This is an annual festival taking place the Friday after Thanksgiving, with a tree lighting at…read more6:00pm, followed by a delightful parade at 6:30pm. For the 2024 event, most people brought their own chairs, others just stood behind those seated. I arrived an hour early, and set up my chair to ensure a good view, situating myself near Niles Town Plaza, midpoint of the parade route. Then I walked around to explore the antique shops on Niles that were still open after 5pm, as well as a couple merchandise vendor tents outside. Entertainment before the parade included live music by Anthony Arya Band, street performers like jugglers, as well as costumed characters including the Grinch and SpongeBob SquarePants walking down Niles Blvd and posing for photos with kids. I also saw 4 food trucks on site, serving sushi, sliders, chicken sandwiches, and mexican food. And there was a drink stand selling hot chocolate, coffee, and tea for a dollar donation. The tree lighting was not your traditional christmas tree, it was just a regular tree along the street (the one with the stage set up next to it, across from Nature's ice cream shop). But they did make it look pointy at the top, with the lights, lol. Decorated vehicles and performers in the parade represented numerous organizations in the community, including little league teams, East Bay Regional Parks, and Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. Golden Gate Basset Rescue had several dogs being walked with colorful string lights on the leashes. It was adorable. American High School color guard did a wonderful job with their performance, and marching bands from various schools and institutions created impressive sounds on percussion and wind instruments galore, including the bag pipes. There were plenty of cars in the parade too, adorned with beautiful designs, lighting, and props to put you in the holiday spirit. The crowds grew as it got later into the evening. But it never became chaotic or unmanageable. The event seemed to be organized well, yet still casual and flexible (like people could cross the street during the parade), even with a heavy police presence. It was such a laid back and joyful atmosphere, free to attend, and parking and traffic isn't too difficult if you arrive early and leave early before the parade ends. Otherwise, good luck.

I feel like the experience gets bigger and better every year! Been coming here for 3 consecutive…read moreyears now and have enjoyed it every time. I'm a big fan of local functions and activities and community involvement so this Christmas tradition is always a delight. My son loves seeing Santa and Mrs. Clause! He enjoys the entire parade full of cars and many lights with local performers. our friends and family always gather here every year now as part of our new tradition. We have a friend who lives on the street where they have the parade so her place is usually our usual spot. We've started bbq'ing and drinking before the parade as part of our festivities and then head over to Papillon's down the street for our dinner to celebrate Christmas season amongst friends. I appreciate Fremont a bit extra for having this tradition that I feel we are a little late in experiencing but now that we have, we refuse to ever miss it if we're in town. (We live in Southern California now.)

We attended this annual festival at Fremont's Downtown Event Center on Saturday afternoon, and a…read morehad a positive experience. Free parking was available in the lot for the plaza and the place wasn't crowded and had an awesome laid back vibe. There were a few merchandise vendors, and we ended up buying some salt-free spices. They obviously also had a good amount of beer tents, but you could only get beer by purchasing a tasting package for $50-60. It's a pretty good deal for an all day affair, if planning to try a lot of the different beers on site. But not for us on this day. They had about 5-6 food vendors on site, but some of the tents were out of burger-related dishes by the time we arrived in the early afternoon (ie. Kay's Creations was out of their classic cheeseburger lumpia and loaded cheeseburger lumpia). Still, I liked the diversity in the festival's food offerings overall, food trucks selling halal and pakistani menu items, a cheesesteak truck, and a taqueria (Rincon del Cielo) also selling lamb and beef burger specials which we ended up trying (it was yummy and cheesy!). They also had a burger throwdown and competition with awesome trophies for best burger and People's Choice best brew award (yes, the trophies were shaped like a burger and glass of beer... of course I took pics!). Our favorite part of the event was the live music on stage. We spent a majority of our time picnicking on the grass and lying around while listening to the sounds of the Evan Thomas Band. The sound quality was excellent, and the band was outstanding as they played mainly blues music for the small audience. The festival overall was quite small, but it was free to attend, and on such a beautiful sunny day, we enjoyed our visit.

The Fremont Burger & Brew Fest was this past Saturday, 5/21/22. $40 in advance (+ tax & service…read morefee) or $50 at the gate for AYCD beer...way way too much. How much beer do you have to drink to make it worth it? With your spiffy wristband, you can indeed fill up your 4 oz glass as much as you want. Here's the rundown: ================= * 12 breweries ...and a 3-4 whiskey booths for an extra $10 ticket fee * Community booths * Artisans * Food Trucks (10 or so) for separate purchasing Burgers?: ======== * For the price, shouldn't it include a burger, or burgers? * Shouldn't a event name like this feature, or in addition, serve up the best burgers in the city? * The Food trucks, none of which were BURGER trucks, had a special of the day BURGER ($12-16) to their menu offerings. Two of the trucks were the ol' "roach coach", not specialty trucks. Additional problems I have with this event: ===================================== * The breweries were mostly pouring out of cans, and a few out of a keg. * It felt small, like a small community fair (that's what it is, actually). Positives: ========= * I really liked Shadow Puppet Brewing from Livermore, CA (#1 at the event) * Oakland United Beerworks was #2 (in my opinion) The bottom-line: =============== It's for beer drinkers. They can take their 4 oz glass and sample the heck out of those breweries. You can, if you wish, walk the event unpaid, and still eat at the food trucks and check out the artisan and community booths.

