The fireworks were great but I wish they brought bck the laser We enjoyed the laser show last year…read moreand was looking forward to see it again this year plus we were happy to see the shuttle this yr but Very Upset that we had to wait over an hr to get on a shuttle bck to the race track that has discouraged us for coming bck next year

Always amazing fireworks! Lots of great music all across the festivities. The trolley (D bus) is…read morewell worth the 3 bucks for all you can ride. It especially came in handy this past weekend with the downpour. Wine court has lots of free samples. Don't forget to pick up a bottle and enjoy it with live music and fireworks show! I would like to see more food trucks to better support local businesses. Also, there were no recycling bins available and hope to see that improved for next year!

This was the second year the Chinese lantern festival has been in Syracuse. This was my first time…read more Tickets are $16 at the door or $15.50 online. There are discounts for groups over 20 people. There are also senior discounts and children's prices. The event is best at night when the lights look prettiest. Inside the international building there's a show that takes place thrice a day. Come early to get seats. I loved the show. It included jugglers, hoop jumping, foot juggler, face changing act and a bowl balanced. I thoroughly thought the acrobats and entertainers were extremely talented and the show was entertaining from beginning to end. I had a wine slushee here that was $7 and was more like a wine snow cone. The ice wasn't blended with the liquid. They sold beer for $5, ice cream for $5 and flurries for $6 (like a McFlurry). Other food included gyros, baklava, Cajun fries and a few other options. My favorite lights display were the zodiac arches. Each arch was shaped like a zodiac animal and under the arch was a description of each sign as well as the years that correlated with it. Parking is free for this event. Overall the event was very fun but a little on the small side considering the price. I would still recommend that everyone check it out (and do not miss the show).

We went to the sauerkraut Festival again this year and we noticed that there weren't as many people…read moreon Friday night is there were in the past and it was a beautiful night.. we also noticed that the parking in The Big Field next to the festival was not open to parking? I think that had a huge impact on the attendance. We did find a parking spot close to the festival but other people had to park way down the road past the bridge to park. The other thing that we noticed was that in the years past they offered little cups of free sauerkraut and we noticed that there weren't any signs stating you could even buy sauerkraut except for one place did did have it but it was hot and my fiance doesn't like hot sauerkraut she likes cold sauerkraut but they didn't have any of that. Also they had in the past cabbage bowling which was kind of fun especially for the kids I didn't see that either. We did spend a lot of money on the quarter game.. to help support the festival. We did purchase a couple of fried doughs also. Then we drove down the road to shortsville and ate at Warfield's and had a fantastic dinner. :-) because unfortunately Phelps hotel is closed..

Don't waste your time. It's a fireman's carnival. My family use to be vendors and enjoyed the…read moreevent. 2018 was horrible. 2019 was a disaster! No free parking, expensive rides, expensive food. Save your money! Take your family to the Waterpark in Canandaigua or go to the movies. Do Not let your kids do CABBAGE HEADS. The judge was always out drinking the Officials said, kids cried, and a mob was yelling. Such a DISAPPOINTMENT VILLAGE OF PHELPS AND PHLEPS FIRE DEPARTMENT. Never again!!!!!!!!!!!

2026 Food Truck Battle! The day started out chilly, but there was no rain and it started to warm…read moreup. I like that there are play areas for the kids and other vendors to walk around and see. The music was really good and with all the food it really was a "Festival". Over 55 Food Trucks serving up samples and full size portions! One of my favorites was Blueberries and Lace's Banana Draft Latte with an oatmeal sandwich cookie on top....enough coffee flavor to balance the sweet banana and milk. The oatmeal sandwich cookie with the frosting middle was a super delicious treat! Redneck Reuben Union truck was serving up , what I like to call, the "best Reuben in the Syracuse area", house smoked corned beef with warm sauerkraut, lots of melty swiss and smoked thousand Island dressing perfectly grilled. Carvel ice cream sundae with very flavorful chocolate ice cream and crunch kot, caramel and whipped cream....so good. Vietnamese Noodle House - chopped beef Banh mi with an Asian beef dipping sauce that I could have just drank alone. Mamacita's Seoul Nachos were crispy and delicious with fried wonton skins, beef, a creamy topping and a sweet sauce. Ji-Woos Korean manu dumplings and There Bibimbop. There were so many great trucks....Toss & Fire Pizza ( wood fired and always one of my favorites... I'm glad I am near one of their brick and mortar stores so I can get their pizza anytime!), Calle Tropical, Moonchot, Via Napoli, Bold Coast Lobster, Exhale Bakery, Silo Chicken, Fair Deli, Lucky 7, and so many more. Put this show down for next year as a "Must Go!!"

