I gotta say.... Taste of Arlington surprised me... After attending so many mini food/drink…read morefestivals it's hard to tell if one is going to be good value. We parked in the Ballston Commons Mall Parking lot. And then when we walked out the doors towards the outside of the mall there it was in front of us. The bf and I decided that we would get a book of 10 tasting tickets...each just in case. So about $35 each via the Ballston connect app preordered. We arrived at the will call line around 11:53ish and waited in line until exactly 12:00 which is when they were allowed to start checking people in. We gave the people our ticket confirmation numbers and were checked in fairly quickly although one volunteer seemed confused and gave us 2 separate tickets. Of which I had to explain no it's 2 sets of 10. Off on our way we went...the first thing we tried was from courthaus social...not a huge line and it was the first tent we saw. Cheese bratwurst with stone ground mustard and sautéed peppers and onions. Pretty good had a nice snap to the bratwurst and the mustard gave a nice compliment. We then ventured on to scope out what offering everyone had but because we were so early people were still setting up no problem. It gave use time to decide what we truly wanted. So...here are my highlights of Taste of Arlington 2016...in no particular order 1.Mac's Donuts...warm airy donuts on a stick... 2.Texas Jack's BBQ....Brisket & Coleslaw with sriracha and butter pickles. Brisket so tender and the bbq sauce was perfect tang not too sweet. Pickles balanced everything out. 3. North Cal Social...Lemon Custard..chamomile honey graham cracker and macerated strawberries.So refreshingly delicious even the bf liked it and he doesn't like desserts. 4.Epic Smoke...rib and coleslaw...tender and nicely smoked rib...good tug against the bone not completely fall off the bone but a good chew. 5.Mussel Bar & Grille...Spicy Salmon Belly Tartare. Clean and bright in flavor almost refreshing also but salmon had a nice buttery mouthfeel. I think the Deschutes Brewery was such a cool idea . A traveling street beer pub. The whole vibe was so much fun. I wish we had stayed long enough to catch the beer and cooking demos. The BF and I got to try 3 different beers the Inversion IPA,Hopslice IPA and the Freshly Squeezed IPA. We like both the Hopslice and the Freshly Squeezed but the Inversion had too much bitterness for us to enjoy. The even had ski shots...boy do I wish we had more people go then us cause that would have been so fun. Ice Cream Jubilee was giving out samples of their ice cream which was awesome because I really love this place ever since they were at a Yelp event so to see the owner thrive is great. The BF and I got Thai tea and the Passion Fruit Guava sorbet. Still as good as it was when we went to Yards Park. Now as the day went on the more people arrived and the lines got extremely long...we skipped nando's,la tasca,pf changs and the melting pot. Partially because we can eat those franchises whenever we wanted and we had already tried most do the stuff they offered. So we probably circled all the tents about 3/4 times just to see what else we wanted just to make sir we hadn't missed any dishes we had wanted to try. The beer/wine area was very minimal now this is not including VIP because we didn't have access to those areas. So I'm glad they had Deschutes Brewery because it gave a different options in regards to beer. Also I got to meet Sarah Fraser and Samy K who were there promoting Hey Frase their podcast which lemme tell you was really cool to meet them in person so sad when they went off the air. But now I have podcast lol. Overall I think taste of Arlington was a decent event and I agree with past yelpers perhaps 10 tickets would probably have sufficed especially for food only selections. Beer/Wine hmm perhaps the other 10 tickets maybe. But to get 8oz would cost you 2 tickets where everything else is 1 ticket. It's not hard to navigate even the the map is pretty basic. Although line designations would have been helpful along with menu items that were being sampled. It takes way to long if vendors have to describe everything to you which don't get me wrong I love the customer interaction bit but it's about the food.

Thankfully the rain held off. It turned out to be a pleasant afternoon, even though it was a tad…read morehumid. We got there early, and had no wait in lines. Taste were $3 a piece, and for some booths it was well worth it, but for a few it didn't seem like enough of a taste for $3.00 (like three tiny bites from Melting Pot, even though the strawberry was good, but one drizzled in chocolate for a $1.00 is a bit much). You need to purchase a book of ten, and I highly recommend splitting a book with someone, because as Marianne L. said, we were stuffed and each had three tickets left over. I loved, loved, loved Willow's flatbread with onions and mushroom. They gave two huge, hot squares. I'll definitely be checking out their restaurant in the future. The pasta with Brussels sprouts (from Rustico, I think) was delicious too. Along with food, beer, and wine booths were craft exhibitors too. Great event. Better than the Taste of Bethesda, which is two miles away from me, but I'd come back to Arlington in a heartbeat.

First time visiting this festival with my mom yesterday. If you love arts, food and live music this…read morefestival is for YOU! 300 vendors of all different art media I enjoyed the art prints and paper stationary booths since I love sending mail. Ate delicious Indian food from a booth Bombay curry company! Spicy and yummy. Also liked how there were activities for kids and big kids a like ( button making station & screen printing demo).