So imaginarium is a little pop up that comes out in different locations, constantly moving! Seen…read morethis little pop up and had to bring my lil family to explore this! I heard from my coworker how fun and exciting this place is! Definitely a place to take a lot of pictures! You will have to come when the sun is out so you can experience the beautiful lights! They have little coloring games, a bubble foam machine, and even little concerts!

Took my niece and nephew here and my nephew kept screaming "best day ever" while running around, so…read moreI'd say this place is a resounding success! We went at around 9 pm on July 4th and there was still a lot of people but not enough to dampen the experience thankfully. Tickets are easy to grab online and there is ample parking available because it's in the great mall. When we first walked in we were greeted with lots and lots of foam. Foam in the air like its snowing, and foam on the ground. My nephew was so excited and kept running through it excitedly which was cute. We were also told the last show of the day was about to start so we luckily caught it. Loved watching all 3 performers - aerial, juggling, and hoops. From there we just walked around and saw as much as we could. The little rooms they have with different decorations and aesthetics are great for pictures and selfies. There are so many good photo ops that I basically spent an hour being the munchkins personal photographer :) was a great time

We visited the Palo Alto Festival of the Arts this past Sunday, and had a wonderful time exploring…read morethe many activities and vendors along University Avenue, a row of seemingly endless booths. Food, art, and merchandise  galore, to be viewed and/or purchased. Fascinating art displays caught my eye at every corner, so unique and simply remarkable. The Italian Street Painting Expo featured pastel paintings by chalk artists (my fave was the Sleeping Beauty piece... cuz how could I not love the rabbits in the boots!). Chopin & Chandeliers was an interactive piano with a "play me" sign just calling for musicians among the crowd to showcase their talents and entertain attendees under a shaded tent decorated with chandeliers sculpted from upcycling materials (ie. plastic bottles). The live entertainment was amazing and enjoyable, getting the crowd on its feet and in the mood for this joyous event. The rhythmic sounds of the violin and keyboard, by Tom Rigney & John R Burr, was a treat for my ears. And the late afternoon band on the Waverley Stage, The Cook 'n Fenny Combo, kept the good vibes going, heavy on the harmonica, tambourine, and guitar, performing hits like Joan Osborne's One Of Us. This was a great festival with free admission, lots to see and do, well organized, welcoming atmosphere, friendly people, and easy street parking less than a block away in the afternoon.

First time here to this upscale art festival as after all the toney, well heeled folks in this area…read morehave disposable money. I really enjoyed this festival and unlike other festivals in the Bay Area there were not as many food vendors which was fine as University Ave has a plethora of great restaurants to choose from.

DIG DEEP FARM PUMPKIN PATCH REVIEW: This review is for the pumpkin patch at the harvest festival…read morepresented by Dig Deep Farms. This pumpkin patch is perfect for families with young ones. Besides pumpkins, there's a crafts table with stickers and coloring, a "corn maze", haystacks for climbing, old tractors, and a tented area for sitting. The corn maze is made of tall sunflowers which the little ones can see through so they never feel like they are lost. There's also a little hay house that's like a single room, that they walk in and exit a few feet away. It's a toddler's version of a haunted house. So cute. The pumpkin patch is only there for a few weeks before Halloween, and we make it a point to visit it every year.

This review is for their Halloween pumpkin patch…read more Short Story: A great place to take your kids to for Halloween! The patch area is quite sizable with lots of pumpkins of all sizes that you can choose to buy, a very short corn maze, lots of areas to take pictures, etc. The prices are quite seasonable with $5 for adults, $3K for kids, and under 2 is free (no ID checks). Verdict: I'm definitely going back!

Another successful "2026" fair that didn't disappoint. The fireworks display was magnificent, and…read morehopefully they will bring it back next year. The fair was festive for the 4th and America's 250th. The fair runs till next Sunday, July 12, purchase tickets online or at the kiosk and the various entrances. The main entrance, next to fair office and across from the Ace train is the least crowded. The fair is cashless, so make sure you have your debit/credit card, and there are machines that turn cash into debit cards. The 4H cake booth accepts cash only, and this Thursday, July 9th is the last day for $3 food bites from 1-5 at participating vendors. Concerts happening this week check in at the clock tower for free bleacher tickets for certain concerts. I enjoyed the beautiful table settings, local art and photography, and the hobby and collectibles. These exhibits are my favorite as well as, the various shopping buildings. The last day of the fair is a plant sale, too.

