This was a great time! My only complaints / reason I'm giving it 4 stars and not 5 are that 1. why…read morethe heck is this event on a Monday night?, 2. Love their commitment to not canceling an event but would have loved if there was a rain date rather than rain or shine, and 3. I wish they let you buy individual tickets (not in increments of 5). Yes it was rainy and yes it was crowded (c'mon, it's times square after all) but still worth the trip on a work night into the city for a good time with friends and good eats (Lolz @ my friend holding my umbrella while I scarfed down food). They sell in increments of 5, so I got 10 tickets for $10 which is what they advertised for and later went back for another 5 tickets. Most foods cost between 2-3 tickets each... to me, 10 was too few tickets and 15 was too much (thus why I would have liked to buy 10 and then get single tickets from there). If you really want to make the trip worthwhile and sample enough, go for 15. Restaurant vendors I sampled from: 1. Patzeria Perfect Pizza - Tortellini with prosciuutto in the sauce (3 tickets) 2. Schnipper's - Mac 'n Joe (3 tickets) 3. Carmine's - meatball (2 tickets) 4. The View - Swiss chard Ravioli with truffle sauce (3 tickets) 5. Crossroads - Pretzel with "gooey cheese" (3 tickets) 6. Bubba Gump Shrimp - Birthday cake dessert (1 ticket) Of all of them, I was most excited for the ravioli based on presentation but somehow ended up being my least favorite... too creamy (though I'd still want to visit that restaurant as it looks gorgeous, just would order something else). My friend and I thought the mac n joe was amazing (mac n cheese with sloppy joe) and that the pretzel w/ cheese was a great snack (mmm warm pretzel). Tortellini is one of my favorite foods in general so knew I'd like that especially with that sauce. Glad I got to finally try Carmine's- I've never made it there due to it being pricey but at least this event let me have a sample for a grand total of only 2 tickets! Hope to return next year, on a sunnier day!!

Finally came to the taste of Times Square and had a good time. I purchased 15 coupons for $15 and…read morewas able to taste a variety of dishes. The place was jam packed and I was supposed to meet some friends and was never ever to catch up with them. It's best to get their early because it was so crowded we could hardly walk in the narrow street to check out what each vendor had to offer. Since I didn't wait to catch up with my friends I just checked out the longest lines and figured the samples had to be good. I was able to sample some tacos, chicken wings, sliders and water for $15. The food was good but hard to manipulate and eat with the crowds. I wound up standing in a corner to eat my food or sitting on the sidewalk to devour my chicken wings. There were different areas of live entertainment and New Yorkers and tourists seemed to be having a great time. Next time I will come prepared and wear a small bag and get there early to check out more vendors and get more food items..

I don't know why I keep going to these Japanese festivals. Whether it's San Francisco or here, in…read moreNew York, there's always a 1 hour wait for takoyaki and maybe 30-50 minutes for the other food stalls. The actual cultural stuff usually have no people wanting to join in taking up valuable line waiting space! Just kidding. Japan culture is very beautiful! But most come to these Japan festivals for the food. Only thing I can recommend to actually enjoy these festivals is to come right when it starts. An hour in and it's a sh*tstorm. Have fun!

Today Jen and I went to the 9th Avenue Food Festival. This was my first time in many years that I…read morewas attending. The sun shone brightly and it was hot. Jen had a watermelon juice and I drank a Horchata which was the first time I had it. Both refreshing and delicious. $7. The majority of the food stalls were Mexican and Caribbean. We both had the peril empanadas which was stuffed with meat so for $5 it was a steal. Jen took a kielbasa and I had a single cheese burger from 5 Napkin Burger. The meat patty was tasty but the bun was cold. Lots of restaurants had set up open air seating or table grab and go. We walked all the way from 42nd to 57th Street. From what I remember this festival used to be chock a block with lots of food stalls. Nonetheless, we enjoyed ourselves. Port a Johns were at every block which made it convenient for those who drank a lot. Music at some food stalls was lively and who can resist shaking one's hips to the stellar music from Michael Jackson?

Every plate that comes from this kitchen impresses. I was impressed when I didn't expect to be. The…read morerestaurant shows its character through its food. The team was friendly, accommodating, and explicit. 9th Avenue Food Festival staff shows sincere friendliness.