Art on the Avenue has to be one of my all-time, absolute, favorite things to do in Alexandria…read more Unfortunately it only happens once a year, so I spend the other 364 days ripping loops off my paper chain. For one day every October, Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray shuts completely down to vehicle traffic and hundreds upon hundreds of artisans and artists descend with their white, pop-up tents. They come from as nearby as Alexandria to as far away as the Northeast and the Carolinas. They come bearing oil paintings, hand-crafted jewelry, hand-sewn clothing, pottery and vases and plates, lathe-turned bowls and objets d'art, garden ornaments, Christmas ornaments, baby clothes, decorative arts, handmade stationery....I could go on, and on, and on. And you could spend hours, and hours, and hours wandering up and down Mount Vernon eying the amazing wares on display. You can buy anything from a $5 birthday card to a $5,000 watercolor of Chincoteague. Every year I come, I drop way too much money -- but my home is now hung and decorated with so many beautiful, unique items that my guests ooh and ahh over...Where'd you find that beautiful pottery soap dispenser in the guest bath? Art on the Avenue. I'd love a photo triptych of the Lincoln Memorial like the one in your den, where'd you get it? Art on the Avenue. Where'd you score that hand-stitched quilt on your bed? Art on the Avenue. I'd say half my jewelry has been collected at Art on the Avenue over the years, and people are always commenting on the unique pieces I wear. Really, there's nothing AOTA CAN'T do! Adding to the sheer delight and enjoyment are the food vendors. Yes, when you have worked up a major appetite shopping -- or window shopping -- you can stop and grab a bite from the Los Tios, or Evening Star, or Bombay Curry booths. Or you can try BBQ. Or Chinese. Or Australian meat pies. Or frozen banana on a stick. You name it, AOTA most likely serves it. Did I mention the live entertainment, from singers, to the TC Williams Orchestra, to magicians? Yeah, there's that, too. AOTA is one of THE best ways I can think of to pass a weekend day. When the weather is nice, this place is a MOB SCENE of people, but well worth braving the crowd. When the weather isn't so nice this place is still a mob scene, but a bit less so. Hard to know what to wish for: the beautiful weather that makes AOTA that much more enjoyable to stroll, or the thinner crowd that makes AOTA that much more enjoyable to stroll...

We enjoy going to the annual Greek festival to eat/hangout and support the local community. This…read moreyear was the first time they added tents outdoors for rain due to the forecast so that was helpful as it did end up raining quite a bit. Usually folks who buy gyro want to sit outdoors so they still had a chance to do so comfortably with the covered areas. The outdoor food lines had two kinds of gyro, fries, loukoumades (one of my favorite desserts), and a new item lamb chops. The small hall had a few vendors (I wish they had more like how they had in the past) like jewelry and Greek imports, and there's also a kid area with moon bounces, popcorn, etc. There's a station for drinks outside too like canned soda, Mythos beer, and other drinks like lemonade but that was a bit underwhelming since it was just regular lemonade with a lot of sugar (would've been nice if maybe it was fresh squeezed lemons). Indoors you have the hot bar items like moussaka, pastichio, spanakopita, etc. I enjoyed the tiropita, crunchy/flaky baked well with a tasty cheesy filling. There's also the coffee station and dessert line. There were a few coffee options like Greek coffee which is a shot of coffee made in the briki, and also frappe a cold version (they didn't ask how you want it though like with/without sugar or milk). In the pastry line they had koulouria, melomakarouna, and a new item called kok that's almost like an eclair. Indoors they also have live music/dj and dancing. I enjoyed the chicken gyro, just hopefully they'll have the option to add a few fries on top in the future like how they do traditionally in Greece!

Been going here for decades. Such a disappointment this year. Got there at 11am. Got good parking…read more Loukamades were not ready. Tried the next day. Line around the church for the gyros. So went inside for chicken dinner. Huge portion of very bland flavorless chicken that was not filling at all. Visited the loukamades area again. This time not even a table. Just the sign. This was 3pm. I look forward to this twice a year just for gyros and loukamades. Sure the price keeps going up. But i cant find loukamades like this anywhere else. Guess i cant find them anywhere at all. I was hoping the next generation could come to love this festival as i have but if this is what i can expect from now on I'd rather spare them the disappointment. You had a good run but the quality is not there anymore.

Plenty of art but beware steep prices! Only 2 port o potties for the whole festival. No music or…read morefood vendors- must eat elsewhere.

We're having fun in the sun at the Annual Alexandria Old Town Art Festival. This is our second…read moreyear, and we had a great time. Highly recommend!

The 21st Annual Food Festival of the Americas never disappoints and it is easily one of top 5…read morefestivals in DMV region. About 30+ countries from Central and South America set up their booths and they give hospitality for free, and great food for very affordable price. They really want you to like it and they often follow up - we hope you like it (if you are trying it for the first time). I had: Lechona from Colombia - Pork flavor explosion Empanadas from Chile - burst of sweet and salty in perfect unison Coxinha from Brazil - Chicken Croquettes - crunchy outside and soft inside Caipirinha drink from Brazil - Why did I have just one - it was delicious? Mini Choripan from Argentina - Amazing sausage meat Emprados Carne from Paraguay - great taste Chipa Quazu from Paraguay - corn, cheese and eggs in symphony Postre Merengon from Colombia - Fruity sweet delight Jamaica Juice from Mexico - great hibiscus water/juice for a hot day I did not have a breakfast, I came early, so the whole experience was like a wonderful international (Latin) brunch that is almost impossible to beat. There is no entrance fee and there is constant music entertainment as you try delicacies from all over the Americas. Great thing about this festival is that it never gets old - there are so many choices that you can always try something new next year (and have Caipirinha). This was my third attendance. The Food Festival is a fun filled, family event, so bring along your family and friends and those who wish to experience the culture and gastronomy of Latin America, the Caribbean and OAS Observer States at the 22nd festival next year.

