Honestly, I'm surprised I've yet to review this festival. It was one of my favorite festivals many…read moremoons ago when I lived in Collingswood. It takes over Haddon Ave. for two days in August and is filled with lots of lovely vendors from artisans to food. It's fun to be able to pop into the local shops too when it gets to be too hot outside also.

I have to say I was a little disappointed in the craft show this year. Not sure if it was because…read moreof the heat or so late in the summer but there didn't seem to be as many booths or food as usual.

This was a great annual event put on by Cherry Hill. Fun for the kids. Great food options for the…read moreadults. Police and Fire had displays, and several of the local businesses pitched in to make the area full of fun things to do. Pumpkin crafts for sale, an art show on display, and a dance floor and more all brought out many people of all ages. Only a few parking spots remained due to the great weather and popularity of the event. Will take my children to this in the fall every year, for sure!

Always a great time with great food I go every year with my mom she's from that area so it's a…read moregreat time for her

I once had the pleasure of a one day trip with good close friends to Philadelphia, PA during the…read moreItalian Market Festival. We had a foodie day of Italian staples including sweets. Italian Market Festival is an outdoor market on 9th Street that complete me... Italian sausage, Italian staples as freshly handmade pasta, and all genres of sweets imaginable. Eat, walk a little, walk some more on Philadelphia's historic 9th Street! Foodie galore in the City of Brotherly Love!

This place may be a fun novelty for anyone who can attend and leave, but for those of us who own…read morehomes, pay taxes and have to live here, it's hell! Every weekend, Sat. and Sun., and now some sneak attacks during the week--we are subjected to 10 hrs a day of loud music in excess of the local noise ordinance by 100% and attendees taking all the parking spots! Forget trying to sell our homes, as who would want to live here?! This is not the appropriate location for this kind of thing! And since it is operated by the township, they break their own laws and make no apologies or concessions to the residents. It's a "good ol' boys" frat house without the walls. It's a stupid, irresponsible waste of taxpayers' money at our OWN expense. They need to cut the music and charge for parking. I have no idea how they call it a "success" when they rent the tents, equipment, stage, use township employees to maintain it and don't charge a cover charge or a parking fee. The only income to the township is some stipend from the $6 beers. This can't go away soon enough.

Lived in HT for 48 yrs, 1.5 blocks from the Avenue and Haddon Square, we needed the revitalization,…read more we are glad it bustling with activity. The Westmont Farmers Market at the Square, The stores, restaurants and the Square events keep families walking around town. Love seeing the children dancing to the music during the day and adults enjoying neighbors/friends in the evenings. Great events, many family friendly. Benefits and fundraisers for local sports etc. Theme nights like Octoberfest and Severinos Pasta Night Dinner are always a big hit. Beer lines and bathroom lines can get a bit long but it's a popular venue. Mixed age crowd, some bands better than others. Music isn't spectacular /loud but doesn't ruin the night. Events end at 10 so get there early. Home values are great in the area thanks to all Haddon Twp has to offer. We travel back for Haddon Square events. Many people we meet have heard of Haddon Square and talk about the events. Worth a stop.

As a vendor it chaos and a 14 hour day. All loading takes place for all 300 plus vendor through…read moreonly 3 streets. One genius decided to block one of the 3 streets because he had a corner spot at top of that load in street and the coordinators let this happen. There were no volunteers and no zones marked in the street to let you know what section you were driving through to find your spot. Got cops called on us from blocking some Karen's driveway that rents an apt above a business during the designated loading and set up times outlined in the vendor rules even through the street is closed to traffic and vehicle was not blocking their driveway. All vendors I talked to didn't make their table fee back. Everyone I talked to said they won't be back.

May Fair takes over Haddon Ave. in Collingswood for one Saturday each May. Similar to their arts…read morefestival later in the summer, you'll find a bunch of local crafters and jewelers. Even better, they move the weekly farmer's market closer to the festival route to combine gatherings. I've attended this festival three of the last four years (missed last year). It's always a good time, and it's nice to browse the vendors and walk into the usual haunts too. This past Saturday was a scorcher. Even with arriving early on in the festival, it was packed with people, dogs and heat. Despite the temperature, families were out enjoying the shopping and food options, as well as the live music. I love this festival, though I have to admit I only lasted an hour outside this year! In dry *spring* weather, this is a great festival to visit. Lots of parking is available on side streets also. You may just have to walk a few minutes.

