This event was super packed. I think I'm not quite the right demographic bc I thought it was just…read moremeh. In fact I texted my friends not to bother. I'm not vegan but eat mostly vegetarian meals. I never feel like there aren't enough vegetarian choices in my life but people here looked like they had waited all year to be visiting their favorite vendors. I was expecting a lot of free samples but there were very few and came with long lines. Everything else was not free. I tend to lose my appetite in the heat anyway so I just walked around the full circle, checked out the chef demo and left. Luckily I stopped by around 9:45am before my yoga class to pick up a ticket for the loaded tote. I went to class, walked back over at 11:00am, picked up my tote by 11:15am. There were lines everywhere! And people not seeing or acknowledging the lines everywhere too. It was not extremely organized once you got in. If you're looking to shop for t-shirts with vegan jokes, vegan and gluten free food, baked goods, gifts, etc... Then this is for you. If you're looking for free samples, stay away. I would have preferred a food festival format where you buy a pack of tickets in advance and try small portions from local places. And then the goods could be sold in a different area. Nats Park was a great venue as the concourses have a lot of shade to help you deal with the heat. There are also tons of water fountains and bathrooms. Next year I'll probably stop by for the loaded tote, listen to some speakers, and watch the cooking demos.

I had a good time here this year. The line was long, very long actually, but once the "doors…read moreopened" the line moved quickly. I showed up an hour before start to get a free tote which was packed with great goodies. If you didn't want to get a tote you could have just skipped the line and walked right in. There were many vendors, even in the rain, and they all seemed very happy to be there. You definitely could feel the community spirit. As soon as I got in I went right to the Vegan Treats line (with notoriously long lines) and only waited about 45 minutes. I say "only" because people say they usually end up waiting 2 hours. I ended up buying 8 pastries: a few brownies, cakes, cheesecakes, and even a donut topped with a funnel cake... all for about $60. Expensive, but worth every penny. I look forward to returning next year.

I was there on a Monday morning during the festival. Nice day, low humidity and no crowds! The…read morelotuses and lilies were spectacular as usual. Will definitely be back next year also.

My first time attending the Lotus and Water Lily Festival. There were so many beautiful flowers…read moreeverywhere. It was held at the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. This Festival is such a beautiful and very scenic time/place with plenty of areas to walk, enjoy the view and for photo ops. There were many activity stations to paint flowers, make flower hats or flower decorations. Both kids and adults partook in the activities. They had an early morning yoga session at the stage area at 8am (bring your own mats!!). There were many other performances including dances and songs. Be sure to check out their web page for the schedule of performances/activities. Signs showing maps, descriptions of the flowers, etc. are around the grounds for visitors. Picnic tables allow visitors to bring their own food/drinks to enjoy while watching any performances. We were here for the Water Lilly and Lotus Festival, held yearly. Of course, we visited on a very hot hot day, so plenty of water, sunscreen, protective clothing and hats are highly recommended! There is a first aid and DC Fire & EMT truck available for any reason. There are enough porta potties available at the entrance of the park as well near the visitor center. There was also a bathroom "trailer" with three stalls, working sinks and the toilets hide any surprises when pushing the handle. Parking is available within the neighborhood streets, most of which are parallel parking.

The former Spanish Ambassador's Residence is lovely and spacious. There is a beautiful garden…read moreoutside. I met one of the artists who helped create it. Check the web site or social media for upcoming tours. The tile work is pretty. This place is worth a visit.

This building was once the Embassy of Spain as well as it's ambassador's residence. Both the…read moreembassy and residence moved elsewhere in the 1990s and 2000s leaving the building empty for renovations. It then reopened as a center to infuse Spanish culture in the USA. With that goal in mind, you can tour the building by appointment or for a special event. In 2019, they hosted an exhibit about water conservation called #FairWater. During the fall, they show movies in their outdoor garden. They also host live music and other events throughout the year.

Annual Senegal Day festival was a festival that needed a long time to warm up. Fairly slow start…read morebut the ending was so much fun. People danced to addictive beat and everybody had a great time. My goat meat and rice was good but what was unique was the juice from the Baobab tree that "tastes like sunshine" and treats dysentery. Did not need to treat dysentery but I admired the tree and wanted to try something new. It was very tropical in nature and sweet. It was so nice to see yet another fabric of America in Senegalese diaspora and to learn something new about Senegal. Thank you for sharing your day with the rest of us!

The Flower Mart is a great experience if you are plant or foodie enthusiast. There is plenty of…read moregreat food as well as local shops that have a pop up for a two day event. The flowers that I saw were more like hanging baskets. There was a vendor that was selling bonsais but their line was super long. The inside of the cathedral was breathtaking and the added floral displays were stunning. I would love to come back and check this out next year. There are a lot of performances going on as well.

This is a great reason to visit the national cathedral, the flowers and plant really enliven the…read morespace and you get to navigate the whole exterior of the cathedral with all types of activation and vendors. I felt like I got to learn more a bit about the city especially since it was so crowded, it felt like the whole city came out. The floral exhibition was a great touch, I wish there were more interpretive elements.

