This festival is ah-mazing!! There are several ribs vendors to choose from along with county…read morefair-esk foods like funnel cakes, deep fried pickles/mac n cheese/zucchinis, waffle ice cream sandwiches, etc! I came here with a few friends today, and we each bought half racks from 4 different rib vendors (one half rack is about 6 pieces of ribs costing $13). I recommend doing this so you can sample a bit of each vendor! Each vendor has a slightly different taste in their BBQ sauce. My favorite was Johnson's! Their ribs were really tender and the sauce was a bit tangy and sweet, just the way I like it :) We also tried Porky-N-Beans, Pigfoot, and Gator BBQ, all of which were unique and delicious! I recommend getting a side of corn bread and sweet tea to finish off the southern experience! :) This is definitely an event you don't want to miss! There are certain times of the day where admission is free, so make sure you check their website for more details.

My friend had suggested we check this event out. Parking would've been pretty difficult but she had…read morea parking pass to one of the nearby garages. It was about a 5min walk to the festival. Tons of people! We were packed like sardines within just a few blocks of the street. Some of the restaurants were open but for the most part, people were standing around or getting food and leaving. I'm not huge on Italian food, but the marinara smelled so good! I got a meatball sub while my friend ordered an Italian sausage with one meatball. Delicious! It doesn't interest me to come back to the festival, but I'd come back to the neighborhood to try a restaurant. It's just too chaotic. And it seemed better to have cash. We had gotten food from Trattoria. They took credit card but discouraged cards since there would be an additional $2 fee. It's interesting to know the history of this neighborhood. It surrounds the Catholic Church. They were reciting the rosary as we we were there. Not a bad event to check out! Just didn't seem to have tons of seating for you to hang around.

BRING SOME CASH!! I…read morethink anyone who goes to Cleveland should try out the Feast of Assumption if they're at the area. The feast happens every year during early August. Check out Corbo's stall. They take credit cards, and have a wide variety of food from spaghetti to cassata cakes. The other stalls range from mundane things like lemonade to frog legs or mussels. Drink options are surprisingly limited. There's a carnival area where all the drunk frat girls frequent, and the typical comfort food stall that sells cotton candy and caramelized apples. There's also a hole in the wall for gambling if you walk toward the carnival. But to me, the Feast of Assumption brings nothing new to the table since I've already been to Little Italy. Most food sold at the feast has a jacked up price. I paid $9 for a bowl of basic spaghetti and a meatball. If you're religious, then you'll be happy that money went to the church that sponsers this event. But if you care nothing for charity, then just go to these restaurants during a normal week for bigger portions. Parking is awful. Little Italy is blocked off, so forget about parking close by. I'm glad I stayed nearby. Prepare to fork over at least $10 for parking.

Event has expired- won't be back until 2025 Event has expired- won't be back until 2025 Event has…read moreexpired- won't be back until 2025

I am so happy that Night Market is back this year. I really felt the void during its hiatus. The…read moreenergy itself of this event makes it worth trying. Wear comfortable shoes and come prepared for the experience. There are wall to wall vendors with a ton of people squeezing through the pathway. They have an area where live music is played. Food trucks are setup in this same area if you just need that. I say that because the restaurant vendors along the main walk more than satisfy any craving you could be having. There are stands with cocktails/beer and they even have a spiked bubble tea! Everything is really official. I will say bring cash. Some of the vendors take cards, and there are two ATMs that I counted, but they kept giving me error codes. It took multiple tries to get my actual cash. I'm not sure if this is the usual practice so beware. Parking was $10, but given the location free parking is definitely in walking distance. All in all a great time.

