Dave Knows Portland

Portland Serbian Fest 2012

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Serbian Fest 2012The sixth annual Serbian Fest takes place Saturday and Sunday, September 15 and 16, 2012 at St. Stephen in Milwaukie (11447 SE 27th).

The fest features delicious serbian food: barbecue, roast pig and lamb, desserts and live music, National Dance, beer & wine, kids’ activities, and much more!

Entertainment includes a performance by The Krebsic Orkestar.

Admission is free and this festival is all ages. The fest runs Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit the Facebook page for more details and festival photos from previous years.

Portland Polish Festival 2012

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

The fest features non-stop music (much of it featuring accordions!) and dance performances, polka contests, and a can’t-miss Saturday night street dance. 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.

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.

Entrance to the Polish Festival is free. Hours on Saturday are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. The fest takes place on North Failing street, on the east side of Interstate, between the St. Stanislaus Church and the Polish Library (3832 N. Interstate). 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 more information, and follow @PDXPolishFest on Twitter!

Heather and I have blogged the festival the past few years:

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!)

Festa Italiana 2012

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Festa ItalianaThe 21st Festa Italiana turns Pioneer Courthouse Square into a piazza Thursday through Saturday, August 23 through 25, 2012.

One of my favorite Portland festivals, and not just because of the strolling accordionists, I recommend you arrive early to secure a table in the beer and wine garden! You’ll have an excellent view of the stage in the middle of the square. Wine is available by the bottle or the glass; and you’ll find the Festa Italiana drink prices to be more reasonable than at most festivals. Beer is available too.

Live entertainment, Italian opera, dancing, Italian restaurants, wine gardens, grape stomp, piazza toss, vendors, strolling musicians and puppet shows. Ray Massa’s EuroRythms will be back.

Visit the festa website for the full entertainment schedule. In addition to musical entertainment, enjoy the pizza toss, grape stomp, face painting, and The Carter Family Marionettes!

Fantastic food, mostly Italian, will be available from several local restaurants and food carts. And of course gelato, dolce and Italian ice treats will also be available.

The fest runs from 11am to 11pm each day, and entry is free! Visit the Festa Italiana website for more details.

Multnomah Days 2012

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Multnomah VillageThe 104th Multnomah Days celebration takes place Saturday, August 18, 2012 between SW 33rd and 39th on Capitol Highway in Multnomah Village. The fest runs from from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Start your morning with the Kiwanis Pancake and Sausage Breakfast at the Key Bank, from 8:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. – proceeds benefit the Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp for Children and Adults with Disabilities. The breakfast includes juice and fresh Starbucks coffee too.

At 10 a.m. the ‘Biggest Little’ Parade begins – featuring musicians, street performers, cars, pets, and more. Timber Joey is the Grand Marshal this year!

Let the kids have free reign in the Kids Zone at the Multnomah Art Center. The third annual Kids’ Zone includes plenty of hands-on arts activities for the kids, including a petting zoo!

The adults will surely enjoy the beer and wine gardens, hosted by Sip D’Vine. Beer, wine, food, and live music are on tap from noon until 10 p.m.

In addition of course there will be about 100 vendors lining the car-free street, showcasing art, food, crafts and more.

Bastille Day Festival (14-July-2012)

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Bastille DayThe 10th Annual Bastille Day Festival takes place Saturday, July 14, 2012, from noon until 6 p.m. at Director Park. Admission is free.

(There’s also a second part of the festival on Sunday, July 15, at the Vineyard at WillaKenzie Estate in Yamhill – admission to the second day is $30.)

The Fête de la Bastille commemorates the storming of the Bastille Prison on le quatorze juillet, 1789. The Portland celebration features the 8th Annual Portland Waiter Race, musical acts, French food and wine and a themed market, a Jardin of Wine and Beer, and more!.

If you make it to this festival, I recommend the Jardin of Wine and Beer. The trick though, is that this fest takes place the same day as the Mississippi Avenue Street Fair. Fortunately, with the move to Director Park (previously the fest has been held at Jamison Park in the Pearl), you’re only two blocks from the Yellow Line Max and the 4-Fessenden Bus, both of which will take you quite close to Mississippi Ave.