This is the wine festival by which all other wine festivals will be measured for me going forward…read more Admittedly this is more expensive than other wine events held here in the valley (between $55-$75/person depending on when you buy tickets). But what you get for the money far exceeds any wine festival I've experienced here in the valley. It didn't hurt that this year's Grape Arizona Wine Event was held on a crystal clear 70 degree day, but this is truly the biggest and best wine event I've been to anywhere in the Phoenix area. My only criticism would be that this event should be held on a Saturday (rather than Sunday) to maximize exposure for the event and its vendors. Other than that, I have almost nothing but positive things to say for this fantastic event. I bought my ticket about a month in advance so I only had to pay $55 (rather than the door price of $75). With that ticket came a goody bag containing a wine glass, event program, 20 wine tasting tickets (that's not a typo) and 10 food tasting tickets. I counted 15 Arizona wineries at this event and 7 restaurants offering food tastings. Most of the wineries this year hailed from southern Arizona (particularly the Willcox and Sonoita areas) but also with a few from the Verde Valley area as well. Restaurants participating in this year's event included Beckett's Table, Thirteennorth, Match, Leona's Foccacia, Herb Box, Modern Round, and Vincent's Bistro. Additionally there were miscellaneous vendors selling everything to chocolate, to wine glass charms, to olive oil, to home decor. With so many tickets to use, I wanted to make sure I made use of them all. So I employed a balanced strategy. 2 wine tastings, then 1 food item, then 2 more wine tastings, then another food item, then...well, you get the picture. Thankfully a number of the food vendors had some hearty food samples to help soak up all of that wine. From Beckett's muffuleta sandwich, to Modern Round's beef sliders, to Thirteennorth's turducken meatloaf, and even Vincent's roast beef slider. Though I have to admit my favorite of the food offerings at this event was Leona's cannoli. It was so good I got two helpings. As for the wines, most the wineries were here earlier in the month at the Grand Arizona Wine Festival so I was somewhat familiar with the offerings. Alcantera (my favorite from the Grand AZ Fest) was unfortunately not one of the wineries on hand this time around. That said I still found plenty of wine varieties to love. My favorite this time around was probably from Carlson Creek (a Willcox winery with a tasting room in Scottsdale). Their Rule Of Three wine is a perfectly well balanced mix of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre. A full bodied but smooth wine that went perfectly with all those food bites. The crowd at this event, while impressive, was smaller than the Grand Arizona Wine Festival earlier in the month. No doubt in part because this event was more expensive and because this event was on a Sunday rather than a Saturday. But for me that was a good thing as I had room to move about the wine and food booths quite easily and there was plenty of tables and chairs to station myself at any given time. And unlike the Grand AZ Festival, there was an abundance of food offerings to help balance out all the alcohol. The entry price may not be cheap, but what you get for the money is truly worth every penny. I was able to make use of all my tickets in just over two hours, though I could have easily spent more time here if I were hanging out with a big group. Fantastic event showcasing both Arizona's growing selection of wineries as well as some of the Phoenix area's diverse culinary treasures. Hoping to see even more offerings the next time this event comes around as there's plenty of room for even more vendors should they decide to come to this event next year. A quick note that a portion of the proceeds from this event also goto the Phoenix Rotary 100 Club. So to recap: Drink wine, eat good food, support a good cause. Any questions?

Located within Downtown Chandler is this yearly event (location can shift depending on the year)…read more Parking can be a little crazy, so I suggest trying the parking garage. Sadly, I wanted to like this event more but the heat just makes in intolerable. Plus the food is not authentic in the slightest, and downright not very good. I went last year, and didn't write a review as thought it may be a one off. After a second visit, I've determined this is a pass for me. Additionally, it notes swag available but no indication where to receive so likely an old check in offer. If the weather is better, I would consider trying this event for a third time but overall a pass for me.

Oktoberfest... Puns about the food served at Oktoberfest are…read morethe wurst! We went at 5PM so the weather was great. The sun set behind the grand Santan brewery shortly after and the light breeze made for a pleasant time at this cozy Oktoberfest. I watched an intense game where everybody had to hold up a beer stein of water and the last one standing wins. I was cheering for the hot Chandler PD cop but he didn't win. Womp womp. I also watch a few rounds of people throwing brats at each other to catch in their mouths. I really just wanted to watch the weiner dog race! It's a small Oktoberfest with not too much to offer but still a lot of fun. Come with some friends, enjoy some beer, brats, and pretzels, and have fun! Prost!

