Such a great event hosted by Uwajimaya every summer! Great opportunity to grab snacks because they…read moreusually have a sale with the vendors who come out in-store and then outside with all of the booths a wonderful way to try local businesses and Japanese eats Depending on the time, they have cosplay and performances. Some fun kids games and other great things to check out! It gets pretty busy. We were in the area closer to the end of the event.

This was a spur of the moment thing for us. We went to Uwajimaya on Friday for some grocery…read moreshopping, and saw them setting up the street booths and the banner advertising the festival. So we decided to come back the next day to check it out. What a fun little festival. The whole festival is situated on only one block with about 15 or so booths, and an entertainment stage. We literally walked the whole event 4 times in 1 hour, and that included stopping to eat at several booths. My wife and I sampled the Okonomiyaki ($5), the Kalbi plate ($7 without a drink), and a vanilla shave ice with condensed milk ($5.50). The Okonomiyaki was without a doubt the most popular dish and had a line each time we walked past. I'm sure you can google what it is but it essentially looks like a yakisoba pancake with various ingredients. It has a lot of flavor and is very rich. I definitely enjoyed it, but the two of us couldn't finish one order as it was too rich. The kalbi was delicious as always-- it's hard to screw up kalbi. $7 might seem expensive but it's always expensive and at least they gave us 3 good size strips. Our only complaint was that one strip wasn't fully cooked (pink on the inside). The shave ice was good-- nothing special--- but refreshing on a hotter day. We enjoyed our time here. It's cool just people watching as the gals wearing kimonos are very pretty. Everybody was laid back, friendly, and having a great time. Do yourself a favor and stop by for some good food and enjoyment.

Nitewave band headliner which is always fun…read more Lively with food trucks. We went on Friday so none of the artsy stuff and the Salmon Bake were on. Ballard is always fun to visit and this event is always fun to go to.

This year's Ballard Music and Seafoodfest on a Saturday had Built to Spill as the headliner, along…read morewith Low Cut Connie. Both groups attracted the most people to the main stage of this multi-block event taking up NW Market St and 22nd Ave NW, among other streets. I made the mistake of getting here around 2:30pm way past the event start time, then spending half an hour to find parking near the Ballard First Lutheran Church and then walking about 15 minutes to reach the main stage on Market St around 3:15pm. When you do get here, there's a lot of noise and crowds going on. This was also during Seattle's World Cup crowds, so many bars around the block were broadcasting the games with people gathering to watch and cheer. Many vendors also line up the streets as well, most of what you would see if you go to similar events like Bite of Seattle or even the Georgetown Carnival. This particular fest had a big salmon BBQ booth from Trident Seafoods which requires tokens you can purchase from the information booth. I saw the longest lines for there in particular. Besides that, I didn't see much seafood for this year. I ended up not doing the salmon BBQ, and the vendors were mostly what I've seen before in other events, so I mostly relied on the surrounding Ballard businesses for dinner and my matcha fix. I will say Built to Spill was actually really good despite indie rock not being my type of music, and my friends made my experience here better. This is an all-right event for me in particular, but I might still come back next year for the music acts.

We attended the Fremont Fair today and had a lovely time. The weather was beautiful and we arrived…read moreearly before the crowds, but made sure to stay for the parade in the afternoon. Between all the amazing vendors, the incredible food options, live music and street performers, the Art Cars and everything else to see and do, the time just flew right by. This is definitely one of the better festivals we have attended. It's dog friendly and family friendly and completely free. Parking is probably the only negative thing and if you don't mind the walk, you should be able to find some parking in a neighboring residential area. We definitely got our 10,000 steps in today and I would absolutely come back again and again.

