Had a lot of fun! The decorations were beautiful, and they had informative signs that taught me a…read morelot about Chinese culture. It was also nice to watch the martial arts stage performances.

A great event that should be placed on your calendar if you enjoy beer. In fact if you want to try…read morelocal restaurants this maybe a stop for you as well. I enjoyed the general admission ticket which gave me plenty of beer to sample throughout the event. Gordon Biersch, Phoenix Ale Brewery, Freak'N Brewing, Brewers Anonymous, Rock Bottom Brewery, BJ's Brew House, New Belgium Brewing Co., come to mind. Plenty of beer and the wait for beer was basically nothing. I had to wait in line for the restroom longer than for any beer sample. If fact the restroom line waits had to be the worst part of the event. So other than the few minutes to wait to use the restroom this is a great event. This is Peoria's 3rd annual event and based on other beer festival events I have been to this one was the best. Plenty of beer, food is on hand, and plenty of seating. If you get the designated driver ticket you get to sample food and all you can drink water and soda. Start planning now, get a DD. for yourself, enjoy beer while your DD. can get food to share. I really enjoyed Texas Roadhouse's ribs. Great food pairing for the beer :) You can also get the VIP ticket and enjoy food, beer, and get an extra hour to enjoy it all. I might consider it for next year since we ended up staying the entire time. If you ever considered switching beers this might be your chance to sample almost anything and everything that is beer.

I love this street show…read more We've met so many talented artists over the years, we've been coming for the last several. This is my favorite place to Christmas shop because we can buy local artist pieces and one of a kind gifts. I love West Kept Secret's homemade magnets and metal calendars. The weather is gorgeous, there are so many places to sit in the shade, being your doggies on a leash and eat and drink. They also feature local music to listen to in the main quad as well.

I loved the festival this year especially as they added a bunch of dances from the kids as well…read more It's so great to see the younger generation keep the traditions and stories and dances alive. We will be able to watch and remember these stories for years to come. That was worth everything this year. Plus the food is delicious. And I love the dance troupes and their costumes for each region. I have been coming for years, and I will be going for years to come. It's a wonderful festival!

Neither my wife nor I are Polish at all. That being said, the Arizona Polish Festival is an event…read morewe look forward to every year. The music, the food, and the culture are amazing each time we go. Parking is pretty easy - just find a spot not blocking a driveway in the neighborhood or park at a designated place and ride a shuttle to the church. The main stage is terrific for the musical numbers, and we love the variety of the troupes that come to perform here. Saturdays are typically 10AM-8PM and Sundays are a bit shorter from 10AM-4PM. There is a raffle for numerous prizes and tickets are on sale all day Saturday and Sunday usually until 2 or 2:15 when the drawings happen. We usually buy several raffle tickets but have not been lucky enough to win any of the prizes yet. One favorite part of the annual festival is the combination plate which you can get by paying for food tickets and exchanging those for delicious food. Sausage, cabbage roll, pirogis, and a potato pancake? Yes please. So good. The dates for the festival change each year based on when Lent and Easter are each year. Next year, the festival takes place on April 10-11, 2027. Mark your calendars now.

This year Glendale hosted the event inside of their Civic Center. It was a massive conference room…read morewith a patio and outdoor area at both ends. On the West patio, live music, and on the East patio, wine tasting. Inside were all of the chocolate and sweet vendors. Our favorites we purchased from were the Coconut Lime Fudge from Timoteo's Spice Co (from Surprise, AZ), and Earl Grey Blueberry Jam & Fig-Pomegranate Spread Jam from Periodyc Baker (from Peoria, AZ). Another great vendor was a Costa Rican couple who run a coffee shop (Cortez Coffee Roasters in Tempe, AZ) and a chocolate company (Midge Chocolate Co). They had real cocoa pods which were massive that you could touch, and you could try samples of their chocolate and of their coffee. I plan on visiting their coffee shop very soon, their chocolate was also the best at the event! Admission is free. Take your time browsing all of the vendors, then when you find some goodies, take a seat outside to enjoy them with the live music. Also, bring cash! For parking, there is a free parking garage nearby and street parking too.

