I've been going to the Alameda County Fair since I was a kid, and I truly don't think I've missed a…read moreyear. Even during COVID, when they couldn't hold the regular fair, they put on a special fall version instead. Getting to go to the fair in a Halloween costume was honestly such an awesome experience. I hope they do something like that again someday. I definitely have my traditions. Funnel cake is a must (always with strawberries ). Non-negotiables include the Sky Ride, the petting zoo, and the Model Railroad exhibit (ask about their scavenger hunt!). Before I leave, I have to stop at one of the old-fashioned photo booths too. I write the year on the back of every photo strip, so I've ended up with this little collection that's basically a timeline of my life at the fair. One of my favorite things is that it really feels like the community coming together, and the whole place has such a festive vibe. My dad has won a couple of blue ribbons over the years, I have friends who enter competitions, and I genuinely love walking through the exhibits to see what people have grown, baked, photographed, painted, and created. I always end up spending way more time (and money! ) than I planned, so now I just budget for it every year. The concerts have been incredible too. I've seen Bowling for Soup, Smash Mouth, the Village People, Flo Rida, and plenty of others over the years. Between the concerts, the demolition derby, the drone shows, the animals, the rides, and all the new entertainment they bring in every year, I usually end up going more than once before the fair is over. Speaking of food, the best (and most ridiculous) fair food appears every year. This year it was Spam fries. Did I try them? No. Did I absolutely stop to take a picture? Of course I did. Also, one year I somehow came home from the fair with a mattress. We weren't planning on buying one, but I guess that's just another Alameda County Fair memory. After almost 30 years, I still get excited every time I walk through those gates. I have to leave with my traditional photo strip, my feet tired and dusty, and already looking forward to next year.

We went to this fair on July 11th, and it happened to be one of the hottest day ever!! If I…read moreremember well, it was 96 degrees that day! Before my granddaughter went back to Bellevue, we bought tickets online and went to this fair. It was quite a fun experience! We arrived early, and parking was a breeze, well organized . We headed to one most wanted attraction, the Alaska pig racing!! The benches were full, but some very kind people squeezed in to make room for us. It was quite a show, and the host made the crowd participate too!! Then the petting zoo, the games, the food, the snacks.... Expensive, but it was fun. Then the heat got to us and we went home. It would be so awesome if the weather was cooler so we can enjoy everything!!! Guess we need to come back next year.

The event last from November to January so you have a lot of time to schedule on attending. Daily…read moreticket fee $23 for adults, but make sure to follow on social media for discounts. We arrived on a Friday night. Parking fee $10 and many near spaces available. Not much crowd as I thought, so even better for photo ops. It rain a little bit early in the day so some area in the grass were muddy. The way the lantern lights were constructed, truly amazing. My favorites were the yellow dragon and red lanterns. Definitely check out the acrobat show. They provide 3 shows per day an hour apart. There were 4 performances lasted about 30 minutes. I think they had 4 food trucks, so you can enjoy some garlic fries or horchata lol. Great place to spend time with family, friends, and your significant other during the holidays.

Paying for parking and hard to access was not disclosed prior to purchasing tickets. Entertainment…read morewas less than entertaining.

I have been going to the Harvest Festival in Pleasanton for 30 years and prior to that in San Jose…read morefor another 6. I must say that the new owners have dramatically changed this festival. There used to be 3 buildings full of vendors, now there barely 2. The event is not advertised at all, you have to look online to see when it's coming. They have lost so many of the great vendors that used to be there. The food is minimal and not very good. There used to be entertainers walking about the festival, now there are none. There used to be multiple stages with different acts, now there is one. There used to be so many vendors they had them outside and inside, now there only a few. Why purchase this wonderful festival and then drag it down to what it has become. Not worth the price of admission or parking. The new company needs to do better. You are losing vendors and customers. Go back to the old festival. With lots of vendor choices and more food for sale, and your vendors being happy. It's really become a sad event.

We walked to the gate from downtown Pleasanton. We attended many other events walking up to this…read moregate. Security told us we had to enter from the other side which meant that we would walk 1.5 miles around plus almost a mile through their parking lots. We were not adding 2.5 miles to our trip. Also there were big no pedestrian signs along the road that the guard told us to take. Seriously? In times when they are trying to encourage walking and public transit why are you making it so difficult to atttend your event?