This was my first time at the food truck battle! We went on a Friday and luckily the weather was…read morereally nice. We were able to find parking pretty easily in the Brown lot. They do have security checkpoints at the entrance which made me feel safe. As for the food, all the trucks had such amazing samples! They're pretty big and the pricing was usually $5 per sample from each truck. I really enjoyed the lobster roll from Bold Coast Lobster, it was probably the best thing I had the at this event that was not a sample. I would say the best sample and best bang for your buck is definitely the banana draft latte from blueberries & lace, just look at that entire oatmeal cream pie that comes with it! The latte itself was also not too sweet and a the banana and coffee flavor really blended together nicely. The ramen elote from Elm Street Tacos was yummy but I do wish the noodles were a little less cooked and a bit more al dente to give more texture to the overall dish. The Seoul street nachos from Mamacitas were very popular from what I saw but I do wish that they used a gochujang based sauce over a Thai chili sauce to make it more a "Korean" fusion dish. That being said the Seoul street nachos were still very delicious and was a great way to start off the food truck battle tasting. Something not pictured that I'd like to shout out is the pork belly burnt ends from Salt City Smokehouse. The portion size was the smallest compared to the other samples but it is all meat so I'm not surprised. I would say it's definitely worth it to try regardless of the size because it the pork belly has a great smoky flavor and was very tender. Overall, I enjoyed the food truck battle and I will be returning again next year! The event was definitely organized and I never felt it was too overcrowded despite there being a lot of people.

Perhaps it isn't fair to compare the current iteration of this festival to what's been offered in…read morethe past, but I think it's relevant. The organizers of this festival need to answer the question: What does the Sterling Renaissance Festival want to be when it grows up? I think its future depends on that answer. I'm also keenly aware that, while I'm writing this as an objective veteran of attending this event, and have past experiences against which to compare current experiences, the SRF appeals to a lot of "first timers" and people who've always wanted to see what it's like, and thus, will continue to attract new generations of visitors who have nothing to compare their experience to. There are "givens" when you decide to go to the SRF. It's going to be crowded. It's going to be noisy. It's going to cost you a lot of money. But, for someone like me, whose first visit to the SRF was in the 1980s, I have seen the value of the "product" diminish while the cost has exploded. We went Sunday, August 4, 2024, arriving around 12:30 p.m. Highland Games weekend. No wait getting into the parking lot. Easily found a parking space. It cost the four of us just under $200 just to get in. Another "given." We knew the cost of admission before we drove there. What you have to decide: is what's offered worth the price of admission? Sadly, while in past years I would have answered enthusiastically YES, that's no longer the case. Adjust your expectations. For a "theme" weekend, it was decidedly NOT packed. Then again it was Sunday. Literally, the only "Highland Game" we noticed was a bunch of large men throwing a giant tree branch around. The reasons I kept returning after my first visit in the 1980s are all gone. Mainly, it appears to be a staffing issue. Certainly, the food vendor booths could use additional staff to cut down on the time spent waiting in line. That's either the owners/operators willfully trying to keep their expenses down and profits up, or they simply can't attract enough staff. Perhaps young actors no longer want to do this type of gig. And the ones they managed to hire, for the most part, seem to be mailing it in. The casts of the past were truly committed to creating the "Shire" environment. None of them would be caught dead speaking in their non-Elizabethan-era accent. They found a character and stayed there. You'd wander the gravel paths and repeatedly encounter small improvs going on: actors and visitors interacting, actors and actors interacting. We spent five hours there and saw TWO very brief moments: a wench pulling a guy with a rope and the "Queen" and her handmaids stopping briefly to chat with a child and a few other visitors. That was it. Half the cast members/staff with whom I spoke didn't even bother to fake the accent. I also was unpleasantly surprised to hear some of the acts using recorded modern music in their shows. Certainly not "period." And there were a lot of performers taking time away from their shows to market merchandise. The performers and acts in past decades were markedly better than what's offered today. Acts like Don Juan and Miguel and Daniel, Duke of Danger, set a high standard for performing at Ren Faires, and I'm not sure they're even still performing. They seemed joyous in challenging themselves to create the Shire environment. With only a couple of exceptions I noticed, today's actors are just filling time making some rent money. Speaking of money. Plan on bringing lots of it to Sterling. As I said: four of us handed over almost $200 just to get in. A Ren Fest turkey leg being one of the "must haves" we eventually made our way there, only to find what used to cost me $6 now costs $19. You read that right. $19 for a turkey leg. And the line was still long. And twice, while people were standing in that line, they announced there was only one leg left and it would be a half hour before more were ready. And they were DRY and tough. $4 for a bottle of water. $7 for a snowcone. $15 for a sandwich. Case in point on diminishing quality with higher cost: One of my favorite memories of SRF food: the amazing fried scallops and fish and chips smothered in tartar sauce. Those offerings have been replaced by some sort of pre-formed flattened fish patty fried brown. I saw someone walk by and said "That CAN'T be what they're selling as "fish and chips" now. $24 for the four of us to shoot 7 arrows each in the archery booth. $12 for two pretzels (no cheese to dunk 'em in). And speaking of dunking: the Trial/Dunking chair was broken, so roughly 250 people took the long walk down to the little pond to watch a group of actors push each other into the water. Even the joust was lackluster. It's just not a joy to visit this event anymore. I spent the day, unfortunately noticing how everything is not as good as it once was. It used to be a great time that truly transported you back to another era. Now, it's an assault on your bank account disguised as mediocre Community Theater.

