The reason we visited this fair for the first time was to see the Puppies of Penzance show and it…read moredid not disappoint. So adorable! Highly highly recommend. The rest of the day was fun too. I was pulled from the audience to be a part of the mime show. My 3.5 year old daughter got to see so many animals. The stunt show was a bit odd because a father was filling in for his son who was seriously injured on Wednesday night during a performance. We didn't know what happened though until we googled and were very thrown by this show must go on routine. Yikes. But overall, 3 generations all enjoyed the fair: granddaughter - grandparents

Rides are super good they make you so happy! But they didn't have the zipper which made me sad.read more

I was one of the venders at this yearly festival. I saw their advertising in Craig's list and…read moreinquired about it. I was contacted very promptly by the organizers. One of the reasons that I wanted to participate in this event was that I'm new here and need to promote my work in the area. The fact that it cost very little to be a vender helped very much. The organizer Carol was on top of everything very well. I was kept very well informed with all that was going on. This was a wonderful festival, they had pony rids, train ride, pumpkin decorating and many more activity. There was a stage with people of all ages first to exhibit their talent with dancing then musicians of all kind. Having the weather being absolutely awesome was the bonus for the day. My only regret was my daughter is now fully grown and I couldn't share the activities with her. I'm very happy to have participated in this fair. I met many people who stopped by to first see what I was showcasing then to meet me. A big hooray for Carol and all the volunteers of this town.

I love chocolate and I can't think of a better way to kick off the weekend in the middle of what I…read morefind a gloomy, harsh winter. With some light entertainment (music troupe) and chocolate, what more can you ask for at this 10th year of the festival? Line started forming around 12/12:15PM. We were lucky that today was warmer in comparison to weeks ago but it easily could have been frigid. I do suggest being prepared attire wise in case. By the time I left with a full plate of samples (fudge, ganache, chocolate dipped bacon, tiramisu, Starbucks brownies, Crema Cafe brownie/chocolate cake, JP Licks hazelnut ice cream and more), the line extended over 5 blocks long. I wish I was able to document all the goodies and vendors but it was too crowded to take pictures of every stand. As per the event website (http://harvardsquare.com/events/legendary-10th-taste-chocolate-festival-harvard-square), these are the vendors: Benedetto Cabot's Candy DAVIDs TEA Flour Bakery Freepoint Hotel Harvest Henrietta's Table JP Licks Parsnip Pressed Juicery Roseadela's Seacoast Sweets Starbucks Tatte Bakery & Cafe Toscano Zinneken's Suggestions for a more organized event though I could see how some of these may be difficult to execute: - Have previous registration - Use a fenced in area to ensure that those waiting in line can get a fair chance at getting samples - it seemed like anyone off the street could just join in at lightly crowded vendors instead of waiting in line for a plate that organizers hand out at the beginning; vendors are too busy to regulate who waits in line or not - Token/raffle ticket system - i.e. give a string of 12 tickets and each patron can use their tickets how they choose; in this way, there are more samples to go around Overall, I enjoyed the event, recommend it, and would definitely come again.

Who doesn't love free chocolate? The Harvard Square Chocolate Festival is an annual tradition (now…read morein its 8th year) and occurs over one weekend in late January. The festival culminates in a one-hour free chocolate tasting event that is held in Brattle Square, usually from 1-2pm on a Saturday. I attended the one-hour tasting today, and it was fantastic! The lines start to form around 12:30pm, so getting there early is a must. Also note that the event is outside, so dress warmly since you will probably be standing in line in the cold for 30 minutes to an hour. Once the line starts moving, it goes fast. The event features a lot of local businesses like J.P. Licks, Ben and Jerry's, Crema Cafe, and so on, and you basically pick up a plate and then move along the line to different tents in order to grab free samples. Some of the goodies that I got today were: - cup of hot chocolate from Shake Shack - scoop of chocolate ice cream from Ben and Jerry's - scoop of chocolate ice cream from J.P. Licks - mini chocolate covered cannoli from Toscano (delicious! My favorite item) - chili chocolate mini cupcake from Crema Cafe - Chocolate chip cookie from UNO's - Bite-sized portion of chocoalte cake from Wagamama - Chocolate square with a dab of honey from Follow the Honey - Sponge cake from El Jefe's - Fudge from Cabot Candy Most of the vendors also have free coupons and discounts that you can grab to encourage you to visit their stores. There was also a music group that was playing, and it contributed to the festive atmosphere of the event. Overall, I was very happy with the event - I just wish it could happen during the summer when it isn't so cold to stand outside!

What a great festival! It was perfect weather so that helped for enjoying all the vendors, food…read moreand music! It was much bigger and busier than I expected but that made it fun. Oysters are in abundance and many other food choices so you should t leave hungry. The parking is a bit challenging but well managed. I parked on the pier which is right on the water and they have shuttle buses constantly. I can't wait to go again next year for more oysters, shopping and enjoying it all over again. Put it on your go list. FYI ... if someone has difficulty walking, is frail, doesn't like crowds - this is not festival for those folks.

The reason I didn't give a 5 stars review is because of safety concerns. It was packed with people…read morein a small spaces at one point. It caused a major concerns if someone did some stupid pranks at the festival. They did check your bags before entering but without crowd control; crowd crush incident became my concern. Hopefully they may consider taking precaution steps in the future. Just remembering to bring cash with you as the majority of vendors only take cash. Of course ATMs could be found but I saw a line of people waiting. Also expected to wait for at least 10 to 15 minutes for getting your oysters. Pretty much all vendors had a long line. Other than Oysters, there are some other food but don't expect much if you don't love oysters. We did enjoy some fresh oysters there. Is it worth the visit? I will believe so but maybe try to go there when they first open or maybe visit near the end to avoid too many people.