The Pleasanton Antiques and Collectibles Faire takes place on the town's main drag in May and…read moreOctober. I've been to lots (and lots) of antique fairs but this one stands out for multiple reasons: *Pretty much every business on the street was open, so there were a lot of places to grab a snack or something cold to drink; it also made the fair more festive-feeling overall (this isn't always the case with some small-town fairs) *There were plenty of places to sit and rest, which was especially nice because last Sunday's fair was in 90-degree-plus heat *Parking was free and easy on an adjacent street *The laid-back vibe was just so darn great If you want to find me, come to the next fair on October 12th and look for the chunky middle-aged lady buying up all the vintage Pyrex.

Great fair and great fun! For people think it's terrible because it was canceled, it was for safety…read morereasons, the wind was 20+ mph and tents could go flying easily, this has been reinforced since a big wind storm hit an antique street fair years back, and killed 6 people (and the wind speed then was 23 mph) this is for your safety not for your annoyance! It's a great fair and they care about your life!

Great Hula competition this year! Also, best place to eat a Hawaiian plate lunch and go shopping…read morefor your Hawaiian snacks, apparel, and accessories.

This year will be the 154th Scottish Highland Gathering and Games and if anything like last year's…read moreevent, will be a must for all. Great music, athletics, dancing, vendors, food throughout the Fairgrounds with whisky tasting, sheep herding exhibition, Highland cows and Clydesdale horses on display and kids events section. Family friendly (kids entry is free) and you don't have to be Scottish to enjoy.

Fun for the whole family.. Activities include; Pipers, drummers, dancers, athletic events. sheep…read moredog trials, lots of shopping, car show, birds of prey demonstrations, camping, whiskey sampling events, Living history reenactors, and great Celtic rock groups. Highly recommend buying your grandstand seats as soon as you arrive. They sell out fast! Food lines can be long, so plan ahead.

Are you kidding me?! How is this the first time that I'm hearing about this event?! This event was…read morefabulous! It's basically an all you can sip wine buffet! An absolute dream for all of you winos out there. I came across this event on the Alameda County Fair website. I had planned to attend the fair, but couldn't figure out which date that I wanted to go. But once I saw this event, I knew that I just had to go and check it out because it just sounded too good to be true! I paid $45 for the event which included admission into the fair. Parking was not included, and I prepaid for parking online which costed $10. This event was actually held on the field right in the middle of the horse races! I was given a wrist band that included in and out privileges, but I ended up staying there the whole time since I got there about an hour and a half after it started. The event was held between 2 and 5 pm, but I rolled in "fashionably late" (ahem!) at 3:30pm. I actually feel like this was a great time to go because the lines weren't excessively long, and I might have passed out from all of the wine if I would have kept drinking. There were over 40 different wineries pouring their most popular and award winning wines! There were many local wineries as well as a few that I had recently visited while wine tasting in Mendocino county! Way too many to name, but there was so much variety! The pourers were mostly volunteers, so many of them didn't know too much about the wineries and the background of the wines. However, this event wasn't meant to be intimate as there were so many different wineries that were showcasing their wines. There were many shaded tables and chairs around where people could sit. They also had a big wager tent where people could sip while betting on the horse races! I did not participate in the betting this time around, but I would like to do it next year for sure. I must have tried over 50 different wines that day! A word of advice to anyone who is thinking about coming out: drink lots of water and pace yourself! I believe that they had a water stand available in the wagering tent, but I just brought my own. Unfortunately, I didn't follow my own advice and didn't pace myself. I'll let you figure out how the night ended... In any event, the Sip, Savor, & Wager was really fun! I met lots of people, mingled around, and tried many different wines that I had never tried before. There were also a few food trucks around for those who didn't get a chance to eat. This was the first time that this event was held in conjunction with the Alameda County Fair and I think it was an excellent turn out! Being able to get a closeup view of the horse races was icing on the cake. I definitely plan to attend the event next year if they decide to have it again!

Fun event. Gets really hot. First year they ran out of water! Next year they addressed it. It gets…read morereally busy later in the event so get there early. Biggest problem is they don't serve the wines (especially reds) at appropriate temperatures. Reds shouldn't be served at room temp when its 93 degrees out! Otherwise it's a decent time.

It's a great experience even if you're not Scottish. How can you beat food, drink and swords!!…read moreHOWEVER!! They changed the Queen!! I've been going for years and it's been the same Queen. I have 3 daughters who look forward to seeing Her and they were so disappointed not seeing their Queen!! I would give it 5 stars this year and with the change they get only 3 stars!

