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Portland Weekend Amusements (16-18 September 2016)

September 15, 2016 by Dave Leave a Comment

It’s the fest time of the year: Polish, Serbian, Oktoberfests, and more!

Thursday-Sunday

OMSI Animation Film FestivalOMSI Animation Film Festival

A celebration of animation from independent shorts to feature films, the OMSI Animation Film Festival showcases a selection of intelligent, entertaining and provocative programming from some of the world’s most creative artists. The Festival runs from Thursday, September 15 through Sunday, September 18 at OMSI’s Empirical Theater. With highlights that include an appearance by Laika Studios’ 18-foot tall stop motion skeleton puppet, a cake-baking octopus, and an imaginative 1940’s steampunk adventure, the Empirical Theater’s giant screen will offer a fantastical smorgasbord of animation with something sure to appeal to nearly everyone.

Lan Su Chinese GardenMid-Autumn Festival

Most cultures have a harvest festival and China is no exception. Zhong Qiu Jie (中秋节), the Mid-Autumn Festival, has roots back to ancient times and is an important traditional Chinese holiday. Taking place on the fifteenth day of the eight month of the lunar calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival is usually on or close to the time of the “Harvest Moon” when the moon appears at its fullest during the autumnal equinox.

Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the four most important holidays on the Chinese calendar, at Lan Su Chinese Garden this September 15 – 18!

Friday-Sunday

Stammtisch Oktoberfest 2016Stammtisch 2016 Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest season is almost here! Dust off your lederhosen and dirndls and get ready for our 3rd annual Okoberfest celebration.

Once again we will be closing down the street and throwing the best Oktoberfest celebration in the city with a BBQ, games, German music, and 10+ Oktoberfest biers on draft.

Friday

El Grito 2016El Grito de Independencia

Come and celebrate with us!

El Grito Fiestas Patrias celebrates the independence of Mexico and other Latin American countries from Spain. As the Mexican President presents the nation’s traditional El Grito in Mexico City, so too will Portland commemorate Mexico’s independence at the Rose Quarter Commons.

Saturday

The Beer Mongers OktoberfestOktoberfest at the Beermongers

Join us as we celebrate the beginning of Oktoberfest with a BEER GARDEN! We will have some classic German beers on draft from Paulaner, Ayinger, Hacker-Pschorr plus a special ceremonial Fest keg. We will have a beer garden set up outside with some of our favorite Oregon made German style beers from Heater Allen, pFriem, Rosenstadt and others. We will be encouraging costumes and awarding prizes for creative attire. We will be showing the Timbers on the Big Screen at 3pm. Then we will have a Paulaner gal hosting beer stein races, prizes will include Timbers tickets to the Final Home Game! Prost!

Saturday-Sunday

Polish FestivalPortland Polish Festival

The Polish festival is an event for families and singles, adults and children, for food connoisseurs, music lovers, concert goers, dance enthusiasts, … It is for everyone.

During the festival, we provide non-stop stage performances, including a few dance groups and music bands, polka contest on Saturday and Sunday, a street dance, delicious Polish food and imported Polish beer.

Serbian Fest 2016Serbian Fest

Please join us for the 10th Annual Serbian Festival on September 17th & 18th. 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

Swirling SwiftsChapman Vaux’s Swift Watch 2016

Every year in late August, one of Portland’s most spectacular natural events begins: Thousands of Vaux’s Swifts gather in the city as they prepare to migrate to Central America and Venezuela. Migrating swifts often use chimneys as roosts (places to sleep), and they are likely to return to the same roost year after year. One population has been returning to Chapman since the 1980s, and it is one of the largest known roosting sites of migrating Vaux’s Swifts.

Portland Weekend Amusements (22-24 April 2016)

April 22, 2016 by Dave Leave a Comment

If you like German-style beer, cider, and Polish culture – well then you’re in luck this weekend! And it’s all going down on Saturday.

Saturday

Crown the Eagle Festival: A Polish Heritage Party

Crown the Eagle Festival To celebrate its rich and historically significant past, the White Eagle hosts a full-day of Polish and Polish-inspired fare, featuring members of Portland’s Polish community, a lively history presentation, live music, sing-alongs and traditional food and drink specials. Join us to enjoy: Polish games & crafts, facepainting, a beer special and a Passport Discovery Hunt.

Third Annual Hopped Cider Fest

Hopped Cider FestThe third annual Hopped Cider Fest, featuring the finest hopped ciders from across the country for the greatest showcase of hoppiness ever assembled in the known universe, takes place Saturday, 23 April 2016 at Reverand Nat’s Hard Cider public taproom (1813 NE 2nd Ave).

Most of the ciders (visit the event page for the full list) are made especially for the festival, and in addition to ciders from Nat’s other cideries participating include Cider Riot, Schilling & Company, Wildcraft, Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Wandering Aengus, and more.

The $20 admission included a commemorative tasting glass and 7 tokens, each good for a 4 ounce taster. Additional tokens are $2 each.

Reinheitsge-Not Beer Fest

Reinheitsge-Not BeerFestCelebrate the world’s oldest beer rules by drinking beers that break them! The German Beer Purity Law of 1516 turns exactly 500 years old on April 23rd, 2016. Also called the Reinheitsgebot, this law states that beer can ONLY be made from Water, Barley, Hops and Yeast. But that’s just boring! So we pulled together some our favorite breweries in the Northwest to brew some beers that break these silly beer rules.

GermanFest 2016

GermanFest at Bailey's TaproomThe 6th annual GermanFest takes place Saturday, 23 April 2016, at Bailey’s Taproom (213 SW Broadway).

From noon until midnight enjoy German-style beers brewed by Oregon breweries, German sausages from Altengartz German Brand Bratwurst (parked out front), and – after 4pm upstairs – School of Krautrock, a German Electronic Music Chronology.

