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    Ocean City First Night

    5.0 (1 review)

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    12 years ago

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    Greek Festival

    Greek Festival

    4.0(1 review)
    7.7 mi

    Holy Trinity is located at the intersection of Mill Rd and Ridge Avenue in Egg Harbor Township…read more I've been to this Greek festival before, it's been around for 26 years, but it's probably been at least 15 since I've been there. It gets crowded fast, so get there early. When we went, we got there about 5:10 (it started at 5:00) and we had to park in a field across the street because so many people were already there. Admission is $1, and the food prices are pretty reasonable, especially compared to a Greek restaurant. Beverages are expensive, but I saw a lot of people bringing in their own water bottles (I'll do that next time!) They had several booths, mostly food, but they also had a sand art booth (that used to be my favorite thing at the 4-H fair!!) a jewelry booth, an area in the center for demonstrations (on the night I went, it was hot to make baklava) and an area in the back with carnival-style rides! For food, they had a bakery booth with lots of Greek desserts and cookies (very reasonably priced, and very yummy) There was also a gyro booth ($7 for a packed and tasty gyro - not bad!) a booth making fresh loukoumades (kind of like little donuts with honey and cinnamon) a booth with "American Food" pfft... I didn't even go over there, but I did see some kids walking around with hot dogs, and then the "Taverna" with Greek platters. They had moussaka, pasticcio, spanikopita, Greek salad, gyro, leg of lamb, stuffed grape leaves, rice, souvlaki, all kinds of things that you could get a la carte or on a platter for pretty reasonable prices. The moussaka was very good, and so was the spanikopita. The pasticcio was kind of bland and the grape leaves were kind of mushy, and they were stuffed with only rice, and I prefer the ones with rice and meat inside! Overall though, the food was yummy, prices were reasonable, and the atmosphere was fun! On Saturday night they held a traditional Greek wedding, I was out of town on Saturday, but I would have loved to go. Definitely something you should check out if you like Greek food :)

    Chowderfest - Tiny taste of high noon vodka soda.

    Chowderfest

    3.5(4 reviews)
    27.3 mi

    Is it insanely busy? Yes Is it worth going to? Absolutely,…read morebut there are a few caveats First of all, chowderfest has been around forever. Yours truly was one of the goofy volunteers working it when they were in high school. Now im the goofy chowder-eater/ beer drinker who gets to enjoy the day instead. Think of Chowderfest like a mini music festival with local bands, overpriced beer, and an absurd amount of chowder from all the restaurants you've known for years (and a few new ones). Each of the restaurants brings 400 gallons minimum, but I suspect some bring much more to make it through the day, which sounds like an absurd amount of soup until you realize just how many seafood-loving beachgoers are here to go to town on the offerings. walking in you're handed three chips to vote with at the end of the day; best white, best red, and most unique. The New England style (aka the best kind) is on the left side, the Manhattan-style is on the right. For me, K2 (Kubel's Too) was the winner this year, but the Chegg ran away with first place. As for the red, The Black whale stole the show in my opinion, though Lefty's (the winner) was pretty solid as well. As for unique, Woo Hoo did an icecream that blew my mind, but alas, they didn't win*. So remember how I told you the place was packed, and that there would be a caveat? Here it is. 15$ more gets you VIP tickets, letting you in an hour before the hoards can, in which time you can leisurely try all the chowder you want while simultaneously knowing deep down you're better than everyone paywalled outside the gates. For real though, this upgrade is absolutely worth it (even for access to the exclusive beer tent alone - the beer isn't any cheaper but you can get it faster). ______________ Either this contest is rigged, or I'm a bad judge....ok I'm a bad judge, but hey I still had fun.

    This was my first year coming down to celebrate Chowderfest. Previously, I always was stuck working…read morethe weekend (#hospitallife). Once October hits, a lot of the usual tourists aren't around. The traffic lights flash red and yellow instead of their usual red yellow green. There are way less people taking up the tables at the OC and Mainland. But then you drive toward Chowderfest. The lights are up, the puttputt courses and mini fairground rides are teeming with kids and adults. You simply cannot find parking anywhere in a 5 block radius. We visited both the merch-mart on saturday and chowderfest on sunday. Both days were crowded but really fun. You get a beer mug for $3 to use all weekend. Beer, wine and vodka soda cans are $7 but you ideally purchase tickets and just hand them over instead of waiting on the pay line each time. There are bands playing while folks dance and sing along. Sunday is clearly the star of the show. Vendors set up with hundreds of gallons of chowder for the people to judge. You are handed three token when you walk in, a white, blue and red. Once you've made your rounds, you go to the voting tent and can vote on your favorite New England chowder, manhattan chowder and most unique. We had to hit up the new england section first. There were so many delicious vendors slinging rich, creamy cups of chowder. You make your way through, sampling as you go. Many people have cup holders but I was enjoying the sip and walk so none would get cold before enjoying them. Next we made our way through the unique category. There were clam chowder ice cream, poblano pepper chowder, lobster bisque. All were super delicious. Lastly, we hit up the lighter tomato based chowders. They had such delicious tomato vegetable bases. All of the categories were so difficult to choose from. I had such an incredible time. You don't realize how much variation people can put into specific food items until you try them all in a row. I am so happy that I finally had a chance to experience Chowderfest weekend! And I am SURE the restaurants flew through their hundreds of gallons of chowders.

    Photos
    Chowderfest
    Chowderfest - 3$ cup. 7$ refills.

    3$ cup. 7$ refills.

    Chowderfest - JIMMY BROGAN

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    JIMMY BROGAN

    Witches Ball - The Mount Holly Witches Ball, a tradition since 2001.

    Witches Ball

    3.5(10 reviews)
    51.0 mi

    The Witches Ball is one of the many reasons why Halloween is my favorite holiday. Once a year the…read moretown of Mount Holly transforms into a Halloween wonderland of sorts. There are crafters, vendors, food, and definitely plenty of drinks. The cornerstone of this event in my opinion is the costume contest. People go all out for this and it's really a sight to see! Every year it seems to attract more and more visitors. For this reason, I hope they get better at accommodating more visitors as it took an inordinate amount of time this year to get a drink. But it is still a blast and shouldn't be missed by the Halloween enthusiasts in the greater Philadelphia area!

    I've been to the Witches Ball twice now -- once on a date-date (last year) and once on a…read morefriend-date (this year). If you're on a date, you'll probably want to make a reservation at the spooky Robin's Nest Restaurant at the opening of the outdoor festival, before meandering through the creepy, dark streets brimming with interesting characters. If you're on a friend date, you may want to avoid the intimate restaurant and head straight to the beer garden, the creepy teddy bear shop, or the ghost hunter store. Or, of course, the VooDoo Bar. Like the others have said, do NOT bring your kids here. You're ruining it for everyone when you do that crap. Two downfalls (aside from the kid infestation) of the event: -Lack of bathrooms -Lack of food vendors I stood in a line for some beautiful porta potties for what felt like a really-really long time. The guy behind me in line kept drunkenly yelling at the people in the stalls... as if they really wanted to take their time and enjoy themselves in there or something. After finally relieving myself, I then spent an absurd amount of time waiting for some chicken tenders. Get some more food vendors and bathroom options, Witches Ball, and you're golden. See you next year!

    Photos
    Witches Ball - The Long Losts at the 2017 Witches Ball

    The Long Losts at the 2017 Witches Ball

    Witches Ball
    Witches Ball - Moana, the giant witch.

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    Moana, the giant witch.

    Ocean City First Night - festivals - Updated May 2026

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