Dave Knows Portland

Portland Polish Festival (19-20 September 2015)

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Portland Polish FestivalThe 22nd annual Portland Polish Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, 19-20 September 2015, between the Polish Hall (3832 N. Interstate Avenue) and the St. Stanislaus Church (3916 N. Interstate Avenue) on N. Interstate – right at the west end of the famous Failing Street pedestrian bridge.

My favorite Portland festival features non-stop music and dance performances, polka contests, and the can’t-miss Saturday night street dance featuring Chervona! Enjoy Polish food like pierogies, kielbasa, gołąbki (cabbage rolls), placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), and other delectable options – and of course delicious Polish beer! In the vendor village, check out the jewelry, clothing, Polish pottery, and sundries for sale.

There’s hardly any parking and you’re going to get sloshed on that strong Polish beer, so transit it is: Take the 4 – Fessenden to Mississippi and Failing and then take the Failing Street Pedestrian Bridge across the freeway and you are there. Or take the Yellow Line MAX to the Overlook Stop – Failing street is two blocks north up Interstate. Check out the festival website for all the details.

Heather and I blogged the festival a few years back:

Mile73.com

Dave Knows

Protip: arrive Saturday evening after sunset to avoid the bulk of the crowd, and the ridiculously long lines. (Read more tips here!)

Stammtisch Oktoberfest (18-20 September 2015)

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Stammtisch Oktoberfest 2015Portland German restaurant Stammtisch (401 NE 28th Ave) knows how to throw a party: A three day Oktoberfest block party (18 Friday through 20 Sunday 2015).

Bust out your lederhosen and dirndls for what is always the best party of the year!

Once again we will be closing off Flanders at 28th for a weekend street festival with a massive biergarten, 10 Oktoberfest style biers, BBQ, live music, glassware for sale, games, face painting and more!

For the BBQ, Chef Graham Chaney will be grilling up Roast Chicken, Bratwurst Sandwiches, Curry Wurst, Döner Kebabs, Giant Pretzels, and more out on the street.

Oktoberfest and Märzen draft beers available come from the following breweries: Ayinger, Andechs, Benediktiner, Hofbräu, Paulaner, Schlenkerla, Schwabenbräu, Spaten, Warsteiner, Weltenburger.

Flanders street at NE 28th will be closed to traffic from 5 PM until 10PM on Friday, noon until 10 PM on Saturday, and Sunday from noon until 9 PM – all three days the party continues inside after the street reopens.

Visit the Facebook event page for more information.

El Grito de Independencia (15 September 2015)

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El Grito 2015Join the Consul of Mexico and city officials in celebrating Portland’s El Grito y Fiestas Patrias at the Rose Quarter (1 N. Center Court) on Tuesday, September 15 2015 from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.

El Grito refers to the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence. The event is remembered and celebrated each year on the night of September 15. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto is expected to ring the bells of the National Palace in Mexico City, and give his 2015 version of el Grito from the balcony of the palace to the assembled masses in the Plaza de la Constitución. Throughout Mexico, and parts of the world with Mexican expatriate communities, similar celebrations will take place.

The Portland festival entertainment features ballet folkórico, live mariachi, salsa, cumbia, pop music. Food and beverage and other vendors and booths will be on hand as well. Visit ElGritoNW.com for more details.

Portland Weekend Amusements (11-13 September 2015)

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Oktoberfest season is officially here with Widmer’s event this Saturday. TriMet celebrates the MAX Orange line – and Tilikum bridge – opening, Belmont throws a street fair, and lots more!

Saturday

MAX Orange Line Grand Opening Celebration

Orange LineIt’s time to celebrate the opening of the new MAX Orange Line and Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People. Join us for a day of adventure and fun, with activities and entertainment at many of the newly opened Orange Line stations!

Come see, ride free! All rides on TriMet buses, MAX trains, Portland Streetcar and the Portland Aerial Tram are FREE all day long.

Belmont Street Fair

Belmont Street Fair 2015The 20th annual* Belmont Street Fair takes place on SE Belmont from 11 AM to 7 PM on Saturday, 12 September 2015.

One of my favorite Portland street fairs, Belmont will be car free between 33rd and 39th.

Aquifer Adventure

Aquifer AdventureBig and little pirates alike are welcome to join us for a family festival all about groundwater! Play fun games and go on a scavenger hunt in search of hidden treasure – not gold, but groundwater, a precious resource that flows beneath your feet! Come dressed in yer finest pirate togs, or else the Cap’n might make ye walk the plank! Free kids T-shirts to the first 300 kids!

Widmer Brothers Brewing 11th Annual Oktoberfest

Widmer Oktoberfest 2015As we move towards the end of summer in the month of September its time to mark our calendars for the various Oktoberfest celebrations that will take place across the region. Now in its 11th year, the Widmer Brothers Brewing Oktoberfest, Portland’s largest and longest-running Oktoberfest celebration will take place on Saturday, September 12 from 3:00 to 11:00pm.

Saturday-Sunday

Serbian Fest

Serbian Fest 2015Please join us for the 9th Annual Serbian Festival on September 12th & 13th. This is a celebration of food, wine, dance and culture of the Serbian Orthodox people.

Delicious Serbian Food: BBQ, Roast Pig and Lamb, Desserts; Live Music, National Dance, Beer and Wine, Kid’s Activities…and much more.

Ongoing

Chapman Vaux’s Swift Watch 2015

Swirling SwiftsIn September thousands of Vaux’s Swifts coalesce into a giant undulating swirl in Northwest Portland near Chapman School after spending the day eating bug. Around sunset the swirl gets more compact, like a ground pepper tornado, and begins disappearing, measure by measure, down the school’s huge old chimney. On the lawn below hundreds of mesmerized and picnic-sated Portlanders stare into the sky from the comfort of lawn chairs and blankets while their oblivious children roll down the grassy hill screaming. Cheers erupt from the crowd when the slippery swifts dodge the opportunistic Peregrine falcons, boos when the predators get lucky.

Movies in ParksMovies in the Park

Friday, September 11

Belmont Street Fair (12 September 2015)

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Belmont Street Fair 2015The 20th annual* Belmont Street Fair takes place on SE Belmont from 11 AM to 7 PM on Saturday, 12 September 2015.

One of my favorite Portland street fairs, Belmont will be car free between 33rd and 39th.

Sponsored by the Belmont Area Business Association and the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association, the fair features over 200 food and craft vendors, two music stages, and activities for the kid. The grassy central park returns to SE 34th.

Restaurant seating from Laughing Planet, Dick’s Kitchen, Suzette Creperie and more will expand into the street. Beer gardens hosted by the Triple Nickel and Zupans will be set up near the music stages.

And free trolley rides will be available from SE 20th to the SE 48th Good Food Here food cart pod.

Visit the Belmont Area Business Association website and the Facebook event page for more details.

For a taste of what to expect, check out my reviews of the 2010 and 2009 fairs.

* By my count it’s only the 19th annual fair, but we won’t squabble.