This was a nice event and the weather was perfect! It was a…read morelittle too spread out, but I understand that they want to showcase different businesses. The vendors were well chosen and had some really cool stuff. We did not go to the food area, but nothing beats food trucks!

I'm so glad Tempe Blooms returned for another year. The people behind it have created such a…read moreunique, fun event to bring locals and tourists to downtown Tempe and blend them with beautiful floral art, music, and local businesses. There are a couple of parking garages/lots in DT that give you a discounted rate during the event- we paid $10 for the 201 Ash garage, off the light rail. How it works - you meander around DT and look at, experience all the beautiful floral artworks. Downtown Tempe has a couple of stations with staff peppered about DT that provide a map of where things are located. You can go about at your own pace or route. Be aware that people can be a little vicious with trying to get "the shot" #ForTheGram. There are a couple of specific areas with small businesses posted up. We were hoping to make a bouquet at the fresh flower market but by the time we arrived - the line was super long and looked like flowers were picked over. So if that's your priority, go early. We were there no more than 2 hours and had a great afternoon taking in all the sights and sounds (there's live music peppered around too) of Downtown Tempe.

I absolutely love living in Old Town. I recently went to Scottsdazzle for the holiday lights, and I…read morealways have such a great time. It's really nice to see the community come together and have something fun to do. They had Santa and Mrs. Claus, the lights were beautiful as always, and it's pet-friendly and kid-friendly truly something for all ages. They also offer different activities, which makes it even better. The only downside is parking. Parking is a hassle, and if you park near the restaurants (since there's no assigned parking for the event), there are workers who will pressure you to pay to park so they don't call a tow truck. It honestly feels like a hustle depending on who you are or how you look, they'll charge anywhere from $5 to $25.

Scottsdazzle in Scottsdale is such a magical experience. I absolutely loved the lights along the…read morecanal -- walking through and seeing the reflections shimmering on the water made everything feel extra special and festive. It's a beautiful way to enjoy the holiday season, whether you're strolling, taking photos, or just soaking in the atmosphere. The whole area feels lively yet relaxing, and the light displays create a really charming backdrop.

At this Mexican dominated festival, the tamales are hit and miss. I would not recommend eating the…read moresamples from most stands as they were mostly cold and unappetizing, plus some folks were wandering around with cold samples too. We did have a few good tamales including the ones from Food City and one that was wrapped in a banana leaf, but like I said, its random luck from the 10 or so stands. The festival is only two blocks long, but alot of booths had wheels to spin to get free stuff and alot of free samples of other products too were available. Everything is mostly conducted in Spanish, including the music. Spent about 90 minutes at the festival, but it could be better if bigger and if the tamale booths were labeled better.

We had a great time at this event and there is some great food. You can spend as little or as much…read moremoney as you want - admission is free. A family and pet friendly event, it is equally welcoming to the physically challenged, I noted. We had an awesome plate of food consisting of two tamales of our choice, damn good refried beans, and rice for $7, which benefited a church. It was so good, we purchased a dozen for $18, which is the set take-home price for all vendors here ($10 for a half dozen). An ample amount of security staff was a reassuring presence here. A large stage featured talented Latino groups and mariachi bands. The hit was one featuring a young boy, child prodigy, on an acordian with his family. They serve alcohol, which requires a free wristband received after presentation of an ID staing that you are over 21 (required for any age). This is a great event. Period. My husband and I have this on next year's calendar for sure.

Went to the annual Cave Creek Rodeo Days which is a 3 day rodeo that takes place at the Cave Creek…read moreMemorial Arena. They have many events, barrel racing, bronc riding, and bull riding to name a few. It's an official ProRodeo a part of the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association on the Turquoise Circuit, 20 rodeos on this circuit in the Southwest that you can go to with this just being one of them. I recommend going Friday or Saturday evening and purchasing your tickets early. I waited and bought my tickets two days in advance and only Sunday during the day was available. Also, come very early before the show starts because parking was full 5 minutes before the show began. :/ You can buy general admission or VIP packages on their website (Cavecreekrodeo.com). We were expecting bbq but that was only for VIP packages. We ended up having ice cream from a local Cave Creek ice cream shop having a stand. The other food was typical state fair food. Also, for restrooms they only have porta potties with santizer, no soap and water pumps. :( FYI No one is permitted to bring in large bags (large purses), or weapons.