This is the 1st time I've ever attended the Collingswood Book Festival. This year's festival was…read morealso moved from outside into Collingswood High School due to rain, same as what happened in the previous review from 2014. Exhibitors plying new books were housed in both gymnasiums, & some second hand book vendors, such as Second Time Books & the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, were set up outside in a protected courtyard. Would suggest that if the sellers have to be inside in the future, to spread them out a little more between the 2 gymnasiums. The one was overly crowded to the point of being claustrophobic, while the other gym had plenty of space left. Anyway, so many authors & illustrators! If you were looking for independent writers & publishing houses this was a festival to wander through for several hours. I was there to mainly check out the Poetry Tent, which was relocated to the Middle School Cafeteria. I was introduced to a tasty cornucopia of New Jersey-based poets. The Nick Virgilio Haiku Association (NVHA), Reet Starwind, Peter Murphy, Shawn R. Jones, Suzanne Gili Post, Cole Eubanks, Bruce Niedt, & many more were in attendance, & read from new & older work. I was heartened & inspired by the poetry read & recited. From haiku to poems on topics ranging on subjects from David Bowie to Darth Vader (!) to the climate crisis. I'd have purchased all the poet's books if I'd had the cash. I did purchase for $10 Vol. 1 - Nick Virgilio Writers House Poetry - Haiku, Senryu, and Tanka. The president & staff from NVHA were all approachable. A panel on how to get published had me taking notes. As a novice poet, I was there to listen & absorb. I am looking forward to attending the 2024 festival.

Fact: I love this festival more than any other event. Since discovering its existence in 2009, I've…read morefaithfully attended every year -- with the exception of 2010, when I was stuck in Switzerland (the horror) -- and have begun hyping it up to friends and family in the springtime! For this festival, they close down the entire main street of Collingswood in the name of literacy. It's beautiful. Well, aside from this year, when it was moved to the high school thanks to the rain. Rain + books = no, no. I'm always impressed with the amount of books and accessibility of the local authors at this event. They give talks, but you can also always walk right up to them and chat with them about their books! It's fantastic. I've met lovely people this way. You will not go wrong attending this festival. Really. A huge thank you to the wonderful people who keep it going strong!

Neighborhood pride at its best! A sign for the event and individualistic displays. One of the…read moredisplays had a fake snow machine running and certain displays needed wires to go down from the roof. A must see for locals and tourists alike who are in the area around this time.

Such a delight to see the community along this street come together to bring joy to their…read moreneighbors. It's an over-the-top spectacle in the very best way. I recommend you walk instead of drive. You can take your time to see it all and interact with the neighbors. If you must drive through, please relax, enjoy some hot cocoa while you sit in traffic, and don't hook.

I'm what you might call a festival-phile. As my friend said when he ran into me at yet another…read morefestival for three weeks in a row "if there is a festival in Philly Melissa P. is there!" True story. This was my second year at Bloktoberfest and it was once again a good time despite the little fall of rain and some intense lines. $15 presale online (with a few dollars processing fee) gets you 3 beer tickets and a sweet wristband, they're $20 the day of. You can get a 5 beer ticket for $25 or additional beer tickets for $5. There are some fancy strong beers, some ciders, and a lot of pumpkin ales and Oktoberfests. I would recommend going with 3 tickets and taking it from there in case it rains/gets too loud/crowded/your lame friend wants to leave/your awesome friend gets too drunk and needs to leave, etc. Lots of food trucks are out and places like Jamaican Jerk Hut, Sawatdee, and Magpie have food for sale. Lots of live music and even activities/performances for the kiddies (but ya know 26 year olds like to paint pumpkins too!) Some freebies from State Farm, City Fitness and even free on site eyebrow wax! Also love the print your own instagram table. It gets really crowded though so if you're not into things like night market... I would not recommend. I'm really not sure what my weekends will look like without all these fall fests, probably a lot of crying and moping around the house.

Had I had even considered reviewing Bloktoberfest before I would have done so 5 years ago when it…read morewas Graduate Hospital's event of the year! But since that time I've have seen it grow into a big time festival that showcases everything that's awesome about my favorite side of South Street. Deep down I'm happy to say that I was at the first 2 Bloktoberfest's that took up 2 to 3 blocks of the Graduate Hospital hood just south of Sidecar. And even though they were smaller scale, had fewer food trucks and brews, and the 2nd one suffered a huge hit by a considerable rain storm; it was a solid event that showcased the best of a South Philly community. And even when it expanded onto the best of South West South Street, teamed up with Bella Vista Beer Distributors to bring in even MORE beer, added in even more food truck and restaurant involvement, and utilized even bigger musical acts; it maintains the central organic theme that it was based on. This years fest gave me the chance to catch up with bad ass Philly bands like Swift Technique, West Philadelphia Orchestra, and Jason Jefferies & Tall Trees. While it was great to catch up with old food truck standbys like Say Cheese, Koja, and Sugar Philly Truck; I was blown away by new trucks like Mom Mom's Polish Food Cart. Grabbing familiar brews from the likes of DuClaw and Clown Shoes was definitely a winning combo. But I enjoyed new brews from Horny Goat, and the fact thar Neshiminy Creek brewed Bloktoberfest's own fest beer. Add in some suitable previews of restaurants I've been meaning to try like Rex 1516 and Cambridge; and this year's festival might have been the best one yet!