So this is a spot that I was asked to come to to meet and decorate cars for a birthday parade for a…read morelittle girl. Her grandmother had put something on Facebook asking people if they would join the parade because their family is from other states. So I was happy to do it. Next week is my grandson's birthday parade and I know that he will have a lot of friends and family in the parade so it really hit home. I can't imagine being in this pandemic away from family almost completely. I have family in different parts of the country and some that I haven't seen in over a year and it's very hard so I was sympathetic. But this is also the place that has the Portuguese festival in August which is wonderful. They have a carnival with rides and games. Portuguese food that is homemade is served and it is wonderful. They also sell drinks and beer and have entertainment. Parking for the feast can be kind of tricky but there are back roads here that you can go and park on and walk down. They also have the traditional parade down Main Street and it's just a very nice old fashion traditional religious feast. Of course this past summer we did not attend because of the pandemic there was no feast. It was really disappointing but there were still people out with their Portuguese flags in front of their homes. They had their homes decorated and they really did their best to keep the spirit of the feast. I hope that we will be able to celebrate with them next year.

West Warwick boasts a large Portuguese community, with several social clubs. Over Labor Day…read moreWeekend, they hold a four-day extravaganza, led by the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society. I've heard or read many different names for this celebration - which includes a feast, carnival, concerts and parades - but for the sake of brevity, many locals simply call it the "Portuguese Lala" (I'm not Portuguese, so I have no idea what that means). The focal point of activity is the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society's complex, which, beginning Friday, Aug. 31, was the site of carnival rides, concerts and food concessions. Admission to the festival grounds and concert was free and open to the general public. On Saturday, my wife and I saw Dirty Deeds, an AC/DC tribute band, and they were awesome, both looking and sounding like the original band. My wife remarked that it was entertaining to see people of our generation acting like they were in their early 20s again. In order to buy food or beer, you purchase tickets, and then redeem them. Sunday's events included a parade (procession) in the morning, followed by an auction later in the day, and the Parade of Lights at night, with participants throwing candy from floats. My family watched the parade on East Main Street, near Providence Street, as Town Councilman Jay Messier recorded the event and pumped up the crowd. We later watched fireworks from a parking lot near the town's public works garage. All in all, it's a lot of entertainment for little or no money, and also an opportunity to sample some Portuguese food.

First time at King Richard's Faire and overall it was very enjoyable other than the food situation…read more Arrival/Parking: The faire opens at 10:30 and we went on the last Sunday of the season, arrived around 10:15, minimal line to get into the parking lot, tons of space when we parked. Atmosphere: 10/10 absolutely loved all the buildings, performers, most people in costume, really the most of the fun for me was people watching and interacting with performers. If I would change anything it would be increase the number of random special interactions like the plague doctor. I didn't end of catching a lot of shows because my group was pretty disorganized so I would definitely recommend going as a small group/picking out shows you want to see at the start of the day. Luckily lots of shows have multiple showings throughout the day. Lots of shops with cool stuff. The only other critique I have is that there were some shows where you could not hear the performers at all if you weren't directly in front of them so microphones would have been helpful (they might not because it's not on theme). I avoided the bathrooms based on what my friends said about them but did not witness first hand. Food: Pretty terrible all around. The food tickets are 1$ = 1 ticket and food prices range around 12-17 tickets. You have to buy tickets in groups of 5. (We bought 20 per person at first then went back for 20 more and ended up with extra, would recommend 25-30 per person) We got the baked potato: very bland, and turkey leg: idk what they did to it to make it taste like corned beef/hotdog but it was not great. The apple crisp was actually good, I would recommend it. The lines for food was the worst part of the experience for us. Small signs near the windows list a few food items and not every window serves the same food (even though it seem like it's all connected on the inside of the building) so you might have to wait in line multiple times to get the food you want. Lines did not move very fast, it seems like an area for improvement in terms of efficiency. The water available to fill your own bottle was hard to find and had a pretty bad taste. There was decent seating. Overall I would still recommend, my biggest tips would be to eat a hearty meal before going to avoid relying too much on the food sold inside and to get there a little early (and dress up!).

Security detail at the site are an absolute joke. Went to take some photos from outside near open…read moregated parking lot on railroad tracks. Heard yelling from over a 1/4 mile away so decided to leave. As I'm driving out 3 security in a golf cart enter lot heading towards public way. One gets out and stands in the street. Real mall cop Clowns. I waved as I drove by. I will never return as a customer. Bad first impression and unprofessional behavior. Damn shame as many memories of original fair and Edaville summer and Christmas. What an embarrassment.

One of the best run festivals I've been to in 30+ years. Easy in, easy out. Plenty of parking…read more(and free!). Not too crowded, plenty of space. The two stage set up was superb allowing everyone to see and hear every note of every performer without sprinting from place to place. Food and drink was plentiful, tasty, reasonably priced and with minimal lines. Non-profits, corporate sponsors and kid activities were friendly and fun. Vendors were a mix of crafts, apparel, and home goods Portalets were conveniently located with no lines. Everything ran like clockwork and it was a joy to be there. Staff and volunteers were all helpful and friendly. Well done..

The festival is held in July each year…read more There's lots of loud Puerto Rican music, a quincenera festival for the girls and lots of music and dancing. You know how good Puerto Rican food is. Ya gotta go just for that at least.