I had a lot of fun at this faire! Loved the setting with plenty of tall trees and dappled shade -…read morereally helped in the hot weather. There was a huge variety of vendors with high quality goods, and plenty of options for foods and drinks. There were free water-refill spots to help everyone stay hydrated and keep those reusable water bottles full! I caught several shows, a bit of music, and sat and admired all the incredible costumes of the staff / vendors and the other guests. There were archery lessons, a blacksmith with a forge, several vendors with beautiful swords, and so much more! They had a booth with a game for kids to catch "rats" throughout the faire - I didn't catch the details, but the kids were clearly having a ton of fun with this. I arrived shortly before the gates opened and was happy to see plenty of parking, and plenty of staff on hand to direct vehicles (sounds like this is an improvement from last year). I would happily make this drive again, it was very enjoyable.

Not a Ren Faire - something maybe for children - pretty much sucked. Jousting was good. Vendors…read morewere meh

Had a great time at Oktoberfest this year. In my mind, Mount Angel is the one and only top quality…read moreOktoberfest around here. I've gone to others and assist us a disappointment after going to Mount Angel. I've come here every year for at least 15 years maybe longer. Thank you to the city officials for putting on such a great event.

Mt Angel Oktoberfest is a yearly event full of celebration for the harvest, as well as a 3 day…read morecelebration of the first Oktoberfest held in Munich in 1810 celebrating the marriage of King Ludwig of Bavaria. It also is a celebration of beer. This event draws thousands of visitors. This event also draws religious visitors to St. Mary's Catholic Church built in 1910, and the Mt Angel Abbey that was founded in 1882. The festival is a huge event for Mt Angel as it also draws in a lot of vendors selling handmade goods, foods and drink. There is a pavilion playing traditional German music as well as a Maypole Dance done by youngsters in full German regalia such as Lederhosen for men and Dirndl Kleid for the women. There are also car shows and military vehicles on display, a large playground area with carnival type rides for the children. Parking is difficult to find, but somehow we always manage to find a spot on the side streets or just pay to park in one of the nearby fields. There is also a free tractor pulled shuttle wagon that makes continuous rounds from the festivities up to the abbey and back. As always, the brats, corn on the cob, elephant ears.... Delicious!

This is the (often literally) beating heart of Mount Angel's seasonal festivities: a massive,…read moreBavarian-style community center, within which the largest, rowdiest and most festive events can be found! With its high ceilings and spacious interior, it's a safe gathering place, even amidst the Covid crisis (although masks and social distancing are still recommended, as much as possible, especially around drunk people). Here, you frequently find live music (polka!), beers, ciders and other beverages on tap, a modest if unspectacular grill (Pro Tip #1: eat elsewhere during festive events), and actual restrooms (Pro Tip #2: forget the Honey Buckets; use these)! Oktoberfest, Volksfest, Wurstfest are all worth attending for the fun and frivolity, and I'm sure there are several other local events that make use of this colossal community space, during the "off-season". Despite the booze and brews, this venue is for all ages, up to a certain point in the night, when the parties start to become a bit...unhinged. Best to preserve your dignity and make sure the kiddos are tucked into bed before you really tie one on. Great gathering place, filled with wonderful memories and a spirit of community and brotherhood, even if most of us are drunken imports.

Great addition to the Mt. Angel venues for Oktoberfest and community use year round. It opened just…read morein time for Oktoberfest in 2011 and served as a biergarten. We visited later in the Winter for Wurstfest. This indoor community center has the benefit of modern construction and amenities with charming Bavarian scenes above the stage and throughout the building. Really nice multi-use facility for the community.

I love the state fair. admission for seniors is only three dollars, which makes getting old almost…read moreworth it. There are lots of free things to enjoy such as the table, setting competitions, the vegetable competitions and so on. I love the diced cream at the Oregon dairy women booth, which has been there forever. A real Oregon institution. Not to mention the bunnies, pigs, goats, and horses.

I have loved the fair every year I've came. The food is amazing.(Classic fair food, what not to…read morelove??) Animals are adorable, and the rides are the absolute bomb. There are only two reasons why this is not a 5-star experience. Size of Bracelet Soda cups- You can buy a special fair bracelet, which includes unlimited rides, 3 games, and a medium drink. I had this happen last year: You see the 3 drink sizes on the ordering counter, but what they give you is NOT the medium drink. I don't think it's even 8 ounces. Alien UFO ride- This ride spins so fast while closed off, it feels like you are glued to the walls. I got stuck behind where it specifically says "Do not go beyond this point" because you could get hurt if you did. I couldn't move at all, and I was afraid that I would get hurt. Fair has been great and can't wait to go back next year!

It's a naked bike ride, what more is there to say. It can be fun and interesting. Be open minded…read moreand remember it's for a great cause. It's to protest the world's dependency on oil.

