PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland’s Polish Festival is canceling its annual celebration, citing safety concerns.
Organizers for the September festival posted on their website to announce it will not happen this year.
Their website says it will be canceled “primarily related to safety concerns associated with the homeless encampment located in our neighborhood.”
According to Ted Fiszer, the Polish Library Building Association’s president, the organization believes holding the festival would be “too great a risk.”
“The Portland Polish Festival is a cornerstone of the Polish community in North Portland. It helps us share and preserve our culture,” Fiszer said in a statement to KOIN 6 News. “After being canceled for the past two years due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we were excited to resume the Polish Festival. Unfortunately, due to the rising crime and homelessness in North Portland, we think it’s too great of a risk to our attendees to hold the festival this year, and have had to cancel it. We hope that this problem can be brought under control so we can resume our festival, which has been a highlight for the past quarter century.”
The event is usually held at the St. Stanislaus Polish Catholic Church on North Interstate Avenue and Failing Street.
More than 12,000 people attended the last time it was held in 2019.
The festival’s website says they will hold a smaller celebration, but did not immediately release details on where that would be.