The Service: Thanks to all the volunteers, sponsors and awesome vendors for making this event so…read morewonderful & meaningful!! Volunteers are so helpful. Absolutely well organized event! The Event: This is the 8th year of Masters of Taste. Each year they invite new restaurants/vendors and welcome back the previous ones. They serve great food & beverages. Gorgeous settings, music, photo booth & more! 100% proceeds benefits Union Station Homeless Service. We love to #eatmoregivemore! The Parking: FREE parking at Lot F, right in front of the Rose Bowl!

MASTERS OF TASTE 2026 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena…read more This was our 1st time attending and it did not disappoint!! This is a Food Festival that makes a real impact in our community! Every bite benefits the largest homeless services provider in the San Gabriel Valley, Union Station Homeless Services. With over 100+ of LA's best Chefs, Restaurants, Bakeries, Breweries and Wineries we definitely savored every delectable bite!! We enjoyed culinary tastings, delectable desserts, handcrafted cocktails, craft breweries, select wineries, cold pressed juices and cold brew coffee from over 100 Culinary Masters! And, yes, it was UNLIMITED!! Chef hosts Chef Thomas and Chef Vanessa Tilaka Kalb of Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery are committed to sourcing from the region's best farmers and makers! Parking was included with the ticket. Plenty of parking. For general admission tickets (we bought these tickets), there was a long line as everyone waited for the gate to open at 4pm. VIP tickets get you in at 3pm. Music filled the air from La Bellatini. There were some food trucks as soon as you walked in. On the field, there was excitement in the air and the buzz from people trying all the food and drinks! They had some picnic tables and a VIP area. We really enjoyed the event.

I REALLY liked all the unique finds! A variety of goods. I was able to purchase my sterling…read moresilver jewelry at this fair. I appreciated seeing a weaver working on the loom. Watching a cartoonist work onsite is fun. Great spot to people watch.

This is one of my favorite annual festivals. So many different vendors selling their artwork. It's…read moregreat. They close the street, and it's fairly organized. There are rows of vendors down the street and off the side streets. Every year, there are different vendors, so you may see a vendor you like one year, but not the following year. I've purchased handmade jewelry. A clay ring and necklace from one vendor and a pair of embroidered cat earrings from another. There are also activities for the kids, and because it's an outdoor event, you can bring your dog. I always grab a bite to eat either before or afterwards at one of the local restaurants. There are many restaurants to choose from on this street, along with dessert and coffee shops. I usually park a couple of blocks away on the street where there is plenty of free street parking.

I recently attended the 45th Annual Lotus Festival at Echo Park by myself just to see what it was…read moreall about, and I had an absolute blast! My visit ended up being a little shorter than planned because of the summer heat, but I still had plenty of time to explore the booths, enjoy some amazing food, and snap lots of photos. Overall, it was such a fun experience! I showed up hungry, so naturally the first thing I did was scope out the food vendors. There were so many delicious options, mostly Asian cuisine. I originally had my heart set on grabbing some iconic Pioneer Chicken, but those plans changed the second I spotted an Indonesian food vendor called Papa Satay. As someone who's mixed with Dutch-Indonesian, I honestly haven't had much Indonesian food growing up, so I knew I had to give it a try. The woman working the register was an absolute sweetheart--so friendly, welcoming, and incredibly helpful while explaining the menu. I ordered Combo #1, which came with one pork satay skewer, one chicken satay skewer, two egg rolls, and fried noodles. Everything was mostly decent, but those satay skewers completely stole the show! They were packed with flavor, perfectly cooked, and easily my favorite part of the meal. I'll definitely be looking for Papa Satay again at future festivals. Beyond that, there were plenty of other tempting food vendors serving Thai, Chinese, Hawaiian, Korean, and more, so there was truly something for everyone. One thing I really loved was how many interactive booths and activities were spread throughout the festival. The LADWP booth had a fun spin-the-wheel game where I won a cute glasses cleaner, and the LA Public Library booth was handing out freebies while helping people sign up for library cards. There were live cultural performances, painting stations, arts and crafts, and so many opportunities to stop and explore. I was honestly surprised I'd never heard of this festival before! Someone told me that each year they highlight a different Asian country, and this year's featured country was Sri Lanka, which I thought was such a unique and meaningful way to celebrate different cultures. There were also lots of vendors selling handmade goods and other non-food items. I saw everything from henna artists and clothing to artwork, crochet creations, toys, and more. Before arriving, I even preordered one of the official Lotus Festival folding fans online and picked it up as soon as I got there. It was great quality and absolutely saved me in the heat! One of my favorite purchases of the day was the CUTEST crochet frog hat from Ducky Crochet House! Their booth was full of adorable handmade creations, and I couldn't resist. I made sure to follow them on Instagram because I definitely want to support them again and hope to see them back at next year's festival. Even though I attended solo, I genuinely had an amazing time. The atmosphere was welcoming, lively, and full of positive energy. Best of all, it's completely FREE to attend! If you've never been to the Lotus Festival, I highly recommend checking it out. I'll definitely be back next year!

