Part of San Leandro 2nd Fridays, the Neon Night Market took place in the downtown San Leandro Plaza…read moreparking lot this past weekend, near Fieldwork Brewing Company. There was a good range of food and drink vendors scattered throughout, offering boba, mini dounts, pastries, empanadas, seafood, creole dishes, and more. I enjoyed a cheesy bulgogi quesadilla from Korean Papi's Kitchen while there, and it was delish! The place was decorated with string lights and inflatable sculptures lit in various colors, courtesy of Astro Botanicals. Giant balloons with twinkling lights as well as kawaii stuffies were sold from mobile carts. The setup was a bit cheap-looking, but it was a good effort to fit the theme of this event. The petting zoo was a delight, the animal pen filled with cute creatures galore... not the kids chasing around the quick-moving geese (that's not cute), but adorable bunnies!!! I also saw one pig and a goat (strangely tied to a porta potty next to the pen). Two DJ's posted at opposite corners of the event, played mostly hip hop. The DJ near the main lot was really good. I think I've seen him before at a different bay area night market where I became a fan of his work. His mix included 90's hits as well as oldies like Have You Seen Her by the Chi-Lites and Love on a Two Way Street. An awesome slow jams playlist that he pulled off so well. I typically come for the food when I go to events like this. But it's the music that got me to stay during my recent visit to the Neon Night Market. A nice laid back atmosphere I could appreciate. I think it's great that Downtown San Leandro puts on these community festivals free of cost to the public.

Free parking at San Mateo Event Center. Entrance is next to the main gate. Bouncy house, children's…read moretrain and live music. Each admission ticket or buddy pack (4 VIP tickets) purchased will be donated to San Mateo Health Foundation to support programs that provide healthcare access to 80,000 people a year. $20 tickets 4 free samples. $50 for unlimited samples, beer & wine. Children under 7 are free. Many of the vendors participating help donate meals to families in need during the pandemic. Lineup: Andytown Camila's Tacos Cuban Kitchen Esposto's Catering Foster City Lions Club Gabriel and Daniel's Mexican Grill Jack's Prime Burgers Jolly's Old-Fashioned Teas Cream Long Bridge Pizza Luceti's on 25th Avenue Masala Desi Cafe Mediterranean Kitchen Park & Howard Bistro Red Pepper Express Redwood Catering San Mateo Medical Center Cafe 39 Stamp Bar & Grill Tacos El Flamingo Taste Buds BBQ The Fish Market The Green Enchilada The Grill House Uji Time Dessert

The 2nd Annual Taste of Monument took place today (on Dia de los Muertos 2015). Several different…read morerestaurants from the 1500 block of Monument participated by handing out free samples of food, drinks, desserts, and more. There was no cost to attend either - it was completely free! Participating restaurants included Mi Oficina Computer Café (which was awesome because I didn't realize they served dessert and coffee inside their store). They are next to El Molino (another participant) and I've never been inside before - I look forward to checking them out and getting some more of their awesome coffee. El Molino (http://www.yelp.com/biz/tortilleria-el-molino-concord?hrid=wclLGJ2vKC2MVB02wDRIjA&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)) handed out tacos with fresh salsa on their homemade tortillas. Las Venegas Taqueria, El Mercadito Latino, Los Rancheros (http://www.yelp.com/biz/los-rancheros-concord?hrid=1XKi7OZF29Ti8Rl96o6pSg&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)), La Cabana, and Mercado Del Sol (http://www.yelp.com/biz/mercado-del-sol-concord?hrid=WHeo7rNlIfxkyt26VAgu9g&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)) also gave samples. (They didn't serve it today, but Mercado Del Sol has some of the hottest salsa you can find on Monument.) The Afghan Market (http://www.yelp.com/biz/afghan-market-concord?hrid=Oi5me0-UQyllpFiRITDmjg&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)) sampled a bread filled with spinach and potato (I think) with a creamy cheese sauce on top. When we finished at the event we actually headed straight to the market to buy some of the sauce. It was a lot like sour cream, but with a noticeably more cheesy flavor - very good! Korean BBQ Plus! (http://www.yelp.com/biz/korean-bbq-plus-concord?hrid=WGy3b1FSJK6F2a0px7dqhQ&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)) was there with delicious noodle samples, as well as their next door neighbor, the Concord Hankook Market (aka Concord Korean Market) (http://www.yelp.com/biz/concord-korean-market-concord?hrid=hNK7Ajo2gzh-2-5rYMdrug) with seaweed and hot sauce samples. Sapore Restaurant was there also but I don't think they were sampling any fare. Habitat for Humanity's Restore store moved into the back of the bowling alley (they resized/downsized a couple years ago and made the huge building into two businesses). Had it not been for today's event I don't think I would have known there was a store there. They are surprisingly spacious and have lots of home goods from couches to refrigerators to toilet repair kits; counters, flooring, lighting, and more! At this event, they had a Wheel of Win with prizes, like flash lights and light bulbs. (Other sponsors of the event included Farmers Insurance, Dolan's Lumber, and Monument Impact.) Live music from the Lucid Rays (https://www.facebook.com/LucidRays/) was terrific and entertained festival-goers, as well as an appearance by Concord's Mayor Tim Grayson! There was a raffle for adults and games for children. Planned by the creative minds of the Monument Business Network, this was really a well-organized and fun community event for the residents of Concord. We really enjoyed all the food and will definitely be there for the 3rd Annual event next year!

