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She’s 120 years old, but Oaks Park’s Dance Pavilion is looking mighty fresh again.
This year, the Sellwood amusement park spent $2.1 million on updates for the Dance Pavilion, one of the oldest structures at the park. It has been under construction since October 2024 and reopened last week. The biggest change is that the drop ceiling has been removed to reveal the planks of the original timber roof. Visitors will also enjoy all new lighting and sound systems, modernized restrooms, an expanded front porch, a newly-enclosed kitchen and bridal suite, and a new wheelchair access ramp to the front entry, among other structural updates.
“Every inch of the Dance Pavilion’s update has been approached with one goal in mind: honoring its history while enhancing the experience for today’s guests,” said Emily MacKay, Oaks Park spokeswoman, in an email.
Most of the $2.1 million cost was self-funded by the Oaks Park Association, but $277,777 came from an Oregon Fair Grounds grant administered by Business Oregon. Travel Portland contributed $25,000.
The Dance Pavilion is most often booked for private events such as weddings, company parties and quinceañeras, MacKay says. Its most popular public event every year is the Multnomah County Fair in May. But the public will be able to get into the new digs at a few events this fall such as the Portland Dahlia Society Flower Show the weekend of Oct. 4–5, the Plucky Maiden’s Holiday Fest before Thanksgiving on Nov. 21–22 and the Fur Love Haven Vintage Prom Fundraiser on Dec. 6. Free tours are available anytime; schedule in advance at oakspark.com/paviliontour.
