000 is a lively group that meets weekly to walk in the Lloyd Center, combining exercise with performance art and 80s music.
When does the Food Court 5000 meet for mall walking?
The Food Court 5000 meets weekly, specifically on Sundays, to walk through the Lloyd Center in Portland.
What age groups participate in the Food Court 5000?
Participants in the Food Court 5000 range from seniors to younger individuals, creating an inclusive environment for all ages.
How does the Food Court 5000 differ from traditional mall walking?
Unlike traditional mall walking, the Food Court 5000 incorporates retro outfits, music, and a performance art aspect, making it a fun and energetic event.
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The need for movement meets an empty mall
A little over a year ago, Krista Catwood got a new office job. She was happy, but also spending a lot of time sitting.
" It's like, 'Okay, we need to figure out how to get movement into my life,'" Catwood remembered. And as a former burlesque performer and occasional event producer, she knew it had to be fun.
"Costumes work for me, ridiculous works for me, community works for me. And I knew there had to be some sort of a social accountability piece involving other folks – otherwise I could make a lot of excuses and not show up."
The Food Court 5000 walk along the top floor of the Lloyd Center.
The Food Court 5000 walk along the top floor of the Lloyd Center.
Celeste Noche for NPR
Celeste Noche for NPR
The Food Court 5000 loop along each floor of the Lloyd Center twice on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
The Food Court 5000 loop along each floor of the Lloyd Center twice on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
Celeste Noche for NPR
It didn't take Catwood long to land on mall walking – specifically, walking at Portland's Lloyd Center. This mall, which opened in 1960, takes up about 20 city blocks in the northeast part of the city.
In recent years many of the mall's stores closed – part of the broad decline in mall shopping across the country. But the upside meant lots of open stretches for walking. And the mall also had welcomed other quirky ventures – an empty Marshalls that turned into the home base for a wilderness skills camp, a non-profit electronic music synth library, a storefront just selling light sabers – as part of an attempted revitalization.
A solo hunt for exercise becomes… an exercise party
Catwood strapped on a headset microphone, found some portable speakers, and gathered a few friends for a Sunday morning walk at the mall. She opted for full 1980s workout gear – leotards and leggings, windbreakers and sweatbands – all in retro neon. Within weeks, more people joined in. And for Food Court 5000's first anniversary celebration in March, about 200 walkers showed up. Most participants have adopted Catwood's 1980s fashion as the unofficial uniform.
On a recent Sunday morning, Catwood lays out the ground rules to a crowd of about 50. You have to pump your arms in exaggerated racewalking fashion ("It is the international sign that you are a mall walker," Catwood explains), wave to everybody you pass, listen to your body (whether that means quitting early, or purchasing some hot pretzels), and don't leave anyone behind to walk alone. Then the music starts, and they're off.
The Food Court 5000 mall walkers stretch before starting their rounds at the Lloyd Center food court on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
The Food Court 5000 mall walkers stretch before starting their rounds at the Lloyd Center food court on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
Celeste Noche for NPR
Celeste Noche for NPR
Krista Lee Catwood leads the Food Court 5000 mall walkers at the Lloyd Center food court on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Ore.
Krista Lee Catwood leads the Food Court 5000 mall walkers at the Lloyd Center food court on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Ore.
Celeste Noche for NPR
Celeste Noche for NPR
With the speakers pumping songs by Erasure and Robert Palmer, walkers find their groove. They high-five the doors, drop their voices when walking past a chess club, and wave to various other shoppers and security staff. At the end of each loop, they gather at the escalators, approaching them like a fashion runway: they strike poses, pulsing and pointing to the beat. Everyone seems to be having a ridiculously good time.
Mariah Erlick comes most every Sunday. "It's such a fun way to just get exercise, do something really silly, build community. And I just love a shenanigan," she laughs.
Steve Valley appreciates being able to get exercise even during the rainiest of Portland winter days. He grew up in Portland, and actually came to this mall as a teen.
"Hanging out with my high school friends, watching movies, putting quarters in machines," Valley remembers.
Now he's power walking past the claw machines and empty storefronts.
The Food Court 5000 walk along the top floor of the Lloyd Center on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
The Food Court 5000 walk along the top floor of the Lloyd Center on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
Celeste Noche for NPR
Celeste Noche for NPR
A mixed multitude of mall walkers
The Food Court 5000 group is striking not only in its outfits and gusto, but also in its demographic range. Catwood says that's the benefit of meeting in an accessible, public space.
"Our group is incredibly diverse. We've got people from eight to 80, we've got people of all abilities. A lot of folks use mobility devices, [there are] folks with intellectual disabilities," says Catwood.
Participants like Libby Rice, who's been coming since the beginning, say that's part of the draw. "I've met so many cool people that I have no idea how I would've met them otherwise. It's a joyous space, and … it's for everyone."
Leslie Kelinson is 81 years old, and comes almost every week (she usually leads the pack).
"You see how fun it is. I mean, this is therapeutic, it's medicinal, it's everything," says Kelinson. She jokes that it's better than a spa.
It's also an actual workout. The Food Court 5,000 does two full loops of each of the mall's three levels, for a total of 3.5 miles.
Helen joins the Food Court 5000 mall walkers at the Lloyd Center food court on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
Helen joins the Food Court 5000 mall walkers at the Lloyd Center food court on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
Celeste Noche for NPR
Celeste Noche for NPR
Food Court 5000's future may not be at this mall but it will be somewhere
Every workout of the Food Court 5000 ends, of course, back at the food court. Walkers chat, and share snacks, in something that feels like a church coffee hour. Leader Krista Catwood says they actually get compared to church quite a lot.
"'Cause it's joyous. There's music, there's movement, it's a coming together, it happens on a Sunday," says Catwood. What are they worshipping?
"Centering joy, I think," says Catwood. "And right now we could all use more of that."
Though it probably won't be here at the Lloyd Center. While the mall is a hotbed of community fun – today's walkers passed a sticker swap, a zine meetup, and several classes of skaters practicing on the ice rink – it's still not enough to pay the rent. After more than 65 years, the Lloyd Center mall will close its doors in August.
Catwood and others are attempting to appeal the decision. But in the meanwhile, they'll be out scouting new locations that can offer the same accessibility. Catwood says no matter what happens to the mall, the walk will go on.
