This flashy group of Portland mall-walkers puts neon pep into step : NPR
The Food Court 5000 loops twice on each floor of the Lloyd Center on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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Walking in shopping malls is often considered the senior area who want a flat interior path to take their steps. But in Portland, Oregon, a group of all ages is creating a different kind of mall stroll. They don retro spandex and sweatbands, blast ’80s music, and basically put on a high-visibility, 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 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 spent a lot of time sitting.
“It’s like, ‘Okay, we need to figure out how to put some movement into my life,'” Catwood recalls. And as a former burlesque performer and occasional event producer, she knew it had to be amusing.
“The costumes work for me, the ridiculousness works for me, the community works for me. And I knew there had to be some sort of social responsibility involving other people — otherwise I might make a lot of excuses and not show up.”
The Food Court 5000 roams the top floor of the Lloyd Center.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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The Food Court 5000 loops twice on each floor of the Lloyd Center on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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Celeste Noche for NPR
It didn’t take long for Catwood to land in the mall walk — particularly in Portland stores. Lloyd Center. This shopping center, opened in 1960, occupies about 20 blocks in the northeast part of the city.
In recent years, many stores in the mall farm – part of the broad decline in shopping centers across the country. But the upside meant plenty of open sections for walking. And the mall had also been home to other original projects – an empty Marshall that became a home base for a wilderness skills campa non-profit electronic music association synth librarya window that sells just lightsabers – as part of a attempt at revitalization.
A solo exercise hunt becomes… an exercise party
Catwood strapped on a headset microphone, found some portable speakers and gathered a few friends for a Sunday morning walk to the mall. She opted for a full 1980s workout outfit – leotard and leggings, windbreaker and sweatbands – all in retro neon. Within weeks, more people joined us. And for First anniversary of the Food Court 5000 celebration in March, about 200 marchers showed up. Most attendees adopted 1980s Catwood fashion as their unofficial uniform.
On a recent Sunday morning, Catwood laid out the ground rules to a crowd of about 50 people. You should pump your arms in exaggerated walking style (“It’s the international sign that you’re a mall walker,” says Catwood), greet everyone you pass, listen to your body (whether that means stopping early or buying hot pretzels), and don’t let anyone walk alone. Then the music starts and off we go.
Food Court 5000 mall walkers stretch before beginning their tour at the Lloyd Center food court on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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Krista Lee Catwood leads Food Court 5000 mall walkers at the Lloyd Center food court on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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With the speakers blasting songs from Erasure and Robert Palmer, walkers find their rhythm. They wave at doors, lower their voices as they pass a chess club, and greet various other shoppers and security personnel. At the end of each loop, they gather in front of the escalators and approach it like a fashion show: they pose, pulse and point to the rhythm. Everyone seems to be having a ridiculously good time.
Mariah Erlick comes almost every Sunday. “It’s such a fun way to exercise, to do something really silly, to build community. And I love the shenanigans,” she laughs.
Steve Valley enjoys being able to exercise even on Portland’s rainiest winter days. He grew up in Portland and came to this mall as a teenager.
“I was hanging out with my high school friends, watching movies, putting money in the machines,” Valley recalls.
Now he’s ruling by walking past claw machines and empty storefronts.
The Food Court 5000 walks along the top floor of the Lloyd Center on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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A mixed multitude of walkers in shopping centers
The Food Court 5000 group is striking not only for its outfit and enthusiasm, but also for its demographic range. Catwood says that’s the benefit of meeting in an accessible public space.
“Our group is incredibly diverse. We have people from eight to 80 years old, we have people of all abilities. A lot of people use mobility devices, [there are] people with intellectual disabilities,” says Catwood.
Attendees like Libby Rice, who has been coming since the beginning, say it’s part of the draw. “I’ve met so many nice people that I have no idea how else I would have met them. It’s a happy space, and… it’s for everyone.”
Leslie Kelinson is 81 and comes almost every week (she usually leads the pack).
“You see how much fun it is. I mean, it’s therapeutic, it’s medicinal, it’s everything,” Kelinson says. She jokes that it’s better than a spa.
It’s also a real workout. The Food Court 5,000 completes two full loops of each of the mall’s three levels, for a total of 3.5 miles.
Helen joins Food Court 5000 mall walkers at the Lloyd Center food court on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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The future of Food Court 5000 may not be in this mall, but it will be somewhere
Each Food Court 5000 training course ends at the food court. Walkers chat and share snacks in a setting that resembles a church coffee hour. Leader Krista Catwood says they’re often compared to church.
“Because it’s happy. There’s music, there’s movement, it’s a gathering, it’s happening on a Sunday,” Catwood says. What do they worship?
“Center joy, I think,” Catwood says. “And right now, we could all use more.”
But it probably won’t be here at the Lloyd Center. Although the mall is a hotbed of community entertainment – today’s walkers passed a sticker exchange, a zine meet and several classes of skaters practicing on the rink – it’s still not enough to pay the rent. After more than 65 years oldthe Lloyd Center shopping center will be closes its doors in August.
Catwood and others attempt to appeal the decision. But in the meantime, they will look for new locations that can offer the same accessibility. Catwood says no matter what happens to the mall, the march will continue.
