I attended this event on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 at the Bell Harbor International Conference…read moreCenter, on 2211 Alaskan Way, Seattle. I heard so much great things about this event and I was asked by my friends to join this year. This was my first time and there was really nothing memorable other than standing out in the cold with my $85+tax ticket and then to find out that the place is jam-packed with people like Black Friday Walmart once you make your way inside. I am not sure how people can drink (alcoholic beverages) and carry around fancy restaurant catered food through multiple floors and thousands of people. The whole experience reminded me of a being in a club, actually worse. Coat check was free and that was the only good part. There were two volunteers, an elder lady and a young gentleman from Northwest Harvest and they were very kind and efficient. The venue itself made it extremely difficult to navigate through different food /spirits /wine tables. I heard many people (whom I assume attended previous events) complaining that "this is F***ed up. They shortened the time (from 1-5pm to 2-5pm for general admission and raised the price; and VIP admission is from 1-5pm with $110 price tag per ticket); and they really need to bring this back to Seattle Exhibition Center (where everything was on one large floor, not divided into 3 different areas / 2 different floors).!!" As for the wine and food "experience" nothing stood out. I did not even see Chateau St. Michelle or Columbia Winery. Probably explains a lot when those big name vendors didnt bother signing up this year. Most of wineries featured were young wineries that I had absolutely no interest in trying. I did enjoy DeLille Cellars and Corliss; and 4 wineries that made out to Seattle from Oregon (Lange and Duck Pond to name a couple). There is no way you could enjoy all the wine and food they offer in 3 hours when it takes 30-minutes to get in and they start quickly clearing everything around 4:40pm. So you basically have 2:30-4:30 to fight your way through the crowd and dont even really get to chat with wineries about how their wine is barrelled or aged. This is not the experience I was looking for and I actually enjoyed the cheaper event I went a year ago at the McCaw Hall. I dont need fancy food if I can barely get any tasting of wines which is what I really came for. Oh here are photos I took of Top Pot doughnuts table; and two bottles of Wine I enjoyed.

This review is for POP! Seafood 2017 only. I was actually very excited about it and it was kind of…read morea let down. There were more wines/champagnes than food. I am a seafood lover, but not necessarily very comfortable in the raw seafood territory. Most of the stalls had types of poke and lots and lots of raw oysters. I think I was expecting more of crabs/lobsters which I did not see. It's definitely a fun event. It has a cocktail party ambience and dress code. Make sure you carry your printed pass and Id. They have a coat checkin at the entrance. If you like raw oysters you would love it. But I would still argue it's not worth $85 per person. There is only so much alcohol I can take to get buzzed yet stay in my feel good zone. Grand tasting would better suit my taste buds. For next time!

I didn't know what to expect, but I know I wanted to go to a chocolate festival as soon as I saw…read morethe poster. Parking: there's paid parking in the convention center but if you go on a Sunday, you can find street parking a little further out from the center. Event: there were a ton of free samples from all the vendors that were there. I don't think they advertise the samples enough. I feel like I didn't even go in expecting a ton of samples, but there were a lot so get ready to eat a ton of chocolate. Even though all the pieces were cut into small bites, after so many samples, you will definitely get your fill of chocolate. I like that they had variety from different countries and type types of chocolates and beverages as well. I appreciate it that there was a lot of different talks in different rooms on both days. You can almost spend the entire time listening to the talks. You get to learn a lot about chocolates, where it comes from, how to make truffles, and how to use chocolates. Lots of different topics for everyone. The price tag is pretty high, but I was able to find a Groupon so I'm very happy with that. As with any of these two day festivals, the first day is very crowded but you will be able to buy things that are not sold out. Sunday was super chill, but many things were already sold out . I will be back next time for sure!

First time attending this festival and there was definitely a lot that I enjoyed about it and some…read morethings I would do differently next time. The other reviews are from many years ago and mentioned issues with the location but it's in Bellevue now (not sure how long it's been there) but had no issues with the location. Obviously if you live in Seattle, that would be a different story but it was super convenient right next to the light rail station. SO much chocolate to taste. I appreciate the tables that have self service tastings where you can grab your own. The ones where you have to ask for them to hand you samples, is not efficient at all. Some of them were too crowded that you couldn't even see what was on the table because of others tasting and chit chatting with the employees. The presentations are interesting but they don't necessarily make enough samples for everyone so everyone on our side of the rows didn't get anything and had to watch the rest of the room taste their samples. So get a seat near the front, in the middle. They are an hour long so they do take up a good chunk of time if you do more than one if you are doing general admission (which is 11am-5pm). You can bring your own water bottles, there are refill stations, or your own snacks. Just know that your taste buds will be shot after all those samples and you will need a chocolate break for a while after the event. Bring a reusable bag for all the chocolate bars you'll end up buying!