Fun for the whole family. Cultural costumed music and dance performances throughout the day. Dragon…read moreboat races and Light of Dreams Lantern event on the lake. Booths selling cooked food and drink, including beer and wine. Booths offering LA city information and selling boutique and handmade crafts, jewelry and gifts. Carnival rides, arts and crafts and face painting. Enjoy swan pedal boats, views of the lake and lotuses and downtown LA.

Hubby wanted a relaxing afternoon. So we found ourselves &…read moreour lawnchairs at Seal Beach's 14th Annual Japan America Kite Festival on Sunday, October 3rd. Found some free parking several blocks away. As we got closer, we could see some HUGE koi and frogs floating in the air. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=Tuq59VSdqnCmotr_910JoQ&select=AE2fk5YIbQLzZi6HvtsiBA We checked out the tents first. Toro's was doing brisk business selling pricey bento plates. We had already picked up our own bento from our local Tozai Market. Some cool Japanese candy artistry: http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=Tuq59VSdqnCmotr_910JoQ&select=XFn8zwfOvxleiZUPP5CnKw Kiddie tent where they could make their own little kites and where toys & kites were available for purchase. Sponsor Yakult was giving out free samples of their probiotic drinks and tote bags. Hubby's not shy. He scored two bags and too many of those little samples. He really liked the yogurty taste. "Um, hon? I asked the girl and these drinks are supposed to be a one-a-day dose. How many have you had so far?" We planted ourselves smack dab in the middle of everything, kicked off our flip-flops and wiggled our toes into the soft sand. The gentle breeze was so welcoming! There were a lot of people, but there was plenty of room for everyone to claim their own little sandlot. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=Tuq59VSdqnCmotr_910JoQ&select=hX0Miqre_4i_oY-_i7r6AQ As we ate our bento, we enjoyed watching more and more kites being launched upwards. We saw the honored Japanese Kite Master, Mikio Toki, running this way and that. Had a great vantage point to watch a graceful Sport Kite Ballet. Amazing what those guys did! Listened to the beats of Myo Onji Daiko group. The hubby was kind of regretting not going into the garage and digging out one of the kids' old kites. I could tell he was wanting to fly one! Some folks had fancy kites. One guy had a camera tied on his kite line and he said that he had it on automatic. Pretty cool idea! Overall, good fun for all ages whether you're a spectator or participant. This was a really nice afternoon! I had a lot of fun just people-watching. Little kids are so amusing. We were saying how nice it'll be someday when we have grandchildren to bring to an event like this. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=Tuq59VSdqnCmotr_910JoQ&select=Az928Vhkaje3bL-ofLLsPw http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=Tuq59VSdqnCmotr_910JoQ&select=lbO22u9sI-aEU9_RvbVwnA We did take pics right before leaving of the sky filled with kites, but they came out really dark. :-( Please excuse. Us old folks still haven't quite figured out this new-fangled camera of ours!

Just come, bring a camera and enjoy something distinctively unique…read more Next one is scheduled for Sunday, Oct 7, 2012.