Only one thing to give 5 stars to, "The performers and artisan's" . If you want something to drink…read moreor eat be prepared for 16 dollar beers and 13 dollar wines ( which are terrible), beyond high prices for food that is not worth eating. The food vendors don't accept cash which ignites long lines waiting waiting for credit card processing. The grounds are pathetic, wash outs all over the upper shire, muddy paths, tripping hazards everywhere, tree maintenance work during the first day of 2026, and a retaining wall behind the main stage collapsing ( as it was the last 2 years). After many years of going to Sterling we will see the performers at other Ren fairs going forward. It was such a beautiful fair back when Baj was the Queen and there were so many wonderful actors participating with the visitors. Those days are gone since it sold. We send our final farewell to Sterling unless a new owner replaces the present owner.

I'll be honest... my expectations for a food festival in Kingston really weren't that high…read more I was visiting the family and my mom had a printout of the map from the website. I looked it over, realized that half of the restaurants were chains (Coldstone, Pita Pit, Pizza Pizza, Dairy Queen, etc) and decided it would be worth attending for a laugh or two. How wrong I was.... Yes, the chains were chainy. However, the local restaurants all featured amazing menus by very talented chefs. My biggest surprise came from the Garrison Kingston culinary team. For $3, I was treated to an amazing plate of food with a relatively large portion of pork/chicken tenderloin, chipotle & candied beet coulis, fruit salsa, a potato croquette, and an unexpected but delicious shot glass of coconut cream pie. Other standouts included the tiny Chorizo sausage with pineapple salsa from Farm Boy, all of the various drinks offered by King Street Sizzle, and the Silly Yak pastries. They closed down a portion of Ontario Street to have lots of activities for the kids, too. My little one enjoyed the bouncy castles, and a personal tour of a fire truck by a real firefighter. Oh, and face painting too (she decided to be a "princess monster" and the very talented artist made it happen). I hope that I find myself back in Kingston to catch next year's Taste of Kingston!

Awesome time every year!! Always great food vendors. I normally hit Vito's and Twin Trees. This…read moreyear I got a bunch of the Bacon wrapped scallops with a Sausage sub. Of course they have a bunch of drink options and desserts as well. Prices were very fair this year compared to other downtown events. They had great bands that all the families enjoyed. If you missed it you have to go next year.

Do not go to Mama B's in Mama C's for chicken rigatoni. Worst place there. Riggies with some scraps…read moreof chicken thrown in a bowl with riggie sauce. The organizer should do quality control and shut this place down. This is the reason attendance is shrinking...Big waste of money!

I've heard about the Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival but this was the first time I've ever gone. It…read morewas really neat! Loved walking around downtown on an absolutely gorgeous summer day and checking out local makers. There was so much amazing art to enjoy, and I even bought a couple of prints. There was a whole section of a street giving out free food samples and another street of local food trucks with amazing eats. There's also a stretch of sidewalk where attendees can make chalk drawings, and the results were really cool. As with any downtown festival, it starts getting crowded as the day goes on. Even if you don't wind up buying anything, it's super cool to walk around and enjoy the art. Highly recommend checking out.

A decent experience for an afternoon, but full of things you wouldn't expect to be at "arts" show…read more Particularly, there is one line of booths specifically just selling their general products like gutter guards and drink mixes. Makes it feel like a building at The State Fair rather than an arts and crafts festival. There are plenty of vendors, whether you are looking for pottery, photography, geeky prints, original art, woodworking, etc. Some are unique stops that you wouldn't see otherwise and worth the time but maybe not the thousands for the average attendee. So why 3 and not 4, because it isn't going to be worthwhile for many people, and it's not the best art show in the area (go to Plowshares) Don't be discouraged from attending if you have a free day. It's not a local showcase, but it can be a place one can purchase some prints. But if you are saving for a day of arts and crafts, this shouldn't be your first choice