Awesome festivities, creative lights on boats, and community engagement at its best! Amazing…read moremusics venues, Pendry Hotel tables nicely designed outdoors with a fire pit, and a Santa photo op. Various treats and freebies offered, great concert - live music. Talk about clubbing on the pier! This evening of Jack Daniels partnership on a pier at the wharf was a full on Techno, old school, pop dance party! They did not spare much...DJ sounds, free tastings of Jack Daniels apple whisky and Jack Daniels rum and coke lasted from 6-9pm. The Boat parade was demonstrated how great a community we have on the the wharf. Followed by fireworks, this 30 year celebration of the holiday boat parade could not have been a better welcoming of the holidays! Kudos to the wharf for putting on an amazing event!

My husband and I love boats and sailing (and one of the things that drew us to each other). So it…read morewas pretty humorous that we had consistently missed the Parade of Lights for the entirety of our relationship...but quite honestly, isn't that the way it seems to always go? Well, this year, we put it on our calendars well in advance, and made a point to head down for the Parade of Lights. So, first of all - if you haven't heard of it before, the Parade of Lights is on the Potomac...as in, it's a parade of *boats*. The parade starts off in Old Town Alexandria (down by the Torpedo Factory), and ends up on the DC Wharf on Water Street, where all the boats dock, and there is a big awesome after party. We opted to watch from Alexandria, as we weren't really in the mood to deal with drunken revelers (I know, so unusual for me!), and I think we were ultimately glad we did. Although the docks were crowded (seriously, get there early and stake a spot!), the view was perfect. The boats were all decked out in lights, each boat with a different theme (although there should be a drinking game...whenever a boat's theme is "Christmas", you do a shot. You'll be drunk 15 minutes into this thing). So the good: The event started right on time. The kick off was supposed to be at 5:30, and the first boat pulled into view at 5:35. Awesome. Some of the boats are decked out incredibly creatively It's not your usual parade There was a professional radio DJ (I didn't catch which one...Tommy something?) that provided the commentary and filled up the time when the boats lagged behind The not so good: The DJ that was providing the commentary ran out of material about 1/3 of the way through and he started to read off tweets...which I pretty much loathe (even though I'm a huge fan of twitter) Some of the boats really lagged, so there were periods where you would just stand there in the cold waiting for another boat to pull into view It is COLD. It's the beginning of December, on the water, at night. OMG. SO. COLD. All that being said, it's a quirky, off the wall little event, and I love the creativity that the captains put into their boats. Definitely fun and weird.

It's so-so. When I went (April 2018) they had:…read more Apples Eggplants Onions Sambusas Black bread Ciabatta bread Multigrain bread Spices Brussels sprouts Carrots Chorizos/sausages/bratwursts Beef sticks Bell peppers Tomatoes Jellies Fruit preserves Apple cider Pear cider Fruit tarts Muffins Other baked goods And lots of plants for sale (lavender, thyme, mint, chocolate mint, lettuce, sage, tomato, etc.) For a small farmers market, they have enough. Tip: Browse around first before buying anything! I bought mint and lavender plants from one of the stands in the middle area. I didn't know there was another area of plants for sale by the road that was selling cheaper, more robust plants! Browse around first!! Also, yes... they take debit/credit cards.

Not the biggest farmer's market in the area, but certainly the most convenient for me since it is…read morelocated along Columbia Pike and is accessible by bus, which is nice since parking can be a pain. This market is only open on Sundays and sets up in the lot in front of the Rite Aid. Most of the farms are from MD and PA, but there are some VA farms represented. There is usually a good selection of seasonal produce such as corn, assorted squash, and varieties of heirloom tomatoes. The past summer has been really good for new fruit as I tried the "Blondee apple" (http://www.newenglandapples.org/index.php?catcont=variety_detail&variety=71). The stand I got the Blondee at said it had the texture of a Gala apple, but was more crisp and had some Vanilla notes. Sure enough, the apple had some very subtle Vanilla hints and was not overly sweet. I need to stock up since Apple season will be over by October. It won't take more than 20-30 minutes to visit all the stalls at the Columbia Pike Farmer's Market, which is fine with me. If I want to spend more time perusing, I'll trek into DC and spend a morning at Eastern Market. Otherwise, my $20 usually gets me several bags of local produce and lasts me a week. Super bonus tip: The Columbia Pike Farmer's Market will be open until December 2014 this year: http://www.columbia-pike.org/events/?event=farmers-market