The Devour The World Food and Libation Festival offers international local restaurants and chef's…read moreofferings. They also offer cultural music and dance performances and live painting. Tickets were only $55.00. Parking was close, free and easy. No long lines. Just get what you want and sit at a table or stand by a high top. There was more food than I could eat. All of it was either good, very good or great. There was more booze than I could drink. For $55.00 this was a GREAT VALUE for a food and drink festival and is among the best!

The good: beer The bad: overpriced VIP experience. The…read moreonly difference was the early entry which didn't happen as promised. There were smaller lines at first, but that would have happened had everyone been admitted at the same time for the same price. I overpaid by almost double for this event. Live and learn I guess b

AC is working great the beer is cold. Need I say more? They…read morehave a great selection of brewery's. This was my second year here and it has gotten better. Tasted beer from brewery's I have been looking for and found it was worth the price of admission.

Great event led & organized by Cahokia! Indigenous Peoples' Day Phoenix Fest had Indigenous…read morevendors, Indigenous live music, Indigenous Indie films, and Indigenous painters. Loved it all, especially Lakota singer in the Churchill Mato Wayuhi. That was a VIP event but they give you $15 towards food at the Churchill. Only thing is I wish they had more Indigenous food options. There was one fry bread food truck but the line was always long.

Everyone seems happy with the weather cooling down in the evening including me…read more Nice cold beer, great performances and happy people. What more can you ask??? Michael Franti is always great, I love him! Thank you Tour de Fat and thank you Yelp, it was wonderful!

I'm shocked there are only 6 reviews for TDF, since this festival has been around for many years…read moreand Tempe is the last stop (of many) across the country. The reason I'm not enamored with the festival (anymore) is that it used to be free, then it was $10 entry, and now it's $25 to get in. When it was free or even $10, there were more things and activities to do at the festival, and it had a much better vibe (although the last year it was free, it was outta-control packed). I understand that the cost is used to defray event expenses and is a charitable event, but you can't significantly increase the cost while removing all of the goofy/fun things we've come to expect at the event year after year! For example, the Karaoke port-a-potty was gone, the crazy/unique/fun bikes you could ride in the circle, the giant picture frame to take photos...these are things that they've already spent the cost on, so I don't understand why they disappeared! We always came for the day, so just having a few bands and beer (which we can get anywhere...) won't bring me back. On the plus side, event staff are volunteers and friendly, this year there were no lines since attendance was severely down, and the were able to maintain the bike parade again this year (after nearly cancelling it). At $10 I can maybe justify this event next year, but at anything over that? Not a chance.

we bought tickets for the premier food event in AZ, Crave Arizona, back way long ago. But then they…read morechanged the date, so in an effort to placate early ticket buyers from getting too ornery we assume, they threw together a Crave Pre-Party that took place last night. being the punctual couple we are, luckily we didn't have to pay for this event, all though, tickets were selling for 20 bucks. actually, what a huge waste! a food event that served tiny blocks of cheddar and pepperjack cheese that could be bought at frye's, brushetta with hummus or goat cheese, and little sticks of meat. that's it. that was the only food. supposedly the food was provided by 5th and Wine...we hope not because if that's indicative of their food, well...people who dine their are getting shafted. then there was supposed to be live music. they must be the late crowd because we were there 2 hours and no attempts were made for any kind of band to start. wine and beer was provided in very teeny, tiny samples so basically you hung out near the bar, downed your sample with one swallow, and asked for more. The Crave event is awesome, but do away with the sad attempt of a Pre-Party. or step it up a notch.

Travis, thanks for the honest feedback about the Pre-Party on Saturday evening. We truly…read moreappreciate you coming out for the event! While the party did start at 7 p.m., we wanted to allow time for mingling before Dennis Rowland started his set at 8:30. The crowd enjoyed a little performance by Mark DeCarlo at 9:30, and then live music continued throughout the evening. Food, beer and wine were all donated and we appreciate the contributions of the venue, 5th & Wine, Marcellinos Ristorante, Southern Wine & Spirits and SanTan Brewery. Honestly, we know the pours were pretty standard at the beginning of the evening, but with the majority of the crowd showing up around 7:30 we had to adjust the amount poured so that we would have plenty for everyone throughout the evening. Please keep in mind, this event was planned in 3 weeks! Our intention was to give everyone a small taste of Crave, and build the excitement of the event for January. For our next party, we will shorten the time a bit, and start the band earlier. Thanks again for coming, and we look forward to seeing you in January!

This was my first time. Apparently last year the space was a little larger. There was not enough…read moreroom to walk around and the lines were long. Besides that, I still had a good time. I'll come back next year of it was where it was last year. And there is food there for you to purchase, just in case you need to sober up.

It was good just not enough space. It needed to be spread out more too many people on a narrow…read morearea., also at some tents only one person was serving beer and getting tickets. Only one section with about 10 portals potties.