OK, so one of my pet peeves are the events that you have pay an entrance fee to go into, and then…read moreyou have to spend more money on food/items/activities/etc. For an event to be acceptable to me, it has to either be one or the other. Thankfully, this event is free to enjoy with optional purchases if you want to buy art, food, etc. There are also free performances and live music. I love how the fair is seemingly planned around the U District light rail station. The station brings your right into the middle of it! It really encourages people to use public transportation to get here, which makes sense since there's limited car parking. There's a good variety of vendors participating in this event. There's a whole side street dedicated to the food court and they had so many different types of food from dumplings to cannoli, and more! There are also some food vendors scattered around too. The line for the Alaska Weathervane Scallops was insane, so I skipped on it, but I regret not trying it. As far as the other vendors, there were a bunch of people selling art, pet food, gifts, even Orca public transit had a booth!

My first time going to this street fair! I come for the…read morevarious eats and there was a lot of variety present! Food stands and trucks were also augmented by the various restaurants on University Ave that also had makeshift street food offerings. I especially enjoyed the scallops from the Alaskan Weathervane seafood truck and the Ghanian food from Blackstar food truck which had tasty lamb kebobs. I also got a delicious polish sausage corn dog and beef momos but forgot the names of the stands! Porta potties were placed strategically enough for the crowd size!

Came here with friends and had a lot of fun. The husky game and mariners playoff games were both…read moreon, so there was a good sized crowd watching the games. You purchase token coins which you use to redeem for food and drinks at the various vendor stands. If you don't use all your tokens, you can return them later and they will buy them back. The credit card token line tends to be much longer than the cash token line, so I recommend bringing cash if you have it to speed things up. I think their website suggests that you get about $40 worth of tokens per person to have a full experience. This seemed like a lot, and in actuality we ended up spending a lot more. So, it was more expensive than I thought it would be, but some of the food/drink deals are actually pretty good ($6 beer/wine - very healthy pours on the wine, no tax). Highly recommend trying their gyro. The hot entree options also sounded very good and seemed reasonably priced. The problem is you want to try so many things that you're going to need a lot of tokens :) There is live music, dancing, and also a separate section with a market where you can buy some pantry goods and cheese. They offer tours of the church as well. Overall, had a really fun time, ate lunch and dinner here, and left full (but with much lighter pockets :P)

St Demetrios Fest. Is a fun Greek Food event. They have lamb sandwiches, greek fries, pastries,…read morecalamari, casseroles, roasted chicken, soup, falafel, meatballs and rice. Greek coffee. Beer, wine, greek juices. There's kids games too. I bought 3 earrings for $6 total in their rummage sale area. I seem to find something every year at their sale. A convent also sales candles and soaps. There's a huge outdoor tent . The volunteers are really friendly. It will get extremely crowded on Sat snd Sun. Street Parking is limited. They will accept credit cards in exchange for tokens. Bring cash to speed up the lines.

This is an annual festival held in August at Renton Uwajimaya. Although it is called a Polynesian…read morefestival, it is essentially a mini version of the Hawaiian festival held at Seattle Center in September. And it coincides with the Hawaiian week promotions that the store offers. Most of the festivities are outside in the parking lot. There are a handful of vendors and an entertainment stage. The store also does some Hawaiian product promos inside. It is a modest size festival that I go to every few years when I am looking for a taste of home.

One of the most interesting, fun and beautiful cultures in the world. The performers were awesome…read more It was good to hear the Island Style music. And to see the dancers. You don't have to be Polynesian to attend, the festival is open to everyone. Good shows, good peeps, good grub... good times. The event is free to attend! The line for the shaved hawaiian ice is always long! Although I do wish they had more vendors and the lines aren't so long for the food. I'm always hoping to one day see Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson there lol or like Troy Polamalu... sweet! If you've ever been to Hawaii you know there are some very great quality Hawaii brands (such as Island Heritage) that you can only get over in Hawaii, or ship with steep shipping charges. I bought beautiful towels, lunch totes and jewelry. Hearing the Hawaiian music as you stroll into the festival and seeing all the dances really makes you feel like you're at the best luau in Honolulu. All in all a good time to be had!