The best way to describe a night at upstream music fest is an art adventure in an outdoor museum…read more It seems like the majority of people I talked to only recognized One or two of the performers. But there's something magical in that mystery that leads to a serendipitous evening. Each stage was like stepping into a new world curated by a different team for a different purpose. We watched a stop motion film with live music scoring, then caught a Hawaiian guy playing solos off his ukelele, the can can showcasing their new dance routine femme fatale, and at the main stage of course humbling vibes and feel good music from Miguel. Overall pioneer square was never crowded, and the people who were here were very friendly and open to be influenced by their surroundings. The staff was well organized and prevalent. If I were to make some changes, it would probably be to have more food present or list food destinations on the map. Also, some advice for myself next year; research the artists!

I had way more fun than I thought I would at upstream!!!! It's like.. music fest and bar hopping…read moreAND eating!!! I can see this being way more popular in the coming years. Miguel headlined last night and he was amazing! I feel blessed to have seen him live and in the flesh! lol. Got in a little late right about 9:30pm when Miguel just started.. it's really easy to maneuver around/ get to and from the different venues (we rode bikes for portions of the night). And my favorite part is how intimate all the spaces are! One venue we were got drinks, on to the next venue and we got bean dip and chips, another venue we were jumping around! So happy I got to experience this.

Annual September event for my desire to find the ultimate meatballs and sip a ice cold Peroni…read more. Yes, the streets of Georgetown become one giant festival of celebration of Franks heritage and a quest to mingle with fellow Paisanos.... For you Yelpers let me fill you in that The San Gennaro Festival in Seattle is a free, annual Italian street fair held the weekend after Labor Day, featuring Italian food, music, vendors, and and a procession for the saint...Yes just like in The Godfather except no mayhem in the streets from mafia thugs.. Can't wait to celebrate again a wonderful festival..

Okay I am always looking for something cultural to do and I I decided to check out the San Gennaro…read moreFestival. It was much smaller than I imagined, I had visions of the San Gennaro festival in little Italy in Manhattan where I grew up... It was much smaller and intimate. They had some local musicians on stage and some vendors. I was disappointed with the food selection because the two things I wanted to eat were both not available and they are staples of these kinds of Italian street festivals. Sausage and peppers was my food choice and zeppolas as my dessert. They had some mini conolli though. Some of the vendors had done nice Italian gifts, so that was the most interesting thing to me. This is the third year I think so there is plenty of room to grow...

Whoever thought that the already popular Fremont Sunday Street Market could get any better...? How…read moreabout throwing in a little beer tasting and 15+ food trucks!?! Yeah, that'll do it! I've been following the "Mobile Food Truck Rodeo" since 2011 and have been more than happy with their recent developments!! No longer charging for admission, additional food trucks and a better choice of venue(s). Food trucks started rolling in about 10:00am which was about the same time my anticipation started to rise! My friend and I visit the market on a regular but hearing that there were going to add 15+ food trucks to the mix made us that much more excited! The line up consisted of a few regulars, such as Snout & Co, Street Donuts, Veraci Pizza and Tandoozy with addition to Crisp Creperie, Xplosive, Jemil's Big Easy, Grilled Cheese Experience, Wiseguy Food Truck, I Love My GFF, Jerk Station, Buns, Curry Now, Raney Bros. BBQ, Bistro Box, Street Treats, Falafel Salam, Chicarepa and Los Agaves. The food trucks provided a delicious aroma which flowed throughout the market and almost made you forget that it was raining! The indoor market, including a few food trucks provided a little shelter but Tandoozy was sweet enough to provide two covered tables for our convenience! Having tried a little something from most of the food trucks, we found ourselves returning to the wonderful Tandoozy for their "Everything Naan"! My friend lloves it with "everything" which includes rice, chicken and chutney but I'd be satisfied with just a simple serving of their Naan drenched in their olive oil, garlic and cilantro sauce! YUM! A few trucks provided "specials" just for the event and we just had to try "The Bomb" from the Grilled Cheese Experience. "The Bomb" was a buttery grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with oxtail and mac n cheese. A little rich and heavy for our pallets but knew we were going to walk it off with a stroll through the market!