The only problem is the date. It should be a Saturday in July. Its mostly at night and it was a…read morerefreshing 60 degrees. Cathedral Park was the best start location in five years. The band, stage, slope for viewing, just perfect.

From the website: "Wulapalooza is an annual urban earth, art and music festival that takes place on…read morethe campus of Willamette University. Local schools, performance groups, and professional bands perform for over a thousand students and community members annually with local businesses and student groups fundraising for various charitable organizations. We are an Earth Day and community festival that yearly brings in thousands of community members and students." Thee Emergency is one of my favorite bands, but since they usually stick around Seattle, I knew I had to make the trek to Wulapalooza to see them play. I did miss the entire first part of the festival with the student and community booths and whatnot, so my commentary pertains solely to the evening program. However, Wulapalooza remains one of the strangest events I have ever been to, and it's not just because of the name. We arrived when the band was setting up to a crowd of a hundred or so students milling around a field. I had to keep reminding myself that it was a community festival, because it always seemed like we were the only non-students there. So Thee Emergency came out and rocked hard, as they are wont to do, but Willamette U. students must not be the rocking-est, because they were dancing around as if it were some hippie drum circle or something. Now, I love me some hippie drum circles, but there is a time and a place, and it's not when this bluesy, punk-y, soulful throwback to 70's-style rock 'n' roll is playing out live ten feet away, the guitar player throwing out sweet licks from behind his head and everything. Maybe it was the dearth of shoes. Maybe a body requires footwear to rock out. Anyway, we couldn't take any more of that for a while, so we went to get some dinner before Mirah was set to take stage. When we got back, the beer garden seemed irresistible, but we saw the door person checking off names. Now, I went to a huge state school, and it seemed entirely impossible that a university could have a full list of its 21-and-over students contained entirely on printed pages in a small-ish binder. How quaint. The beer garden really was only for students, but we were somehow convincing as alums. Beer was 3 for $10, which mathematically doesn't make sense and is also silly for two people to split, but whatever. Also, they had all kinds of free food up there that we abstained from due to the fact that we weren't really meant to eat it. The fact that the school was providing an entire free party for its students was starting to set in, holy crap. Next was Mirah, who was unfortunately playing in a gymnasium due to some noise ordinance shenanigans. When a very serene sort of performer like Mirah is playing, you have to really pay attention, especially when she is playing in the middle of a gymnasium and you are sitting cross-legged in front of her. However, dozens of side conversations almost drowned out the music, and then some students decided to get as close as possible to the bassist in order to flick their Bics, and someone's kids were allowed to walk all over near the performers and grab their hand percussion instruments, and the people dancing majestically still couldn't get the beat right. We stayed as long as we could bear, but the magic was gone. On the way out, a big truck was backing up to the stage, shining its lights on some students on the field wrapped up in the provided blankets. Moral: private school is strange.

Wulapalooza is the day I look forward to the most all year. Wula brings Willamette students, Salem…read moreinhabitants, and music/art/earth/fun enthusiasts from surrounding areas together under the glorious umbrella of everybody having a damn good time for free. You'd be a fool to miss it.

This is an annual festival in McMinnville. 2014 was the 15th annual -- even though the UFO siting…read morethat eventually gave rise to the whole shebang was decades earlier. And it does bring out that wry smile people get when a UFO is the topic on the table.... Remember Annie Pott's line from "Ghostbusters" -- as the secretary who answers the phone, "Yes they're serious," ??? Well, yes -- they are. Yes, people (and animals) show up in some wonderful costumes and punchy t-shirts. Yes, there are experts in the field on hand for some lively discussion. It was one of those experts broadcasting live from the lounge in the Hotel Oregon main floor we stumbled into on the night before the official festivities began -- plus some scruffy guys in "Keep Portland Paranormal"-wear. I'm guessing lots of beer gets consumed in this weekend. Which makes sense -- McMenamin's Hotel Oregon is the hub of all things UFO-Festival-ish. And it's McMenamin's sponsoring. We were only there for the first day -- which is a shame as so much of the "good stuff" was scheduled for Saturday -- next year we'll do the Saturday thing instead of the Friday thing. We picked up a pint glass to send to my son -- decorated with a flying saucer hovering above the Rooftop Bar of the Hotel Oregon. Got to see more stuffed alien toys than I've ever seen in one place before. Saw a guy walking his cat on a leash. I like the seriousness wedded to the tongues planted firmly in cheeks that is encouraged in McMinnville. It's a different kind of festival -- with a little ComiCon blended into the kinda-sorta academic research-y-ness of panel discussions and lecture. I like it. It's just exactly what it claims to be. Food, parades, bars, movies, food accompanying group discussion, family, ufo-tourism, expensive food, niche-fanaticism, costumes and makeup, theme-food -- and lots to look at walking down the street. And good food.