Annual September event for my desire to find the ultimate meatballs and sip a ice cold Peroni…read more. Yes, the streets of Georgetown become one giant festival of celebration of Franks heritage and a quest to mingle with fellow Paisanos.... For you Yelpers let me fill you in that The San Gennaro Festival in Seattle is a free, annual Italian street fair held the weekend after Labor Day, featuring Italian food, music, vendors, and and a procession for the saint...Yes just like in The Godfather except no mayhem in the streets from mafia thugs.. Can't wait to celebrate again a wonderful festival..

Okay I am always looking for something cultural to do and I I decided to check out the San Gennaro…read moreFestival. It was much smaller than I imagined, I had visions of the San Gennaro festival in little Italy in Manhattan where I grew up... It was much smaller and intimate. They had some local musicians on stage and some vendors. I was disappointed with the food selection because the two things I wanted to eat were both not available and they are staples of these kinds of Italian street festivals. Sausage and peppers was my food choice and zeppolas as my dessert. They had some mini conolli though. Some of the vendors had done nice Italian gifts, so that was the most interesting thing to me. This is the third year I think so there is plenty of room to grow...

Checked this place out with my girls ages 2.5 and 5 years old. They had a blast! Bigger kids get a…read morelittle rowdy, but easily handled with a simple verbal reminder "watch out big kids, there's a little playing too". It is as loud as you would expect an indoor. If the noise bothers, make sure you bring your headphones. Basically, is a place for kids to have fun. If you judge it by that it is nothing but a fantastic events. This is one of the fun things to do with the family. Great fun, Great weather!!! Gotta love the WHIRLIGIG! My recommendation, catch the light rail/bus to Westlake and walk to Westlake Center's monorail platform on the third floor.  Ride the monorail over to Seattle Center - Center House is right next to the exit for the monorail! Whirligig is open daily 11am-6pm!  Cost: $8: All Day Main Floor Pass $4.50: All Day Toddler Zone Pass $1.50: Single Ride Ticket FREE on Thursdays!

Whirligig is a yearly celebration of all that is inflatable. Basically, you bring your kids here,…read morepurchase tickets or a wristband, then send them on their way. Often, screaming, laughing, crying, or any combination of the three can be heard from the little ones. TIP #1 - Come during the week before Spring Break (for Seattle Public Schools). It's always filled with kids but believe it or not, sometimes there are less kids. TIP #2 - Make enough time for your kids to run around and buy a wristband. Believe me, it will be the best $7.50 you will ever spend. The tickets only make sense if you are literally going to be there for only 15 minutes (which is rarely the case with kids). TIP #3 - Stay out of the way. Set up a spot where your child can find you and develop a safety protocol for all situations. Depending on when you are there, you will feel like you're on a NY subway, what with all the bumping, stepping, pushing and shoving. While my child is running and jumping around with friends, I am catching up with my friends or grabbing a bite to eat. The Armory has decent food now, but if you're trying to save a few bucks, you can bring your own food. Parking is always an issue around Seattle Center. Most street spots, if you find them are either metered or have 2 hour limits. TIP #4 - If you're going to eat at The Armory anyway, the food vendors will validate 2 hours parking in the Seattle Center garages. Remember, Whirligig typically runs for around 2 weeks or so. Make an event of it and plan a huge play date. Your kid will love it. The only downside is they won't let grownups ride (trust me, I've tried).

You definitely don't have to be Polish to enjoy this event, so mark your calendar for next year! I…read morecan't believe access to such a great experience is free. They had fabulous entertainment events, particularly the traditional music straight from Poland. As a violinist myself, the experience of seeing such high-level musicians up close was priceless. Whether or not you're familiar with Polish music, you can appreciate hard work, talent, and a catchy beat. Food selection and pricing were also great. They require you to buy tickets to redeem for their food options, and there's some standing in line, but it was absolutely worth it. I had a delicious assortment of pierogis with sauerkraut and was super full for less than $10. We also did the vodka tasting, which was fun. I'm not a big vodka lover but I enjoyed learning a little about the different types and how they're made, both locally in Seattle and in Poland. There's also an outdoor beer garden. Finally, the atmosphere of the event was lovely. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, even to people who are obviously not Polish. The Armory looks nice and provides plenty of covered space to walk around and browse vendors, use a nice bathroom, or just sit down inside. The outdoor Seattle Center lawn had plenty of space for kids and dogs to play while listening to what's going on onstage, all in the shadow of the Space Needle. If you are Polish, it's a great place to find ways to connect with the local community. If not, you're still welcome to celebrate a wonderful culture.