This is the wonderful county fair . It usually starts in mid June and last one week after July…read more4,2926 We came at 5:30 pm on July 3 th , Friday because today is a holiday . Weather is around 70 F with breeze and blue sky .Normal admission is $19.50 . Senior $16.50 . It was $11 on Thursday before 5 pm and $6 on selected Wednesday. If you like to purchase unlimited rides bracelets, the best deal is buy 4 for $84.70 This year it has a lot more food vendors than last year . There is a grilled meats kabab food truck , an Asian food shop and many more drinks . We love the Texas size grilled Turkey leg , jumbo sausage hot dogs . Garlic fries ( with minced garlic ) was $14 . We got a slushie ( I've with flavors ) for $6 and a funnel cakes with powdered sugar at the end . Love to see the small animals display ( rabbits , birds , reptiles, genies pigs , etc I enjoyed visit the made with hands arts building . We walled around to look at the award winning photos , pencils painting , crochet, miniature houses . There is. Alive show of a senior lady doing a cheese show ( craving a huge block of cheese into arts pieces) We came late and was sad to see all the farms animals were gone and the farm house was under maintenance. However , we still got to see the sheep shearing. The man was skillful . He shaved it in one minute minutes and the whole piece of wool came out like a blanket. I watched the little kids to ride the camel and pony . Also enjoy the bee hives performance with a man inside and explaining to us about bees . We love this Alameda county fair and have been coming every year for past 24 years .

The 4 stars is for the vendor (whom I cannot remember the name of) which was stationed right next…read moreto Jaden's Kettle Corn on Friday night (the 13th). They served the best Hawaiian Malasadas with a banana filling. These balls of warm dough were generously showered with sugar and cinnamon and served with a side of goat's milk caramel. Price: $7.50. Haven't had malasadas this satisfying since my most recent trip to Maui this year when we dined at The Mill House. We were served with an identical version which was just as satisfying! With each bite, I was transported back to my trip to the islands. I looked at the list of vendors on the Bay area Night Market website and could not locate them. Would anyone know who this vendor was?

Thank goodness we bought our tickets online! Still had to wait in line, but it was fine. When I saw…read morethe big Asian cat, I already knew it was going to be mostly Asian. LOL Now that I read some of the reviews, it's true it didn't say "Asian" Night market on the flyer, but it almost seemed like one, having most of the vendors being Asian, which I was totally fine with! Although, I wasn't able to find any Asian vendors that were shorter lines, so I ended up eating mini burger and fries at Food Truck Mafia, which was like the only short line. LOL. The sliders were really good. The lady that helped us though, was really rude though. Honestly, I just wanted to eat something & not waste my time in the 1+ hour lines. At least I got to have Milk Tea at Bubbly when it got darker at night, when it surprisingly got shorter lines. (hello, night market, surprised it died down quick.) People are saying they didn't get Boba in their drinks, I was OK with grass jelly, which I got to get! So cool these bottles were & a keepsake. I also got to visit my friends booth, "Simply Lovely Catering." Those Hawaiian donuts though. Yummy! Sam's Matcha was worth getting too, because it had green tea AND red bean inside. #HEAVEN It was really cool to see a booth set up for karaoke. Also a booth set up for children's reading/telling stories. My least favorite was the merchandise vendors, I just skimmed through, nothing interesting to see. I would definitely come back.

Pretty Cool lots of people…read more Lots of Free Parking . A Blues Band Playing . Beer Booths with a Large Selection of Beers Carnival and Pony Rides for the Kids. Lots of Cool Crafts and Art booths . Classic Cars and Not so Classic Sports and Muscle Cars . Newark PD had a Cool Display . They had their Swat Rescue Vehicle the Bearcat , awesome vehicle , I would love to add that to the Whip Stable . Then the New Dodge Patrol Vehicles real cool . Plus they have the 12 Gauge 870 s and M4 Carbines also , A Fun Festival For Sure .

I purchased a Groupon deal and I'm so happy I did! This event was taking place on July 11th and…read moreJuly 12th from the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. It was not a big festival which is something that I appreciate because I'm not a fan of big festivals. It can be overcrowded at times and just overwhelming for me. But this one seems to be very nice and humble. Free entry so anyone was able to walk in. I purchased a Groupon over the weekday for 2 wine glasses and 12 tickets to drink wine. I had brought a girlfriend with me which we shared the ticket so it was six tickets per person. Grocery Outlet was there donating some of the drinks which was very nice. It was all different type of wines:Rose,Moscato, pinot and many more. There were also so many vendors selling different type of foods: $5 bacon brownies, Strawberry Shortcake, garlic noodles, smoothies, beer. All kinds of things for children to do: pony rides, slides, free teasing books. Tons of vendors to buy a lot of things such as jewelry, hat, cell phone covers and clothing! Such a great event! I definitely recommend going and checking it out music with there as well it was a great performance! Children and animals are welcome to come and it's right near the Newark mall! I definitely look forward to coming again next year! Until next time!