Pretty cool environment. Great carne asada fries and strawberry lemonade. Lots of seatingread more

I went to the Tequila Festival with the BF and 2 friends and, honestly, it was pretty fantastic. We…read moregot our tickets through groupon, so it was not terribly expensive. With the ticket, you get 10 drink samples. I tried drinks from Canteen, Cruz tequila, and many others. We got enough alcohol to have a very good time. We also got to try food from the Sandbar (spicy mac and cheese...surprisingly delicious), El Reye de la Torta (always delish), Si Senor (Really good green chile...strong jalapeno flavor, but yummy), and America's Taco Shop (delish pork tacos). I had the added bonus of getting some Yelp sunglasses....fabulous! Overall, we had several hours of fun and entertainment and didn't have to stand in line for crazy amounts of time to do so. We also got to meet Xhibit...so that was....weird. I would go again next year.

SO MUCH FUN! Went with friends for this event and enjoyed the whole day!…read more The different types of tequila were interesting (Cocoa Patron, nuff said) but the lines were a little long as the day wore on. Just glad that we went early and got done early because as we were winding down, some people were just starting to get crazy! I'll totally go back next year if friends want to go!

This is the last Carefree Art & Wine Festival until the winter season returns. The hot spell has…read morecooled down today making it a windy time yet enjoyable. At least it was sweltering out. Attendees enjoyed their glass of wine while looking at art. There were familiar and new artists showing their creative makings. There's always an assortment of art to enjoy. Some food trucks are available. Many have samples in the hopes of enticing you to buy their product. The stores in Carefree were also open. I visited a few while there at the show. An excellent show as always. $5 entry fee and free for residents. Additional fee for wine plus glass. Shared and street parking.

Juried fine arts and wine festival with beautiful paintings, jewelry sculptures, photography, and…read moreso much more. Hundreds of artists both local and from around the country. Several weekends throughout the year with the wine tastings as well. Gourmet food and live music. It takes over Easy Street in Carefree.

It was a rainy cold day in Arizona. There was a lull in the weather while it dried out…read moretemporarily. This festival is held at the Stagecoach Village annually. Some vendors were still unveiling their artworks. I recognized several artists from other shows and some were new. Plenty of free parking.

This was a Fabulous show. There were many amazing artists and vendors, the venue was small and…read morequaint and beautifully spaced out.

What a great event! We attended Sunday and ate for a solid two hours and then wandered around. The…read moreselection of vendors and music was absolutely fantastic! Our highlights were the food truck- dough licious desserts (cookie dough with ice cream- yum!), mac & cheese with lobster (was OK, reminded me a little of velveeta and the lobster was cold), grimaldis pizza (always a treat!), and nitro ice cream (coffee crunch). Ate as much as we possibly could and then enjoyed relaxing in the grass. Great way to spend a Sunday.

The Scottsdale Culinary Festival is two days of food, drinks and entertainment spread out around…read morethe Scottsdale Civic Center Mall. Calling the event a "culinary" festival might be misleading but "The Food, Wine, Beer, and Music Festival" is kind of long and not very exciting. When you arrive, do not pay for parking because there is plenty of free parking around the area. You can use the money you saved to buy your food tickets to spend at the festival. I got discounted tickets online (2 for $10) from coupon site. These were general entry tickets and did not include food tickets or the Beer Garden and VIP areas. But, did include areas like: Big Green Egg Grill-tainment Zone, Kid's Zone, Teen Cook-Off, and 3 music stages. The event makes great use of both indoor and outdoor space around the center which include the outdoor amphitheater, water fountains, a lagoon, and Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. We went on Sunday, which was the second and last day of the festival. It was a breezy afternoon but felt warm-ish due to minimal shade. Luckily, many of the booth lines were short, if there was a line at all. Lots of the vendors gave out freebies like coupons, stickers, energy drinks and snack bars. There were many different booths to choose from but not everything we tried was that good. It is really just depends what you pick. However, a few of my favorite tasty items from the day were: Fried Mac N' Cheese Bites with Chipotle Aioli from Aioli Burger, Honey Sesame Chicken Biscuit from Two Brothers and Bailey's Cheesecake Beignets from the Beignet Babe. If day-drinking is your thing, buy tickets for the Beer Garden and you'll probably be happy. If people watching is your thing this event provides plenty of opportunity to do so. And if listening to music while trying food and drinks is your thing, then you'll enjoy spending time at the Scottsdale Culinary Festival.