I have been coming to the Fremont Fair for decades. It is still one of my favorite fairs to visit…read moreevery year. My agenda is likely different from many folks. I don't come on Saturday anymore since everyone is there for the Solstice parade. It is borderline insane for those who drive there and need to find parking. My routine: - I arrive midday on Sunday, typically about 3pm. This gives me three hours at the fair. Many folks are beginning to leave by then. Parking is slightly easier to find even if we need to loop a time or two. - Visit the art cars. This is my absolute favorite at the Fremont Fair. They are insanely fun. My favorite is from 10+ years ago. A sedan is fully covered with Big Mouth Billy Bass with lobsters on top that are synced up to sing Bohemian Rhapsody. I am sure I have a video somewhere. - Stroll the many blocks of the fair, exploring the booths. I go to many fairs. I recognize most vendors going to the same fairs. Fremont Fair is still able to surprise me with new-to-me booths. It is why I return year after year. - Look for free swags. Many community booths give free swags. I look for the cute items that a child might like so I can give those swags to teachers as classroom rewards. - Free food sampling - We enjoy buying new-to-us foods. - Skip the food booths, mostly. Once upon a time, food booths were the source to find unusual eats or to have a small bite. We stop eating from food booths when they became more expensive than going to a restaurant. Sorry, not sorry. We support the local restaurants in the neighborhood instead. We still look, but it is uncommon for us to find something we don't already know. - When all is done, take a stroll along ship canal. It is both peaceful (for us) and chaotic (for the vendors packing up and/or taking down their booths). It is part entertainment seeing the staff direct traffic. For this year's fair, the highlight is once again the art cars with the spaceship car. Inter Milan gave away blue ice cream, while a Raspados Del Sur gave away their excess fruits after the fair ended. It was awesome! Of course, I bought items and enjoyed music from the stages, too.

Ukrainian food is in short supply so I look forward to this yearly festival. This festival is…read morerelatively new as this year will be its fourth year. It takes place in late August/early September. The next one being this weekend (Saturday). While this event is for the Ukrainian community, all are welcome. The event take up a good chunk of Crossroads Park where it is held annually. Dancing, music and family activities are some of the offerings. For me though I come here for the food. There are a bunch of vendors with similar menus, so choose the one that looks the most appealing to you. My particular favorite is to get some pork kebabs with either some plov or salad. They also have a baked goods table if you want dessert. If you are looking for something to do this weekend on the Eastside, this is a decent festival to check out. Particularly for their food offerings.

The Festival was great this year and very professionaly organized. Especially I want to express my…read moreappreciation for parking guys who worked so tirelessly and helped me to find spot to park my car whe it seems impossible. Thank you!

Whoever thought that the already popular Fremont Sunday Street Market could get any better...? How…read moreabout throwing in a little beer tasting and 15+ food trucks!?! Yeah, that'll do it! I've been following the "Mobile Food Truck Rodeo" since 2011 and have been more than happy with their recent developments!! No longer charging for admission, additional food trucks and a better choice of venue(s). Food trucks started rolling in about 10:00am which was about the same time my anticipation started to rise! My friend and I visit the market on a regular but hearing that there were going to add 15+ food trucks to the mix made us that much more excited! The line up consisted of a few regulars, such as Snout & Co, Street Donuts, Veraci Pizza and Tandoozy with addition to Crisp Creperie, Xplosive, Jemil's Big Easy, Grilled Cheese Experience, Wiseguy Food Truck, I Love My GFF, Jerk Station, Buns, Curry Now, Raney Bros. BBQ, Bistro Box, Street Treats, Falafel Salam, Chicarepa and Los Agaves. The food trucks provided a delicious aroma which flowed throughout the market and almost made you forget that it was raining! The indoor market, including a few food trucks provided a little shelter but Tandoozy was sweet enough to provide two covered tables for our convenience! Having tried a little something from most of the food trucks, we found ourselves returning to the wonderful Tandoozy for their "Everything Naan"! My friend lloves it with "everything" which includes rice, chicken and chutney but I'd be satisfied with just a simple serving of their Naan drenched in their olive oil, garlic and cilantro sauce! YUM! A few trucks provided "specials" just for the event and we just had to try "The Bomb" from the Grilled Cheese Experience. "The Bomb" was a buttery grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with oxtail and mac n cheese. A little rich and heavy for our pallets but knew we were going to walk it off with a stroll through the market!