Taking place at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, this event is actually like the Alameda County…read moreFair, but everything Scottish... meaning attire, food, music, entertainment, animals (sheep dogs and birds of prey), and merchandise vendors selling various items, from swords to drinking horns, and of course kilts and accessories too (picked up a cute frog instrument from The Fiddle Guy, while testing out the sounds of several of his string instruments for sale). The athletic events are different (a lot of throwing heavy objects), but still amusing to watch. The pipe band competitions were awesome. Not just talented musicians on the bagpipes in these marching bands, but a variety of pipes and drums. There were also a couple different stages with live music performances, various bands playing unique instruments, even a celtic didgeridoo. It was a lot of fun. For food and drinks, we had some meat pies (lamb rosemary and beef mushroom), a funnel cake with strawberry and chocolate, and alcoholic beverages (michelada and margarita), picnicking in the grass while enjoying the music and entertainment. Some of the lines were quite long in the early afternoon, but at least food vendors were spread out, not all in one place. Later in the afternoon, we did some whiskey tasting, choosing from a nice variety, my fave being a Milam and Greene bourbon. They also sold cigars and chocolate in this building, and we took home the Whiskey and Barrel Nite shot glasses as souvenirs. Our day ended with more live music, all of the bands performing altogether in the Grandstand, it was quite impressive. I'm glad I was able to check out this event, and would definitely return in future years.

Amazing! Great for kids! I went with my nephew and had so much fun! One of the cutest Christmas…read moreattractions in the neighborhood! So many things to look at :) definitely felt like Christmas.

I visited this free holiday attraction on Friday, and even with the freezing winter temperatures, I…read moreenjoyed my time here. I arrived around opening time (6:00pm), and there was just a short line for entry. With so much to see and admire about this place, the walk thru was much longer than I expected, though that's partly cuz I didn't know you could pass people till I reached the mid-point. It's only one-way through the various pathways and illuminated tunnels that make up this experience, but if people stop and block foot traffic for long periods of time (for instance, families telling their toddler to look at every single doll and figurine in the windows and displays, or having them pose to take pictures like tourists), there's enough space to just pass them. Widmer World presents a range of themes and collections, including Disney (mickey mouse, toy story, disney princesses, etc), Minions, Snoopy, Santa, Abominable Snowman, geese, penguins, and stuffed animals galore. Cardboard cutouts with artwork, inflatables in various characters, moving props and decor, and animated xmas figures. Detailed miniature displays of various scenes including a charming village, a carnival with ferris wheels, roller coasters, and hot air balloons, and a festive model railroad with multiple trains moving along the tracks. It's so much more than a light show lined with impressive displays all around. It's a whimsical wonderland with lots of moving parts and interactive exhibits to delight guests of all ages. There's a scavenger hunt to find 12 gnomes, as well as a Mr. Potato Head coin toss game, and at the end of the walk thru, there's a guest book you can sign. In the front of the house, a giant chair is available for photo ops, along with more holiday lights and decorations. There are also signs directing visitors on where to find street parking (since you can't park in the court where this event is located).

Went to this Hula Festival for the first time this year since my mom was performing! What a…read morewonderful way for those of us living on the Mainland to stay connected to our Hawaiian culture. This was their 40th year for the competition! In the performance building they had a nice size stage and sound set up for all the performers and musicians. I really enjoyed the Hawaiian music and dancers. There was an Arts and Crafts building where you could purchase Hawaiian kine things--flower hair pieces, Hawaiian jewelry, clothing, butter Mochi and much more! Outside they had the Hawaiian food vendors with ono Hawaiian food. If you like get one weekend full of Hawaiian dancing, singing, food, and clothes/accessories, check out this festival near the Tri-Valley!

For 27 years the Kumu Hula Association of Northern California has been bringing the Bay Area one of…read morethe premiere hula competitions in California. It is because of them that every year we are treated to great hula performances from some of the best halaus in California, Hawaii, and Japan. Covering solo and group competition in kahiko and auana, this weekend long competition has something for everyone that loves not only hula but the Polynesian culture in general. You can enjoy chicken long rice, saimin, musubi, and plate lunches provided by local halaus or browse through the art and craft booths. I just come for the hula hips and hapa chicks...