The Portland Polish Festival celebrates its 30th year Saturday, Sept. 19, and Sunday, Sept. 20, at Polish Hall in North Portland.

The free festival runs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at 3832 N. Interstate Ave. Organizers expect up to 10,000 people over the two days, Hoodline reported.

This year's edition carries a new distinction. The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles granted the festival official honorary patronage, according to the festival's website. Organizers describe the event on their website as the largest and longest-running Polish cultural festival in the Pacific Northwest.

The festival traces to 1994, when parishioners and members of Portland's Polish community organized the first event in cooperation with the Polish Library Building Association, according to St. Stanislaus parish records. Early festivals featured performances by Portland Polish School students and grew out of community dinners the neighborhood had hosted for years before that.

The roots go deeper still.

The Polish National Alliance built a lodge in North Portland in 1892. St. Stanislaus Church, Oregon's only Polish Catholic church, had its cornerstone laid in 1907. Polish Hall went up in 1911.

Organizer Robert Fiszer told KATU the festival has connected people through Polish culture across those three decades.

Saturday's schedule includes folk dancing and contests during the day, with an evening street dance. Visiting Polish folk dance groups from Seattle and other West Coast cities will perform. Live music comes from Sobotka. A pierogi-eating contest and polka contests are open to children and adults.

The food lineup features pierogi, kielbasa, bigos, potato pancakes, paczki and Polish beer. An artisan market sells Polish pottery, amber jewelry, imported foods and Polish-inspired home goods.

The festival is organized entirely by volunteers from Portland's Polish community. Anyone interested in helping can find sign-up information on the festival's website.

Outdoor food tents, vendor booths and performance areas are wheelchair accessible. The historic 1911 Polish Hall building is accessible only by stairs; organizers set up outdoor dessert booths on Failing Street as an accommodation.

TriMet's MAX Yellow Line stops at Overlook Park station, a short walk from the grounds. Parking is available at Kaiser Permanente and on neighborhood side streets.