This festival was awesome, off Palisades Ave in Washington Park (right on the boarder of JC). Not…read moresure how long it was around for, but I went the night of 9/14. There were lots of people enjoying the rides and food, and a good police presence as well. Rides: Farris Wheel, bumper cars, loop roller coaster, starship spiny ride, another spiny ride, a ride where you sit in a swing and fly in the air in a circle. There was also a little kid ride section with 3-4 different rides for toddlers. And a petting zoo with ponies and lamas. Food options were an Italian and fried food station, a Spanish food station, and an Asian meet on a stick station. I did not see any alcohol sold. There was also a candy apple and cotton candy station. Carney games were cool too, there was a rifle target game that was impossible to win, a water gun game, and 4 or 5 other booths. I rocked the shuffle board game on my first shot! Had such a good time at this festival, quality of rides and entertainment was better than similar fairs I have been to in Jersey City. Will definitely be looking out for this fair's return next September!

Macarons! Baguettes! Crepes!…read more I have attended this street festival honoring Bastille Day here in NYC for many years now. The food is always terrific. The weather was sunny and beautiful out. The macarons were amazing as always. And, as always, the crowd was overbearing and annoying. Whoa! Talk about inconsiderate tourists who don't understand how to move aside or what personal space is! This street fair is always packed, and if you are the type that can't stand crowds this is not the place for you. You literally have to fight and push aside people to get from one food stand to the other. Too many people gawking at everything and taking pictures, blocking your way, but not buying anything. For the love of God, would people with kids in baby carriages please stop coming to these festivals? All they do is block up the pathways strolling along at a snails pace, or running into the back of your ankles with these over-sized rolling baby cribs. Take it onto the sidewalks already people. The rest of us would like to get by. Stop insisting on shoving your kids down our throats! Now that my rant is over, I can say I did enjoy the festival for the most part. Live music, waiter race contests, and yummy food. The crepes were awesome - I had a banana and nutella which I scarfed down instantly. Also had a steak sandwich from Bistro Chat Noir that for only $6 was a great deal, and along with a beet salad for $4 made for a nice lunch. Had the most amazing macarons from Macaron Cafe. There was a little bit of everything French here. Baquette stands, macarons, desserts and pastries, crepes, sandwiches, drinks, you name it. If you are willing to fight through the crowd and be patient you can sample some wonderful foods. Spent a few hours there and then bailed out. All in all, it is a decent festival to go to for a few hours on a nice day, sample some tasty treats, but not to spend that much more time there. Many more options on a weekend day in the city away from annoying touristy crowds.

So much fun. I forgot about this annual event. I just happened by on my way home. I'll make it a…read morepoint to go hungry next year. I never saw so much delicious food. Some stands gave free samples. You could eat your way from 5th Avenue to Lexington along 60th Street. Everyone was so nice. I saw the Fencing Group from my neighborhood. You had the balloons, food, and lots of lemonade stands. You can see by the amount of photos I took how extensive the offerings were. Something for everyone. And yes, there were plenty of fine French Pastries!! Crepes looked so delicious. To me the portion sizes were reasonably priced at most of the stands. Some high end names had stands with their usual offerings. They were overpriced as usual. I was really tempted on several occasions. I already had my carbs for the day. No food for me this year. A couple free samples filled me up. The only place I had trouble navigating the crowd was by the stage. Other than that area you could get around pretty easy. Later today it may be thick with people. If you go later good luck!! As for me, I'll be back next year to tie on the feed bag. I'm bringing lots of money and an appetite. :-)