Visit the event page for more details – including the full brewery and beer list.

Portland Weekend Amusements (18-20 September 2015)

September 17, 2015 by Dave Leave a Comment

Oktoberfest season – the best season of the year in my book – is in full swing. This weekend get your bier at Stammtisch and Kennedy School, and don’t miss the Polish Festival either!

Friday – Sunday

Stammtisch Oktoberfest

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!”

Saturday-Sunday

Portland Polish Festival

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.

Sunday

Kennedy School Oktoberfest

McMenaminsWhen you imagine Oktoberfest, what comes to mind? Beer, live music, more beer, bratwurst and hamburgers, and more—exactly how McMenamins pictures it.

One and all are welcome to participate! Begun as a wedding party for Germany’s Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese in 1810, today Oktoberfest is celebrated all over the world with music, singing, dancing, beer, food and revelry, so join in our fun. Get the cool event stamp for your Passport, too.

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.

Portland Polish Festival (19-20 September 2015)

September 15, 2015 by Dave Leave a Comment

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

  • Pierogi ruskie, Gołąbki, and My Favorite: Placki Ziemniaczane (2008)
  • A Night At The Polish Fest (2009)

Dave Knows

  • Polish Festival: No longer the best kept secret in Portland, Oregon (2008)
  • Polish Festival 2009
  • Portland Polish Festival 2010

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

Portland Weekend Amusements (September 21-23, 2012)

September 20, 2012 by Dave Leave a Comment

Truly the best weekend of the year, the third full weekend in September never quits. My two favorite fall festivals take place this weekend, the Oaks Park Oktoberfest and the Polish Festival, and this year we also have Feast PDX, Rheinlander’s Oktoberfest, train and streetcar events, and lots more – and weather looks delightful!

Ongoing

Swift WatchChapman Vaux’s Swift Watch 2012

Every September thousands of Vaux’s Swifts come to Portland. After spending their day eating bugs, the Swifts coalesce in Northwest Portland, flying in a giant undulating swirl in the sky above the school. Around sunset the swirl gets more compact, like a ground pepper tornado, and begins disappearing, measure by measure, down the chimney. On the lawn below hundreds of Portlanders stare mesmerized at the sky, from the comfort of lawn chairs and blankets. Boos erupt when opportunistic Peregrine falcons get lucky. [more]

All Weekend

Feast PortlandFeast Portland

Feast Portland, a celebration of Oregon Bounty, takes place Thursday through Sunday, September 20 through 23, 2012.

Presented by Bon Appétit, the fest is a four-day dynamic exchange of ideas, inspiration and dialogue that Feast Portland will create with food enthusiasts from Oregon, across the U.S. and around the globe. [more]

Bier!Oaks Park Oktoberfest

The 2012 Paulaner Oktoberfest at Oaks Park takes place Friday through Sunday, September 21 through 23.

This is one of Heather‘s favorite Portland festivals, because of the weiner dog races of course. I’m especially fond of the beer and accordion music! [more]

Friday

Offbeat Belly Dance

Avast! Noble Portlanders!

This Friday! Grab your party hat and head to the Blue Monk for the September edition of Offbeat Belly Dance!

Ah yes, the Blue Monk! Home of delicious beer! Complex and intriguing mixed drinks! Tasty food! Air conditioning! [more]

Friday-Saturday

Der Rheinlander Oktoberfest

Portland, Oregon’s favorite Rheinlander Oktoberfest will be Friday, September 21st & Saturday, September 22nd. Our family day “Family Fest” on Saturday from noon – 5pm.

Raise a Stein in the Rheinlander and Gustav’s Bier Stube’s Oktoberfest beer garden on the corner of NE 50th & Sandy Blvd! [more]

Saturday-Sunday

Heather at Portland Polish Festival 2010Polish Festival

The 17th annual Portland Polish Festival, my favorite local cultural event, takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23, 2012.

Below the masthead on the festival website are the words: the best kept secret of Portland, Oregon. This statement hasn’t been true for several years – the Polish Fest is the premier fall festival in the Portland area. [more]

VegFestPortland VegFest 2012

Oregon’s largest plant-based food event!

VegFest celebrates and promotes sustainable, compassionate and healthy food choices and lifestyles. This low-cost, fun and food-filled event welcomes everyone! [more]

Saturday

Portland Streetcar Central LoopPortland Streetcar Central Loop Grand Opening Celebration

The Portland Streetcar Central Loop Grand Opening Celebration takes place Saturday, September 22, 2012.

As part of the celebration, streetcar rides are free all day Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23, 2012. Catch a ride to OMSI between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. to attend the celebration. Visit the Portland Streetcar website for a full schedule of celebration events. [more]

SP 4449Oregon Rail Heritage Center’s Grand Opening

The grand opening celebration for the Oregon Rail Heritage Center takes place Saturday, September 22, 2012 from 10am -5pm. “See the three steam locomotives in their new home!”

Giveaways & Prizes * Live Music * Gift Shop * Kid’s Activities * Guides to tell you about us * Light Refreshments * ADA Accessible [more]

Back Fence PDXBack Fence PDX

As always we have an amazing lineup of storytellers ready to tell never-been-told-before true stories based on the theme HASHTAG NERD. From Portland: Iron Man comic book scribe, MATT FRACTION, Best Selling Thriller writer, CHELSEA CAIN, Co-host along with Felicia Day of a Geek & Sundry podcast, KIALA KAZEBEE, and Former High School Mathlete GABE CARLETON-BARNES. From Seattle: Jezebel staff writer LINDY WEST and math genius/creator of video games, BRUCE OBERG. [more]

For even more weekend events and activities, check out the Dave Knows Calendar, and visit Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, and Oregon Events at OregonLive.com.

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