What’s Happening Salem is presented by
Happy Tuesday!
This is one of my favorite weeks of the year, as I’m feeling the anticipation of the annual Oktoberfest celebration in Mt. Angel! This year is the 60 running of the event, with a lot of special memorabilia to commemorate the occasion. I remember when I first moved to Salem, this was one of the first events I wrote about. Unfortunately, at that time I was recovering from surgery and coudn’t attend. Every year since, I’ve been lucky to be able to attend and love, love, LOVE going. I cannot recommend it enough.
Enough blabbing, I can’t wait to share with you about the event itself!
Planning my outfit,
Em Chan
Closet overflowing? Extra bedroom taken over by boxes? That “I’ll organize this weekend” promise isn’t happening. (We’ve all walked past that pile for the third month running…)
Enter Statesman Storage, opening September 15 in the historic Statesman Journal building downtown. Reclaim your space and reserve a storage unit today.
What makes them different:
Temperature-controlled, interior-access units (5x5 to 10x30) — keep your belongings protected in a clean, secure environment.
Downtown convenience — minutes from Willamette University, the Capitol, and Salem’s busiest transit hub.
Perfect for college students, businesses, and seasonal storage — from kayaks and camping gear to tools, files, and holiday décor.
24/7 secure access with surveillance — because life doesn’t stop after business hours.
Easy online rental and bill pay — manage everything from your phone or computer.
Exceptional customer service — a local team ready to help make storage simple.
Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting: September 19 at 11 AM — stop by for coffee, snacks, and giveaways, take advantage of exclusive promotions, and get a first look at our new downtown space.
Statesman Storage | Downtown Salem | We Make Room for More Living
Mt. Angel’s Oktoberfest, what is it?
Oktoberfest is an annual German celebration that, nowadays, is a celebration of German culture with beer, biergartens, entertainment, and more. It was actually created to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese, then evolved to be a name for German fall celebrations outside of Germany. Like other harvest festivals, Oktoberfest in Mt. Angel falls around the end of hop harvest season. Despite it having “October” in the name, it’s held in September as the weather is better.
Mt. Angel’s celebration is the largest folk festival in the northwest, and is four days of festivities in its historicl. The small town was founded by German Catholics, with Benedictine monks settling just outside town - hence the presence of the Benedictine Brewery in the hills. The historic downtown sports Bavarian-style architecture, including the iconic replica Glockenspiel clock tower in the center.
General overview
Oktoberfest will run from Sept. 11 to 14, Thursday through Sunday, in downtown Mt. Angel. The event is family-friendly and dog friendly (on the streets, not in venues). The festival has some food and other vendors on the streets, and more food and alcohol vendors inside of the gartens. There are a total of seven garten spaces, with three premium gartens, which are bigger and the bigger entertainment lineup.
Besides eating, drinking, and watching the packed live entertainment lineup, there is a plethora to do and see. All entertainment, in and out of the gartens, will be listed on the schedule.
Bluntly speaking, if you’re on a budget or prefer not as busy crowds, go on Thursday as entry is $10. Friday and into the weekend will be bustling, especially Sunday when much of the larger activities are scheduled. Entry for Friday and Saturday is $20 per day, and Sunday at $15.
Thursday entry is only $10 for seniors for the whole day. Friday entrants who have served in the military will receive a $5 discount. All Festival Pass is $50 for entry every day of the festival at any time. Anyone under 21 years can enter for free.
Parking + Getting To Town
The whole of downtown is shut down, so parking is in the surrounding streets and two lots outside of the city which have a shuttle service to bring people into town. It is recommended to carpool if you are coming in a group. The shuttle is very reliable, so check out the parking map and directions before your visit.
There is also RV lots, but not all of them will accept reservations. Some of these sites will also offer camping. Check out the RV info webpage for more details.
Events and activities
Inside all the gartens will be a schedule of performers, then a separate itinerary for activities happening on the street or nearby businesses.
Keep an eye on the St. Mary Public School, also the location of the Kindergarten (kids activities space), will be where the car show, military vehicle display and Wiener dog races are held.
There will be a lot of polka performers, bands, dancing and dancers, magic shows and even prayers with monks at the Mt. Angel Abbey. It is loud, busy and almost so much to do. I highly recommend skimming the schedule and keeping an eye for the special cultural performances because many have come from far and wide just for this festival. Other than those, walk around and explore as much as you can.
Food/Drinking overview
The only venues with admission fees are the Biergarten, Weingarten and Alpinegarten; the others are free. Each garten has its menu already available online, if you’d like to weigh out whether the additional charge is worth the entry. In my experience, if you love German food and alcohol, it is a worthwhile time to stop into the premium spaces - the atmosphere is just like nothing else.
Definitely get all the German food you can. There will be sauerkraut, bratwurst, special Oktoberfest sausages, schnitzel and so much more. The biggest stand will be the Mt. Angel Sausage Company, which offers Bavarian wares and food year-round. Start here, if you have no prior experience with German food. Otherwise, there are plenty of other festival food like ice cream, nachos, barbecue meats, burgers, fries and more available.
Recomendations
Here’s a quick list of things I recommend.
Try the specialty beers/ciders/wines!!! It boggles my mind when I see people spend their hard earned money drinking what they normally do when this is the best place to have so many specialty drinks at your fingertips. There is a list of all the alcoholic beverages being served if you want to preview. Please try more new things!
Walk around the town! It may come as a surprise, but Mt. Angel exists outside of Oktoberfest time. Lots of businesses unaffiliated with the festival will be open and looking forward to the influx of visitors.
Watching the Oktoberfest Olympics inside the Biergarten. It is so fun to watch participants do silly activities in this semi-competitive setting.
Oregon Dairy Women for soft serve. It’s not an Oregon festival experience without one!
Interested in dressing up? You can get the traditional Bavarian clothing (trachten) at Touch of Bavaria, online or at the festival. Or, dirndls at the Arts and Crafts section of Oktoberfest. (fair warning, it’s a pretty penny for the outfits)
The Gervais Knights of Columbus offer a barbecue chicken dinner that is so delicious - definitely a stand not to miss!
Other fast facts and tips
The festival accepts credit and debit cards, but it is a lot easier to bring cash. Vendors don’t always have internet service, so it’ll save you time (and them, the service charge) to just use cash. There will also be ATMs on the premises
The festival’s excess revenue goes back into the festival and community
All food vendors are certified 501c3 organizations, so you are supporting a local cause whenever you purchase food or drinks
Sometimes seating is sparse. Preview the map so you can gauge where you can take breaks. Bring a fan, hat and sunscreen in case it gets sweltering (And in the last few years, it’s been hot!)
This was a huge newsletter in anticipation of the event. Thanks for reading! Do you have any questions or ideas of what I should cover next? I’m reachable at [email protected]. See you all next week!
Planning my own festival itinerary,
Have an idea you’d like to see us cover in a future Tuesday send?
Let us know by simply replying to this email.