I appreciate that parking was free and so was general admission. No one likes paying for parking…read more Not sure why this is advertised as a Chocolate Affair though, it's actually just a farmers market. Food trucks and vendors outside of the civic center and then vendors inside. It's not just chocolate vendors inside which would make sense so the chocolate doesn't melt, it's solar, window treatments, realtors, etc. There are WAY TOO MANY vendors in that tiny room. There is absolutely no room to walk around comfortably and actually look at what anyone was offering. And of course there are strollers, wheelchairs and wagons to navigate through. People stop at a vendor table and then hold up the whole line of people trying to walk down the aisles. Please work on your logistics. This was not a fun event to attend, we didn't even stay for 30 minutes. Don't advertise this as a Chocolate Affair. It is anything but.

Great venue! You also can stay at resort without worrying about all the traffic when it's over.read more

I averaged my rating based on Oct 2012 (5Star) and April 2013 (3.5 Star)…read more The Arizona Jazz Festival is one of the nicest/prettiest music festivals I've attended. Normally, festivals are held in these huge fair grounds with dirty dust being kicked up everywhere. But what is so wonderful and nice about the AZ Jazz festival is that it is held on the beautiful grounds of the Historic Wigwam Resort http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-wigwam-litchfield-park#hrid:-Yra83fScX6aPuKW8hLBSQ. My review in this link tells you how I feel about the Wigwam. As for the musical selection at this "jazz" festival, it is a common tongue in cheek comment that this is not a real Jazz festival because the major draws to the event are "neo-soul" and "old school R&B/Soul" performers. A fellow Yelper, Reese J, commented that the festival should be renamed "Arizona Soul Festival". Nevertheless, the fun atmosphere and talented draws are certainly worth the money and time. So for a little FYI: This festival was previously held at the JW Marriott. This festival is put on every 6 months in October and April. I attended both the October 2012 and April 2013 events. My friends and I bought hotel packages for each event. If you live locally and you live out in Mesa, consider it. The convenience of running to the room at 4pm after sitting in the sun and heat to take a quick shower and change can't be beat. As well as not having to drive an hour to get home. As I stated, I attended Oct 2012 and April 2013. In Oct 2012, the festival set the bar extremely high. I sent them feedback and my only "needs improvement" comment was "get an after party". Litchfield park has no night life. Capitalize on that. They didn't do any better on Friday night in April 2013. The lineup in April '13 was far better than Oct '12. But less Jazzy and more Soul. So, in April 2013, all they had to do was maintain the BEAUTIFUL experience I had Oct '12, but they fell short. here's where I was unhappy. -The Will Call line AWFUL on Friday night. I missed the entire Will Downing Concert because of it. Suggestions: Have lines based on last name. A staff person in the hotel lobby during check-in hours of 3:30 - 5:30 to hand out tickets to hotel pkg people. Separate Will call for VIP. -Drink Tickets! ANOTHER unnecessary line. Suggestions: Presale drink tickets online. And/OR Use a mobile app so folks can buy the tkts at their seats and get in line to buy drinks. -OverCrowded!! Suggestion: Reduce the Max Capacity. Get a new, larger Venue. In October 2012, people danced at their seats as there was more room. Since we were packed in there, you didn't see that very much. -Entrance to Festival Area. lines were long and the VIP line was largely empty. Suggestion: Run the entrance like the TSA does the security chk points at the airport. The TSA person checking the boarding pass/ID of the 1st class passengers ALSO checks coach-class folks when there is no 1st class person is in line. Apply that concept here too! Anyone taking tickets should never be doing nothing (excuse the double negative) when you have a long line. -Guarantee Event exclusivity the resort members scheduled an event on top of this event. I can say that many people felt there was some bias there. I'll leave that comment there. My experience in Oct 2012 was extremely pleasant. I could not imagine a festival being done better. Apr 2013 was just ok for me. The AZ Jazz Fest has my support in Oct 2013. I'm hoping they use a sensible cap this time. But I'm not sure how I will support this event in Oct 2013. I'll have to evaluate the pricing and then make my decision. Update: one thing I forgot to mention: They had more vendors this time around than in Oct 2012. That may have contributed to the lack of space. You may like it. I also didn't comment that every single act was amazing. The shows almost always ran exactly on time and finished on time. I especially love that.