I was introduced to Jackalope Arts Fair through a Yelp event in 2025. I enjoyed it so much that I…read morehad to return to it with my eldest daughter in April 2026. It was held at Central Park in Pasadena. Schoolhouse Garage parking is conveniently located a couple blocks away. Another fun afternoon checking out tons of merchandise/food (i.e., clothing, leather, ceramics, books, kids activities, butterfly garden, olive oil, honey) and food truck vendors. So many cool arts and handcrafted crafts made by talented people. Visited the Information Booth and bought a cute long sleeve shirt with a picture of the jackalope on it for $20. I had a $5 off voucher for use, hence, I only paid $15. Cool! I am a magnet collector of my travels. Bought two intriguing magnets from Weird Animals. Thanks! Crossed path with Dem' Nutz once again. So happy to take home some amazing nuts. Don't forget to support them wherever you find them. It will be worth your while. BEST NUTS you'll every eat! - 5 Honey Glazed Pecans, 5 Honey Glazed Walnuts, 5 Dem' Crack Almond, 1 Spicy Garlic Pistachios, 2 Macadamia Onion - 5 custom large sack bags with personal names - Complimentary = 2 walnut dust, 3 pecan dust, 1 spicy pecan dust, 1 Dem' Nutz squeezie (THANK YOU DANA and GARY!) - Dem' Juice (Mango Otai with gold spoon, POG) I may make it a tradition to attend Jackalope Arts every year. They will have another event at Pasadena in Nov 2026. See you here!

I'm in love with this market…read more My daughter and I did the butterfly garden and she spent over an hour in there. I would recommend this for small kids as they are free to go in with a paid adult ticket and you can go in all day with the stamp. The items they sell are so cute and so unique. Food items are delicious and you will have many options to pick from. From honey to boba to cured meats. It's a great way to try lots of different items.

This is a much friendlier SoCal Polish Festival than the one in Yorba Linda (note: i do not live…read morenear either one). The Orange County one is definitely "splashier" but comes off weirdly as some kind of tourist trap. The LA one lacks the bells and whistles but comes off as more genuine. I have been to this festival 3 times (including this past month's) and have always had a positive experience. I have had better pierogi in my life but the golabki were divine. Fork tender. I also enjoyed the fluffy but not overly sweet paczki. The kids had fun with the arts and crafts area. Another point of interest was the "Polish deli" which was less deli than store, which was a-ok because they had lots of primo Polish dry goods (plus frozen food in huge freezers). I greatly enjoy this just-the-right-size festival and look forward to returning next year.

EXCELLENT! So wonderful to see a sea of happy smiling people, MOSTLY all speaking Polish. Lots of…read morevendors selling Polish goods, Polish amber, Polish T-shirts, etc. The food choices were beyond delicious. We bought almost everything and shared .. also brought even more home! We had cabbage rolls, kielbasa, blood sausage, sauerkraut, potato pancakes, Polish donuts, poppy seed cake, and an unbelievably delicious Polish open faced baguette filled with finely ground mushrooms, herbs and cheese .. baked and soooo good. Not using the Polish names for these food items as I can't spell them .. lol.. sorry. But I DO understand fluent Polish. Don't miss this exciting festival! Polish dancers, entertainers, dancers, etc. we look forward to this festival every year! Oh, and there is also a little store that sells all Polish food items .. straight from Poland! Love it!

Amazing Festival! Should have way more reviews and credit…read more We went to the tail end of the second day Fire Knife Competition and were completely blown away by the performance from "amateur" performers. The stage stocked with fantastic drummers and artists as well as a lovely competition with quite a few crowd pleasing moments! The host was hilarious and the show moving steadily. The food venues were great, tasty food and snacks authentic enough to the culture. Could have used more variety of meals however we arrived later. Overall a must go to free performance that honestly could make a profit and is worth seeing!

So happy that we found this festival!!!!! Last weekend after meeting with a friend we were trying…read moreto figure out what to do. After googling free things to do in Long Beach, this festival was the first to pop up. FREE.....so why not! So glad that we decided to check it out! There was a cool selection of vendors selling tropical beach style clothing. I bought a beautiful hair clip with flowers for only $10! There were also cool theme items for sale like tikis, carved coconuts, jewelry. There was a good selection of food trucks serving Asian/islander style food. The spam masubi was awesome! Will definitely be back to this festival next year and will tell all my friends!