Poor rating due exclusively because of a hugely disappointing Friday night presentation spoiled by…read moreone speaker, Jeremy Corbell. There were 3 speakers, one of whom was highly respected George Knapp, no problem with him or Dylan Borland, a whistleblower. But Corbell monopolized the conversation, overrode the other two constantly and it was painful to listen to. He spoke in circles, was repetitive, and gave us a steady barrage of acronyms, nothing at all noteworthy. A lot of bluster, F bombs and zero meaningful details about UAPs or ET. One hour in, bored people began to leave, after that a mass exodus. The director of the festival hopefully will take note of that.

The cooler Fall weather wasted no time arriving in the Willamette Valley. A little online search…read moreand I discovered what my weekend had in store for me. I love Corvallis, as it feels much like the College neighborhood I moved from in Indianapolis, and it feels much more progressive than its surrounding areas. My mini & I made the trip from Salem and found side street parking a few blocks from the free event. It was overcast with drizzle in the forecast but that didn't deter us. Having arrived around lunch time, we decided to do a quick loop and hit the food trucks. There were several nice options to choose from benefitting the community. We landed on splitting a chicken quesadilla and a cheesesteak and both got flavored lemonades care of Benton County Democrats for Constitutions in High Schools. The area was set up with a hand washing station and plenty of picnic tables and trash cans. Afterwards we hit the many rows of vendors and were blown away by the diversity of quality art and hand made jewelry, crafts and foods. We especially enjoyed the 6 pack of variety baklava from Damascus treats and must've sampled 50 flavored balsamic vinegars and dipping oils from Mama Celia's Gourmet Foods before narrowing down our selection and taking home five. I have very little wall space left in my home, so I gravitated to the artist greeting cards and ended up with quite the collection. The snarky magnets from Tongue and Beak has us crying and will make nice gifts. We were unable to see everything in one day, but its was nice to know its a two day festival. I'll definitely plan to make this an annual event and allow myself more time next year!

Amazing atmosphere! And it's free?!? What a great event to have in Corvallis. Artists from all over…read morethe Pacific Northwest are featured. There are food trucks, life music, and plenty to see and do.

Back after a 2 year absence (pandemic) the Blues Festival did not disappoint. They always have a…read morefantastic lineup consisting of some of the best blues artists around and also some jam bands and folk music that crosses all genres. This high energy event attracts people from Portland and all over the country. Dancing, chilling, people watching - it's perfect for all of that. The festival takes place on the waterfront lawn in front of RiverPlace Marina with views of the Williamette River and bridges. There is not any shade so definitely come prepared with a hat and sunblock. This year the weather was perfect, low 70s and some days overcast, but other years it's been high 90s with blazing sun and lots of sunburned people. There are four stages, two showcase the more well known bands. You can purchase seats or bring your own chair and blanket and sit in the lawn, which is what we do. But get there early or be prepared to squeeze into a spot. Those lucky enough to own or have a friend with a boat, dock in the Marina adding to the ambiance. Even kayaks and paddle boarders flock to this area to enjoy the music. The smell of weed permeates; smoking pot is common, even before it was legal, so just be aware if the smell turns you off. It's everywhere, not limited to specific seating areas. There is an area dedicated to local venders selling music memorabilia, jewelry, clothing (including tie-dye and embroidery), artwork, crafts and local services. Also food carts with varied cuisines, definitely something for everyone. Prices range from $8-15. You can also buy beer, wine and cider. Water stations are throughout and there are lots of portable bathrooms underneath the Hawthorne Bridge. The Festival culminates on July 4th with a phenomenal fireworks display on the river. They shoot them from a barge situated right in front of the Hawthorne Bridge and the fireworks reflect on the water. It's spectacular! Trucks and cars often stop on the various freeways overlooking the river and families gather on the lawns of the surrounding park, esplanade and residential area to picnic and watch the display. The Blues Festival used to be free with a donation of canned goods but now they charge a fee. You can purchase single day tickets or passes for the entire festival. Early bird prices are the way to go. Check their website for details.

I attended this on July 2nd, blues festival since Buddy Guy was playing. He's 86 and so this is…read morehis last tour. Prepaid tickets in June was $50. I also saw Cha Wa from New Orleans. They are a Mardi Gras Indian Band with feathered head dress. They were great performers doing Mardi Gras songs and R & B. Delgres, French Caribbean band performed on the Front Porch Stage. It's a smaller stage. Eric Gales did a great performance before Buddy Guy came on too. The festival got super crowded after 6 pm. One thing I didn't like was that there were only one area where the Sanican Restrooms were set up. So you had to walk to the center of the grounds and under the bridge. It got really dark at 5 pm when the lights were not turned on yet. Some of the grassy area had bird poop around, so you really have to sanitize your shoes and blanket afterwards.