An annual art and cultural fair celebrating the students of Peoria Unified School District. 2023…read moremarks the fair's 21st annual festival. Art teachers from the district's 34 elementary/middle schools and 7 high schools choose student art to be displayed. For 2D art and photography, equal sized display areas are set up for each school. Ceramics has a separate display area. School band, orchestra, choir, and dance teams also perform. Performance areas are located throughout the festival. This event is free to the public. Sponsors are always welcome. Interactive arts programs. There was a fish stamping booth, musical instrument play area, pottery, and even dance demonstrations. These are for children of all ages. Four inflateables for younger kids to play on/with. All demos and inflateables were free. More than a student art show. Vendors from the community participate. Some have interactive booths. Some are selling items. Sales booths are much like what is found at farmer's markets and craft fairs. Food truck park was set up for the event. Local restaurants are also open. Parking fills up. A few parking lots and streets are closed. Parking for 2023 was available at Peoria City Hall, the Peoria Community Center, and in the surrounding neighborhoods.

This is a free and large festival that happens in the heart of downtown Tempe twice a year; once in…read morespring and once in winter. The only thing that costs money is the parking which can be up to $20. However, one tip I can give you guys is to find a public place a bit further out to park for free. For instance, the Tempe Westside Multi-Generational Center is a public park/facility that you can park at and it's only a 9 minute walk from the festival. As the name implies, there are a ton of art vendors. If you're not from Tempe, there's even more choices because some of downtown Tempe businesses are open during the event. Also, they've got a great selection of food vendors, snacks, and downtown restaurants to choose from. They even have a free water station to fill up your water. I always suggest bringing a small cooler with water bottles and napkins/wet wipes. So even if you're not a fan of the art, it's still a great place to go to if you're a foodie or want to browse other miscellaneous products. For instance, I got a free massage at a physical therapist booth and SugarBee was giving away free apples at one of the events. It's a great place to go if you want to support local.

Have not been to the Tempe Arts Festival in many years. Found myself nearby for a Happy Hour Event…read moreon Friday and theater afternoon event at Gammage. On both days, spent some time walking around Tempe Arts Festival. It was a was a secure and well organized event. Made some purchases of ceramic pottery and a hand made knife and sheath. The artisans close down at 5:30 each day. Parking is available, plan to pay about $20 to $30 per day. Alternatively you can find plenty of nearby restaurants. I parked in the street the second day and took an Uber. Overall a pleasant event.

It is Saint Valentine's Day, 2026. Glendale Glitters is still on To-Do…read more A Restrospect... Every Christmas Season, the family hunts down the lovely lights of the season. Especially since there's lots less seasons of any kind waiting for our arrival. Glendale puts on a beautiful public display of lighting, businesses in and around the Square/Plaza/Town Center open, families, friends and lovers stroll through town and life is good. Better than the usual Christmas Light Drive-by. Stop in yourself, check it out, and write your own Glendale Glitters chestnuts for others to read.

The lights in Historic downtown Glendale were all a glitter…read more The trees and palms were all wrapped With different colored lights. Snowmen, trains and elf twinkled brightly. A very pretty sight. Parking was a challenge unless you arrived early. Still it was with the sights.

I absolutely love living in Old Town. I recently went to Scottsdazzle for the holiday lights, and I…read morealways have such a great time. It's really nice to see the community come together and have something fun to do. They had Santa and Mrs. Claus, the lights were beautiful as always, and it's pet-friendly and kid-friendly truly something for all ages. They also offer different activities, which makes it even better. The only downside is parking. Parking is a hassle, and if you park near the restaurants (since there's no assigned parking for the event), there are workers who will pressure you to pay to park so they don't call a tow truck. It honestly feels like a hustle depending on who you are or how you look, they'll charge anywhere from $5 to $25.

Scottsdazzle in Scottsdale is such a magical experience. I absolutely loved the lights along the…read morecanal -- walking through and seeing the reflections shimmering on the water made everything feel extra special and festive. It's a beautiful way to enjoy the holiday season, whether you're strolling, taking photos, or just soaking in the atmosphere. The whole area feels lively yet relaxing, and the light displays create a really charming backdrop.