As the glass says, it's a lot like Oktoberfest, only way more Novemberier…read more Not sure what that means? Me either. Except that there are significantly less strollers, douches, and better old school jams. I finally like November. After the spectacle that was Snallygaster (http://www.yelp.com/biz/snallygaster-dc-washington#hrid:vLtGPLnaZw-yZpA5Lgqk_w), I was sure that NRG had blown their figurative beer load and would not be doing anything at Rustico this year (as they had the past five with their OktoBeerFest). Well if Snallygaster was the dirty deed then this was their cigarette smoke to relax after. It was significantly more of a chill vibe than years past, and that actually turned out to be a positive thing. No more jostling for shoulder room with a bunch of bros on the train down from Arlington, no more lines to fight for beers, and thankfully no more me getting too sloshed and doing stupid things I regret later. This was partly due to the fact that the beer selection had shifted from mostly pumpkin / fall / Oktobefest styles to a lot of heavy bourbon barrel aged stouts and some more festive holiday ales. Great stuff either way, but one is much easier to quaff on a warm autumn day compared to a crisp, nearly winter one. The final verdict is that no matter where the venue or the season, these guys know how to throw down, and it's always worth the price of admission to sip on their suds.

Justin is right: DC is better than Alexandria...in pretty much every regard. The one exception I…read moresee is that I live in Alexandria. I might be a little biased. However, the Neighborhood Restaurant Group transcends the NoVA/DC divide by having great restaurants and hosting great events in both locales. I had heard epic stories of the OktoBEERfest event the Alexandria Rustico used to hold and was saddened to hear they were moving it to DC and holding it on a weekend I would be working (i.e., Snallygaster). I went the entire month of October without celebrating Oktoberfest at all, and only had one pumpkin beer the entire autumn season (albeit autumn technically isn't over, but with Thanksgiving over and finding my car covered in an thick layer of ice at 5am, it might as well be full on winter). Somewhere in the midst of the change from NoVA to DC, the beer powers that be decided Rustico would still host an event. After having missed the biggest beer drinking day of the year, I was thrilled to hear I would get to participate in a mini, November-ized version just stumbling distance from my house, and when they dropped tickets to $15 including entry, a mug and $10 in food/beer tickets, it was game on. The event itself was sorta bare bones seeing as it was set up in the parking lot behind Rustico. That's not a criticism though; it was a beautiful day and we got to enjoy a little sunshine while listening to a stellar DJ who was feet from the standing tables we'd snagged and drinking beer. There weren't as many beers as I originally thought there would be, but there were also minimal lines since this wasn't as big or advertised as Snallygaster. Novemberfest was definitely a success and will hopefully become an annual and event and maintain this neighborly feel while the "big city" event can have all the craziness. Even more hopeful...hopefully I get to go to both next year!

The weather looked threatening with the potential to soak the 2013 Edition of Sound Bites…read more However, the rain held off and attendees were treated to one of the city's best charity food and music festivals that topped 2012's event. Like last year's Sound Bites, the event was held in and around the 9:30 Club with all proceeds going to a worthy cause, DC Central Kitchen. Also, like last year, there was plenty of live musical entertainment, but perhaps the threat of rain resulted in it all (except for the DJ and the always energetic Batala) being moved indoors to the 9:30's stage. This year's iteration, however, offered a bigger (and better) lineup of participating restaurants serving up a wider range of delicious bites. Thankfully, that also meant that there were many food offerings beyond "sliders". Food highlights... Chef Jeff Black/Black Jack's ceviche, Chef Victor Albisu/Del Campo's grilled salmon campechana, Bar Pilar's Peruvian ceviche, Jaleo's huge chicken and sausage paella, Rappahannock River Oysters' Olde Salts, and Astro Doughnuts' unique array of tasty doughnuts. Frankly, every food booth offered up tasty bites with no clunkers. I left satisfied. This year's cocktail competition was a battle for 14th St. bragging rights as crack bartending teams from Bar Pilar faced off against The Gibson while Black Jack battled Birch & Barley. The finals pitted The Gibson against Birch & Barley with the all-female team from Birch & Barley eeking out the win. Who knew Birch & Barley even served cocktails? Once again, though, samples of the competitors' cocktails weren't available to event attendees. If there's one thing that hinders Sound Bites from 5-star status is the cost and quality of drinks. $4 for a bottle of water?!?!?! $5 for Natty Boh?!?!?! $8 for a John Daly or this blue slushie?!?!? The 9:30 Club monopolized drink concessions. I can only hope that the proceeds from its beverage sales also went to DC Central Kitchen. Given the wealth of restaurants and bars serving amazing beers, wines, and cocktails in this city especially considering many were participating at this year's Sound Bites, it was a shame that they weren't able to also serve drinks. I would've gladly paid for them. Oh well. Sound Bites, in my mind, is DC's best-kept charity food event secret. It offers great food at a great price for a great cause. Sound Bites in 2014? It's a date!

Gorgeous day for it. Great array of restaurant booths this year. Yelp booth spice game is fun!…read more Good local entertainment! Yes, lots of local business booths and the usual public service booths are here. But this is still a great event to take in. It does get crowded in the early afternoon. But don't let that deter you!

I think this was my first food festival that I've been too and certainly wasn't what i expected…read more the food was mediocre nothing too exciting. Especially since the price of tasting tickets was a bit high. I think the only stand that was worth the ticket amount that they charged was Ireland's Four Provinces. Their entree's were hot delicious and they were prepared when serving multiple guest.Also it was nice that they have out container for their food. Other then that the price of tasting tickets was ridiculous espeically since most of the stands took more then one ticket for a decent amount of food.If your going to do a festival like this actually take the time to properly display your falls church. Cause if this was suppose to be a reflection then falls church fails as a food stop.