Attended the second annual Polish Festival in Seattle over the weekend. The organizers pushed up…read morethis iteration to be on a weekend that was jam packed with festivals all over town. At least it had Seattle Center to itself this time. The inaugural event was held at the Intiman just a few hundred yards from another heritage event, the yearly Italian Festival. No, I didn't see no West Side Story-esque rivalry between the groups. Though there was a difference in mood between the events. The Polish event seemed a lot more festive and hectic compared to the relaxed feel of the Italian event. With the Polish Festival taking up the space where the Italian event took place as well as room at the Seattle Armory, I did notice a change in the mood of the event. It did take on a more leisurely feel compared to last year's one. The Intiman courtyard was simply too small to accommodate such a large gathering. The food lines last year were quite ridiculous. The reason being that there was no separate ticket stand. This year they rectified that and it did make the lines move a bit better. The pierogi (dumplings) line was still long, but the wait was not as bad. Food pricing was pretty reasonable for a cuisine in short supply in Seattle. The meat pierogis with sauerkraut ($6) were decent. Though I still have a preference for Asian dumplings. The meat filling goes down a bit better. Inside the Armory, there was numerous things going on. There was a cooking demonstration and dancing on stage. Polish arts & crafts were being sold and there was a dessert table as well which of course included paczki (Polish doughnuts). I found this event to be better run than last year's iteration. It is a nice festival to attend if you are interested in Polish culture. Not to mention one of the best events to try some Polish food since it is in short supply in Seattle.

Ukrainian food is in short supply so I look forward to this yearly festival. This festival is…read morerelatively new as this year will be its fourth year. It takes place in late August/early September. The next one being this weekend (Saturday). While this event is for the Ukrainian community, all are welcome. The event take up a good chunk of Crossroads Park where it is held annually. Dancing, music and family activities are some of the offerings. For me though I come here for the food. There are a bunch of vendors with similar menus, so choose the one that looks the most appealing to you. My particular favorite is to get some pork kebabs with either some plov or salad. They also have a baked goods table if you want dessert. If you are looking for something to do this weekend on the Eastside, this is a decent festival to check out. Particularly for their food offerings.

The Festival was great this year and very professionaly organized. Especially I want to express my…read moreappreciation for parking guys who worked so tirelessly and helped me to find spot to park my car whe it seems impossible. Thank you!

I didn't know what to expect, but I know I wanted to go to a chocolate festival as soon as I saw…read morethe poster. Parking: there's paid parking in the convention center but if you go on a Sunday, you can find street parking a little further out from the center. Event: there were a ton of free samples from all the vendors that were there. I don't think they advertise the samples enough. I feel like I didn't even go in expecting a ton of samples, but there were a lot so get ready to eat a ton of chocolate. Even though all the pieces were cut into small bites, after so many samples, you will definitely get your fill of chocolate. I like that they had variety from different countries and type types of chocolates and beverages as well. I appreciate it that there was a lot of different talks in different rooms on both days. You can almost spend the entire time listening to the talks. You get to learn a lot about chocolates, where it comes from, how to make truffles, and how to use chocolates. Lots of different topics for everyone. The price tag is pretty high, but I was able to find a Groupon so I'm very happy with that. As with any of these two day festivals, the first day is very crowded but you will be able to buy things that are not sold out. Sunday was super chill, but many things were already sold out . I will be back next time for sure!

First time attending this festival and there was definitely a lot that I enjoyed about it and some…read morethings I would do differently next time. The other reviews are from many years ago and mentioned issues with the location but it's in Bellevue now (not sure how long it's been there) but had no issues with the location. Obviously if you live in Seattle, that would be a different story but it was super convenient right next to the light rail station. SO much chocolate to taste. I appreciate the tables that have self service tastings where you can grab your own. The ones where you have to ask for them to hand you samples, is not efficient at all. Some of them were too crowded that you couldn't even see what was on the table because of others tasting and chit chatting with the employees. The presentations are interesting but they don't necessarily make enough samples for everyone so everyone on our side of the rows didn't get anything and had to watch the rest of the room taste their samples. So get a seat near the front, in the middle. They are an hour long so they do take up a good chunk of time if you do more than one if you are doing general admission (which is 11am-5pm). You can bring your own water bottles, there are refill stations, or your own snacks. Just know that your taste buds will be shot after all those samples and you will need a chocolate break for a while after the event. Bring a reusable bag for all the chocolate bars you'll end up buying!