I paid a lot of money ($2,500 to be exact) to participate as a vendor at Warner Center Park for the…read moreValley Cultural Center's Concerts on the Green for the Summer 2012 season. The $2,500 buy in was a HUGE hit for me as a small business owner; I took a big leap of faith when I signed on. If you are a food vendor that has been approached and might be considering participating for future seasons, run--far and fast! Here's why: 1. I was promised by Bob Austin that I would be one of only 5 dessert vendors the whole season. The dessert vendors were all on 'dessert row,' separated from the savory food vendors. No one told me there would also be Italian Brain Freeze, Funnel Cakes and Kettle Corn in the section with the savory food. These products all compete for dessert dollars. I'm sure you can also see how completely unfair it is for those products to be placed in the same section as the savory food, so everyone sees only those vendors when they go to purchase their dinner. And then return to those vendors when they are ready for dessert. In fact on July 4th, a large group of people walked by my booth, all carrying funnel cakes, and commented on how they didn't know there were other desserts on site. Completely unfair to the rest of us in dessert row. 2. The vendors were told that the weeks leading up to July 4th were a bit sleepy, but if we hadn't already made back our initial investment by the 4th, that was the day it would happen. It was also strongly advised that we bring at least 3 times more product than we had been bringing prior to July 4th, because everyone sells out on July 4th. I had high hopes for July 4th, especially after hearing that there would be 24,000 + people in the park, all of the food vendors sell out, and this event is the one that helps all of the vendors re-coup their initial investment. I didn't sell out nor did I re-coup my initial investment. I grossed $750 that day; after expenses and paying an employee to work with me that day, I lost. 3. The savory food vendors--two barbecue vendors were booked for the summer. Classic! 4. The plain and simple truth is that there are just too many food vendors per the ratio of people that come for the concerts in the park seeking dining options. Yes, a lot of people flock to the park for the concerts, this much is true. However most of them don't buy dinner and desserts at the park. 5. The organization does a prerecorded introduction thanking its sponsors and food vendors that gets used the whole summer. My company name got botched--recorded incorrectly. No one bothered double checking their work before it was considered final, nor was I aware that this component was being developed. Had I known, I might have been proactive to ensure that my business/brand was represented correctly. 5. This group has been planning and executing this program for 38 years. They know what works and what doesn't work out there. It's a well-oiled machine, and they just want your money so that they can continue to bring in the bands. The sad thing is they will do and say anything to get you to sign on the dotted line. I can't emphasize enough--DON'T DO IT! Save your time, money and resources. When I think about the trust I placed in the Valley Cultural Center, and the leap of faith I took, it brings tears to my eyes. I did ask the Valley Cultural Center for some of my investment back, and this is the response that I got: Dear Tonya, Thank you for your email. We are sorry you did not have a good experience at Valley Cultural Center's Concerts on the Green. We can not guarantee what will sell well. We are upfront on that fact. None of us can predict that. Often vendors do well on July 4th. That too is no guarantee. Some sell out. Some do not. It sounds like you did all you could with Facebook, Twitter and Email campaigns. We apologize if you feel there was some inaccurate information given to you at the time of securing your place at Concerts on the Green. We will look into that. There was no intent of misleading you. We want all the vendors to do well. Some of the vendors have been with us for many years. Some only come for a year or two. Some join forces with another vendor they know and share a booth. It is a business decision each individual makes. We understand that you question your choice about participating with us since it did not go as well for you as you had hoped. It is not that we are untrustworthy. It's just the nature of the economy and the risk any business operator takes. Unfortunately it didn't work out to your level of expectation and desire. We would like to have seen you succeed too. We are a non profit 501 (c) 3. We operate on a fairly tight budget each year, and the recent economy has made that even tighter. We are not in a position to be able to reimburse anyone. Again, we are truly sorry you did not have a good experience with Concerts on the Green. Sincerely, -- Wendi Gladstone

How can I not give give Valley Cultural a 5 star rating, when because of this organization as well…read moreas their sponsors I had a fabulous day, full of good friends, good food, and excellent talent gracing the Warner Center Park Stage. From 1:00 to 8:00 last night, we were treated to Jazz, R&B, Soul, African, & Latin. Valley Cultural also has food vendors and merchandise vendors at these events, so if you don't want to pack a picnic there are plenty of food choices to pick from, desserts to BBQ, you won't leave hungry. If you haven't checked out the Valley Cultural Website out for the events they have planned this summer, I recommend you do so now, lots of great things in the making and worth a drive if your coming from out of town. Keep It up VCC, I plan to be back!