**100th Review**…read more This event was scheduled to be held in late October and then Sandy happened and they postponed it to March as the entire NY was in upheaval.Had this bookmarked on my wall calender, bb calender and my gmail calender lest I forget it.The Kids Food Festival was a weekend event focusing on educating families about making balanced food choices through fun and flavorful activities. Was planning to sign up for the demo classes for easy peasy fun cooking for kids by some famous chefs/authors but decided against it at the last minute. I involve my daughter in cooking every other weekend at home.Didnt think the $40 for a 30 minute class was justified. And besides there were ton of other things to do and eat:-) We got there at 11 am on Saturday and the park was packed.Also there were a whole load of people surrounding ice skating rink as there was an ice hockey game in action.There were quite a few tents and each one giving away samples and freebies:- Horizon Organic Milk and Dairy-Chocolate Milk and Grilled Cheese Sandwich Honest Kids -Juices and Teas Creative Kitchen-They had diy aprons,chef hats, etc for $5 and a free craft station where kids use the materials provided to create anything they like Graham Crackers-New Strawberry Sandwich Crackers Light Cooking-Trail Mixes sponsored by Whole Foods Plum Foods:-itsy bitsy rice crackers etc There were couple others I cant seem to remember.They were also all giving away tattos and stickers On the stage there was a performance every half and hr.Some performances that we sat through were Karma Kids,Sprowtz, Little CLub Heads,Yo Gabba Gabba.We also sat through Josh Beckermans Foodie Magician Show.This guy is really a rock star.I hear he runs a very successful food blog too.We also witnessed Katie Workman author of mom 101 and some othere cook books in making demonstration of making tacos and edamame a fun way to involve kids in healthy eating. Overall it was a super fun event and kudos to Cooking Light for pulling this off in a big city.It was very well organized and everything seemed to be going on as per schedule which is not often witnessed at such big events.My daughter had a swell time and the message for kids to eat healthy was definitely driven well.

I volunteer for the Kids Food Fest every year, Cricket Azima, the founder does a great job at…read moreintroducing children to healthy eating and wholesome food choices. Kids participate in a super cool and free scavenger hunt where they piece together a well balanced meal by collecting stamps on a paper plate, at the end of the hunt they are awarded a goodie bag filled with yummy food samples. This year, Pure Kids, an organization created by Beecher's (think cheese) stole the show, they introduced their kid's workshop which teaches children to be food detectives, they are taught to read labels and identify the not so healthy ingredients in day to day products and foods, empowering them to make better choices on their own. The festival takes place in scenic Bryant Park and in addition to free samples from various vendors like Jarlsberg (yummy!), Kind Bar, Cuties and others, you can purchase tickets to an array of cooking classes with participating chefs from organizations like the James Beard Foundation and Whole Foods Kids. The Kids Food Fest is one NYC's best hidden gems!

the worst experience of any place I have been too. Poor instructions, poor planning, just poor…read more everything. Nothing was executed right. They ran out of everything.

Not worth the long wait to enter a 30 minute event. Very unorganized and no one was monitoring the…read moreline which allowed for people to cut the line.

Absolutely delicious food from many great vendors. Definitely an experience that you shouldn't miss…read morewhen you are in NYC

If you love great barbecue, you need to be here. This is such a wonderful event . Award winning…read morebarbecue pit masters come to NYC from all over the country. This Big Apple BBQ Party takes place all around Madison Square Park, so as you walk around the circumference of the park, you have fabulous BBQ to enjoy. Madison Square Park is a few blocks long, at Madison Ave & 23rd Street to 26th, thru Fifth Ave, but you will usually also find more BBQ on Madison & 27-28th Streets. So there is A WHOLE LOTTA BBQ-ING GOIN' ON...and it is some of THE ABSOLUTE BEST BBQ. This year, I had some of the most delicious baby back ribs from MEMPHIS RIB CO of Mississippi (MS). Fall off the bone , perfectly WONDERFUL, ribs. That sauce...OMG, fantastic, with a perfect sweetness. THESE WERE PERFECT!! (Emoji with heart eyes) Next year, I want these delicious ribs again!! If you are planning to visit NYC, and you're a foodie, I suggest you plan your visit around the Big Apple BBQ. Check the dates on THAT WEBSITE. It is always on a weekend. I believe it is usually in JUNE. I want to attend next year, for sure! Last year was great & all the other years that I was able to attend--they were all great. My point is, this is ALWAYS A GREAT TASTING BBQ. So, try to attend, you'll be glad you did . AND--There is GREAT LIVE MUSIC, TOO!!! Free live music. Please check out the big Apple bbq website for more info. This is a fun, happy, yummy event & you should be there if you love great food & great live music. Mark your calendar....now, for next year...so you don't forget.

They're clueless . They cancel, then postpone, no notice to ticket buyers, and can't seem to issue…read morerefunds! That's called fraud!

The company cancelled the event in May 2025 and did not refund until September 2025 after multiple…read moreemails and escalations. Apparently, this is a scam and the owner does not have the funds to deliver the event.