Wow, this Lunar New Year 2026 festival in Millbrae was much better than I expected. We had great…read moreexperiences throughout the day on Valentine's Day this year. Free parking at the BART/Caltrain station public parking garage was generous and convenient. Walking to Broadway for the festival was a breeze. Weekends are always free! Must love the walkable environment on El Camino Real & also on Broadway. There's plenty of good eats/restaurants/stores/tea places to enjoy. I liked that the Millbrae Farmers Market was conveniently accessible near the main stage area. Lots of deals on good oranges/tangerines/pomelo/grapefruit/etc. Pleasant walking distance. Festival was vibrant and lively here. There were lots of teas/candies/snacks/ginseng products/and goodies with marked down great deals to select from. There was a section for children too! Crowd was waiting for the loud firecrackers to light up around lunchtime. Security & police force was onsite. It felt very safe, very clean, and organized at the festival. We always visit the annual Chinese festivals in San Francisco Chinatown, but this one turned out just as great. Foodies love it. Vendors were all very good. Location was excellent for hosting the event on Broadway. Good vibes. Worth revisiting in the future.

2026 Year of the Horse! My husband's sign. -We took…read moreCaltrain to the event and it wasn't a far walk. We crossed El Camino at Victoria Street. Met me friend and off we went. -Tons of samples, free items and entertainment. -Port-a-potties were located on the side streets. Remember to always bring extra TP just in case they run out. This is my do for all festivals. -Food booth galore. We went to a few. My favorite was the fresh chestnuts. 1 lb for $10 or 2 lbs for $20. Happy New Year and can't wait till Year of the Monkey!!!!!!

Free public event celebrating Juneteenth! It's a great day to go to the park…read more AWESOME music and live band! For all to enjoy Catered by hip hop bbq shack: ribs, chicken wings, Mac cheese, honey cornbread. Clean spacious layout of picnic tables with pretty tablecloths, all ready for a picnic day out. So thoughtful! Wonderful organizations set up booths with freebies and information of their services. Millbrae and San Bruno libraries were there giving away some fantastic free books

My chica Erin is the brainchild behind the whole Oakland Unwrapped/Indie Award concept. I met her a…read morefew years ago when all of this was only a beautiful idea and just her business card. The ironic part is she wasn't born here but has hella love for the place she now calls home. Oakland Unwrapped recently merged with OneCalifornia Foundation which also provides local community banking. The future is truly bright for this organization and ongoing event! I'm happy that the first to review named tons of the vendors present since I didn't get a chance to really roam the event. Not complaining, just that I was drawn to the aroma of my own tamales and wound up working the La Borinquena table while checking on the community information table with the groups I volunteer for: oldoaklandneighbors.org, 10000stepsoakland.org and the Oakland Merchant Leadership Forum omlf.org. I have to say first that the renovations at Sweet's Ballroom are coming along on a scale that is impressive to say the least. Steve S. and co are close to completion of the major work and I know as the word spreads there will be more events that I will need to attend there! I also need to give a massive shout out to the chicas de Yelp who all volunteered to work the event including Berna Diva, Pookie W, Jill K (who worked my food table with me) and Lupe M. I gotta give mad props to Consuelo J. for being the food coordinator for this too. There was also a Yelp table and I had the pleasure of meeting Cathrine O. and Natalie G. The event after it's initial rocky start, was an amazing snapshot of what Oakland has to offer. A diverse crowd of people, delicious food (there was an egg roll I'm still thinking about), drinks including Laotian beer from Champa Garden, lager from Linden Street Brewery and raspberry vodka sodas from Hanger One. Apparently, my dinner was mostly liquid that night, no wonder I had so much fun! The award presentation was an eye opener to how many different types of indie businesses are adding to the mix of commerce here. The night ended with a tight band that got folks moving and a chance for those of us working/volunteering to make Oakland an even BIGGER and more shiny jewel to chat about what's next. The positivity about Oakland is swelling and contagious. If you haven't caught it already... WATCH OUT, Oakland Pride is gonna to get you next!

I am a little late to write this review but I had to back track for a moment in time and commend…read morethe Oaklad Indie Awards. They really know how to throw an event. Between the free drinks and food, to the great goodies different companies were handing out, everything was well organized and people were excited to be there. By far the highlights: tamales from Tina Tamale, Numi tea, and Champa Garden with there yummy sausages and beer. I would make the trip back to Oaklnad just to go to Champa Garden! My favorite above all was the band. It was called the BCO Band and they covered a ton of older songs. People were up out of there seats dancing and it really was a great finale to a fun night!

the fourth Annual West Oakland Artisan Festival was held @2311A Magnolia organized by O2 Artisans…read moreAggregates. 9/7. 12-5. (free) highlights -local food vendors + guests sake, wine, japanese/filipino/korean/tacos/shaved ice eats, tea roastery... -architectural designers -woodwooders -craft vendors -music by DJ.Mizu, East Bay Collective, International Cappoeira Angola Food leftovers: -very festive gathering, eclective. annual event, -difficult to find parking. -more info, see Nosh, sept. 6 article.

Asian & Pacific Islander Arts & Culture Festival @Bohol Circle Immigrant Park was on 5/20, 12-4…read more it was professionally organized by Rhythmix Cultural Works in partnership with the city of Alameda and Forward Alameda Presents. the lack of on site parking didn't deter the enthusiasm of the performers nor thirst of attendees who watched the cultural performances. performers on 2 stages: -Manilatown kulintang ensemble Filipino musical group -Gadung Kasturi Balinese dance group -Van-Anh Vanessa Vō Vietnamese singer -Patty Chu's Chinese Folk Dance Troupe -Odissi Vilas Indian classical sacred dance group -Hālau Makana Polynesian dance troupe food vendors: Sri Lankan food, boba tea, Hawaiian Food -limited seating nearby. children had a brand new playground to explore. worth going to if one doesn't mind walking and looking for a parking space. *May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month.