It is hard to call this event an establishment, but you can and should go for it every Memorial Day…read moreWeekend, including this year, running from Friday to Monday, from 11AM to 10PM. This is a must-go, the most delicious, genuine, and crazy quality/price ratio you will find in the area - I'd just wish this festival would be extended from like... January 1st to December 31st? This is a work of love from the local Church community and the Greek American community, depending on volunteers. The lines are long, but worth it, but it gives you a one in the year (four, I guess, to be exact) chance to really enjoy a lot of great food, music, and crafts. Their saganaki is opa!-certified, the lamb shank is to die for - recommend to pair with the orzo or lemon roasted potatoes - and their desserts are out of this world - someone needs to drag me away from the galatkoboureko tray or I think I could eat it all. Please go, support the community, you will see you will keep coming back!

Just got back from the Greek Fest. I've been there every year for many years and I'm sorry to say…read moreit has hit rock bottom this year. I paid for a meal for three of us, handed the cashier a fifty and she said that will be 75 dollars. Out and out robbery and way more than the menu prices on the wall. The food was lukewarm, the lamb shank was undercooked and I found the grape leaves on the other side of the hall. A total ripoff.

The Asian Festival in Cleveland is a 2-day event that is perfect for families (including children)…read moreand friends. It is held annually on a small section of Payne Ave., right outside of the Asia Plaza shopping centre. The loo/toilets/bathrooms are also located inside Asia Plaza. I had no problem finding a a location to park my car. There were lots of free parking lots on the corners of Payne Ave. and east 23rd and east 24th streets - these parking lots may change for next year's event so check the Asian Festival website for updated parking information. I visited the festival in May 2023. I was there for 2 days because I assisted one of the booths. My favourite part of the festival was watching all the artistic performances especially the lion dance. There were plenty of food vendors and a few clothing/accessory vendors. The FOOD/drink lines are long for the majority of the festival but thankfully I didn't have to wait in a line for food because the vendor I was with had a friend who waited in line and got us food. I had pork dumplings which were delicious although I normally try not to eat pork. If you really are hungry and you can't wait in one of the food queues, then I suggest walking to Han Chinese Kabob and Grill or Koko Bakery for food. I went to both places (Koko on Saturday for lunch during my break and Han on Sunday for dinner) and enjoyed what I ordered (however, there was a slight delay because both businesses got alot of foot traffic due to the Asian Festival). I did actually wait in line at the festival on Sunday with my 2 friends (I got to leave my vendor shift early) but the line moved quickly. I waited in the natural coconut water line. My friend Olga wanted coconut water so me and another friend waited in line with her. The weather felt really hot all weekend but it was actually only in the 70's (F). For safety, some police officers were at the entrance and exit while also strolling through the festival. What I found slightly strange is that some vendors did not have an Asian theme. For example, the FBI had a table and an Immigration law firm had a table too (haha). I understand that many festivals will always have "out of place" vendors which is fine. Overall, this is a well managed festival and I will be back. **** - 69/150 total reviews in 2023 - 620 total overall Yelp reviews - Reviewed on 7 June 2023

Fun time to see Chinese dancers, martial arts, and shops during the New Year--Year of the Dragon…read more The indoor Asian Plaza isn't very big, but it's big enough to get a sampling of the culture. A few vendors were selling candy, cookies and Jewelry at tables. A Chinese restaurant and pharmacy are here. Take a walk next door to visit the Asian grocery store. This is nice to attend for all ages. Strollers would be difficult. There's not enough in the crowd. Plan an hour. Free.

This event is a great on for families, couples, friends and anyone who enjoys indulging their…read moreartistic senses. We took adults, toddler and infant in strollers. We enjoyed the contortionist show before we walked the festival. The little ones like seeing the elephant and some of the other animals that were out. We also partook in the bubble teas and some other beverages. Hands on activities are the best! We have so many exciting memories and pictures I can't share them all! I liked the drum that lit the tree up, it reminded me of the tree Ewa on the movie Avatar. You get exercise and steps in while observing wonderful art. It's a win-win. Tip: park close to the exit so you don't wait forever to leave when the festival ends.

