Each September Mt. Angel celebrates Oktoberfest, which be held this September 15-18. Located 18 miles northeast of Salem on Highway 214, Mt Angel boasts Bavarian style storefronts and Benedictine Abbey built in 1883, and sits high on a bluff with views of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Willamette Valley. Oktoberfest actually means Harvest Celebration, and in Germany, fall festivals occur at the end of the harvest season. In Mt. Angel, Oktoberfest always begins the second Thursday after Labor Day, when the hop harvest is usually in. It is Oregon’s largest folk festival.

There will be live music, free kindergarten with rides and shows, Alpine food chalets, arts and craft show, traditional Biergarten, Weingarten, Prostgarten, and Alpinegarten, community Glockenspiel, Bavarian folk dances, and more. Ladies dirndls and lederhosen are also available for purchase.

Most events at Oktoberfest are free, with a nominal cover charge for entry into the Biergarten, Weingarten, Prostgarten, and Alpinegarten. An All Festival Pass is $25.00, and includes unlimited entry. A Day Pass is available for unlimited entry to entertainment venues, and is $4.00 until 5 pm, and $5.00 after 5 pm. Leashed pets are welcomed and seeing dogs are allowed within the venues. Oktoberfest is also handicap friendly.

 

Directions

From the north on I-5, take the Woodburn exit #271 and follow State Highway #214 to Mt. Angel (approximately ten miles).

From the south on I-5, take the Keizer-Chemawa exit #260B at Salem. Turn right (east) through the Hwy. 99 intersection. Continue east and follow signs to Mt. Angel (approximately 17 miles).