Traditionally, gatherings of food trucks are not held in December. That's why I was excited to hear…read moreabout The Winter Feast & Beer Festival. I am often at Fremont Sunday Market anywhere from one to three times a month. Having food trucks there is just an additional incentive for me. The weather today was much better than I expected. I was there for 3 hours or so and it didn't rain very hard. It was a little cold and the heaters that were added a few weeks ago were absolutely perfect for today. You could order your food from trucks, then wait under the heaters to keep warm. It was pretty sweet. The Red Door Ale House had tasters of beers. It was nice that we were able to take our food truck food inside to sit down, keep warm, watch the ballgame, and chill out. Unfortunately, the jacket I had my eye on was not there today but I did talk to the vendor and hope I can buy it next week. For those of you who know me, you know I'm into food trucks. Today, I visited Street Donuts for their first return to Seattle since September. They had a seasonal peppermint and chocolate flavor but my heart belongs to cinnamon and caramel. Fantastic as usual! The Bistro Box was in the house with Arancini (fried risotto balls). They were fried crisp and full of creamy mushroom risotto. At $6.00 for 2 balls - I was totally full! Jemil's Big Easy brought peach cobbler to the party and I was all in! I wasn't sure how an outdoor event in December would go but I think the event had a little something for everyone - food trucks, shopping, and beer. What more could you ask for?

The best way to describe a night at upstream music fest is an art adventure in an outdoor museum…read more It seems like the majority of people I talked to only recognized One or two of the performers. But there's something magical in that mystery that leads to a serendipitous evening. Each stage was like stepping into a new world curated by a different team for a different purpose. We watched a stop motion film with live music scoring, then caught a Hawaiian guy playing solos off his ukelele, the can can showcasing their new dance routine femme fatale, and at the main stage of course humbling vibes and feel good music from Miguel. Overall pioneer square was never crowded, and the people who were here were very friendly and open to be influenced by their surroundings. The staff was well organized and prevalent. If I were to make some changes, it would probably be to have more food present or list food destinations on the map. Also, some advice for myself next year; research the artists!

I had way more fun than I thought I would at upstream!!!! It's like.. music fest and bar hopping…read moreAND eating!!! I can see this being way more popular in the coming years. Miguel headlined last night and he was amazing! I feel blessed to have seen him live and in the flesh! lol. Got in a little late right about 9:30pm when Miguel just started.. it's really easy to maneuver around/ get to and from the different venues (we rode bikes for portions of the night). And my favorite part is how intimate all the spaces are! One venue we were got drinks, on to the next venue and we got bean dip and chips, another venue we were jumping around! So happy I got to experience this.

The Chinatown International District Block Party is a fairly new festival that tends to be around…read morethe time of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It has steadily grown to be a fun filled though still modest four blocks party in a plus shape, with a stage in the commonly empty parking lot near the Chinatown Gate. Filled with food trucks, food booths, people from all over the area come in troves to fill these vibrant four blocks for a night of food, entertainment, and minor shopping of cute and adorable items. Locals who live in the area and those with kids tend to come earlier when it opens at 4. McDonald's is the major sponsor, funding the entertainment on stage, and the swag giveaways. Almost always, they are giving away free food too. This year (2019) is chicken nuggets. The food booths lean towards Asian foods, but plenty of others represent, including Cajun and pizza. My favorite dessert is Mike's Shaved Ice; the texture of their shaved ice is closest to Hawaiian style. Parking is challenging. Primarily street parking and a few adjacent paid lots.

This is such a lively event! It's centered on Hing Hay Park, as from11 a.m. to 4 p.m. they have…read morecultural performances every hour or so there, including the lion dance and other cool demonstrations. This coincided with the $6 food walk that surrounding restaurants participated in, although there were also vendor booths selling food in addition to crafts and other goodies lined up along S King St. The festival was busier than I expected, but I had a great time and a stuffed belly. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for next year's festival!

I give this festival four stars more because it is was a new cultural experience for me and was a…read moregreat deal of fun seeing the Dragon and Lion dances. I could see coming here every year to be tiring though. The crowds in the neighborhood is tremendous and it is a serious effort to see the performers but with persistence you can probably get some good pictures and a view at some point but it isn't easy and can get exhausting. They have a $2 food walk but so many people are waiting in line it feels very overwhelming. Despite crowds and long waits the festival was still worth while going to.