Lantern Festival...more like... Lantern of Dull... I mean, may as well just close the zoo all…read moretogether. This was back in 2018 and spent $18 for the event. It's about as boring as looking at a lamp in your home. Where are all the animals? I mean, even the animals were as about as bored as you were walking around aimlessly in the zoo. What a joke of a festival. You call this a festival? I call it a festival of dull with random looking lights. Maybe it's changed, but I thought it was a bad experience

Despite the flaws mentioned in the other reviews, Burning River Fest is worth attending if you're…read moreinterested in beer (specifically Christmas Ale), music, and environmental organizations. The other reviews made a couple valid criticisms: they don't let you bring in your own water bottles (although you could have sneaked in your own utensils to eat - haha), forcing you to buy one of their own, costing $3 (not sure if they could be refilled and if so, their cost): I just downed my water as I walked in, natch. The beer cups, corn-based and compostable, weren't reused. A GLBRF volunteer told me cups aren't reused because they touch the ends of the beer taps. They did have plenty of recycling and compost bins around the fest. There were very few chairs, I stood without complaint. As for paper tickets, it may have not been the most environmentally friendly but the system allowed people to get their beer quicker instead of having to make change and ring up credit cards at each purchase. However, there was no signage that I had to get a wristband to buy alcohol once inside the fest. The lines didn't detract from my experience. I arrived at 6pm, right when it started, bought my admission ticket in advance and most of my beer tickets and wristband for beer as soon as I arrived, and waited no more than 10 minutes in any line although friends who arrived later had waited a bit longer than that. Although there were a few families there, I also wouldn't plan to bring young'uns here. As Steve mentioned, there was not much for kids to do here. The rain put a damper on the crowd and the overall experience. That being said, it's still worth attending if you're interested in hearing some music (mostly generic bluegrass, folk, and traditional country) and enjoying the views of Lake Erie amid friends and other people.

Went with husband last weekend on our weekend trip to CLE. First off, do NOT ask Google to get you…read moreto the location. We ended up walking through some projects, an industrial area and steel bridge to end up on the other side of freight tracks and a barbed wire fence from where we needed to be. Google Maps got us to within 20 yards but the last 20 were impossible. Ended up taking a cab to the access road. We were glad we did not drive as the cab got us much closer to the entrance than if we had to park. Long line to buy admission. Eco friendly festival sold us a paper ticket then took it back at the gate 10 feet away. Long line to get 21+ wristband then ANOTHER long line to purchase beer tickets ($5/beer = 5 tickets -- again, not eco friendly) and on the the NEXT long line for beer. Three choices available only -- Wright Plus, Burning River and Christmas Ale. In July. With 100% humidity. Okay..... Music was kind of lame. Only one of the stages had chairs so if you go, consider bringing one. Food choices were limited. I love the idea of this festival but it could be much better executed.

The best festival around by far! Delicious food. Great live music. Tons of seating options inside…read moreand out. I look forward to it every year!

We have been going to this festival for years and years…read more Love the gyros. Last year the we realized they forgot the tzatziki when we got home. This year we checked before we drove off and we got it. Unfortunately the pita were so stale and hard. Hopefully this was just a fluke.

What a great event! Lots of homemade sausages as well as pierogis and pizza. Wash it all down with…read morea tasty craft beer! The scenery is gorgeous ...can't beat this for a fun fall weekend.

Held every year since 1969 (with a 10 year hiatus from 84-95), Hessler is a Cleveland institution…read moreand the mark of the festival season. Come hungry, with sunscreen and cash. Vendors sell ethnic eats, ice cream, and hand crafted items like tie died clothing, jewelry, and pottery. The neighborhood is leafy, eclectic, and brick lined. Hessler should be experienced at least one time in your Cleveland career. Check out my pics from 2010's festival. Follow the signs for the children's play area where you can find a drum circle.

Smaller street fair, but with plenty of vendors selling interesting items. (Posted some pics) The…read morereason behind the start of the fair was even more unique. Check it out if your in the area.