Traditionally, gatherings of food trucks are not held in December. That's why I was excited to hear…read moreabout The Winter Feast & Beer Festival. I am often at Fremont Sunday Market anywhere from one to three times a month. Having food trucks there is just an additional incentive for me. The weather today was much better than I expected. I was there for 3 hours or so and it didn't rain very hard. It was a little cold and the heaters that were added a few weeks ago were absolutely perfect for today. You could order your food from trucks, then wait under the heaters to keep warm. It was pretty sweet. The Red Door Ale House had tasters of beers. It was nice that we were able to take our food truck food inside to sit down, keep warm, watch the ballgame, and chill out. Unfortunately, the jacket I had my eye on was not there today but I did talk to the vendor and hope I can buy it next week. For those of you who know me, you know I'm into food trucks. Today, I visited Street Donuts for their first return to Seattle since September. They had a seasonal peppermint and chocolate flavor but my heart belongs to cinnamon and caramel. Fantastic as usual! The Bistro Box was in the house with Arancini (fried risotto balls). They were fried crisp and full of creamy mushroom risotto. At $6.00 for 2 balls - I was totally full! Jemil's Big Easy brought peach cobbler to the party and I was all in! I wasn't sure how an outdoor event in December would go but I think the event had a little something for everyone - food trucks, shopping, and beer. What more could you ask for?

Ukrainian food is in short supply so I look forward to this yearly festival. This festival is…read morerelatively new as this year will be its fourth year. It takes place in late August/early September. The next one being this weekend (Saturday). While this event is for the Ukrainian community, all are welcome. The event take up a good chunk of Crossroads Park where it is held annually. Dancing, music and family activities are some of the offerings. For me though I come here for the food. There are a bunch of vendors with similar menus, so choose the one that looks the most appealing to you. My particular favorite is to get some pork kebabs with either some plov or salad. They also have a baked goods table if you want dessert. If you are looking for something to do this weekend on the Eastside, this is a decent festival to check out. Particularly for their food offerings.

The Festival was great this year and very professionaly organized. Especially I want to express my…read moreappreciation for parking guys who worked so tirelessly and helped me to find spot to park my car whe it seems impossible. Thank you!

This year's Bumbershoot had a stacked lineup, including but not limited to: Peaches, Chase &…read moreStatus, Blood Orange, Death Cab for Cutie, Atarashi Gakko, De La Soul, TOKiMONSTA, Sextile, Pixel Grip and plenty others. For this year there were also mermaids, magic shows, puppet shows, wrestling, an ant mobile and stands of merch in the Armory. Even better, nearly all food vendors this year were local and included Chicken Supply, Indigo Cow, Spice Walaa, Kottu, Communion and many others. Whether you went one day or both this year, there was always something to do and enjoy, and that's looking past the scorching Seattle sun which we obviously have no control over. Entrance to the venue is near the Armory just after you pass MoPoP. Tickets - whether you got ones with re-entry or not - were strictly enforced by security at the front, as were the security lines, bag checks and the lines for those who want 21+ wristbands to enter any beer gardens and/or purchase alcohol. There aren't many places for shade besides going inside the Armory, and I only saw one water refill station before reaching the Fisher stage; others were in buildings like the Armory. Those buildings are also the same areas where restrooms are located for the duration of the event. The events other than the music made up a huge bulk of this visit for me, with all of them operating at set times over different intervals: - Wrestling was my foodie friend's favorite event outside the music, as we came back here at most three times per day to see performers slam each other and eventually take the fight over to the fountain. - This year was probably the first to feature a mermaid who showed up at set times throughout the day. Concertgoers lined up and got to have photo ops with the performer. - Magic shows by both Taylor Kyle and Travis Kim kept me and my foodie friend thoroughly entertained while we were taking a break from all the concert cacophony. I saw magic performances from both on different days. - I caught an improv puppet show during one of my breaks and had a blast hearing an improv musical on tuxedos and Transformers... wonder how those two got lumped together in one performance. - Unfortunately, I was unable to catch the cat carnival booth as lines for that attraction were too long throughout all of Bumbershoot this year. Events like these aren't complete without food! And the booths this year were lined up around the fountain and Armory, covering a wide variety of cultures: - The Chicken Supply's chicken was one of my favorites, as their "bites" come in huge portions... I could not finish it all in one sitting and had to bring the rest home! - Indigo Cow is a solid choice for their Hokkaido-based soft serve, both in milk and matcha forms which I got as a combo. - I got garlic lamb curry from Kottu, a Sri Lankan cuisine popup and it was one of the best things I've had in a long while! Tons of rich flavor, and a deceptively small portion that actually keeps you more than full! Great spice levels and flavoring, along with tender lamb meat. - I need to give the mango lassi at Spice Walaa's actual location a try since I got the one at their booth here; it's refreshing and too good to pass up! - Jojos from Communion R&B was the awesome kind of spicy. - Thai tea from Thai Street Food was sold out when I got there but their lemonade drinks still satisfied my sweet tooth and general thirst. Of course, this is a music event so the music lineup makes up the largest and most important portion. Crowds were generally benign for the most part except for the highly anticipated ones, and acts take place in any of three stages at set times depending on the schedule. Speakers on each stage blasted crystal-clear sound, though I wish more close-up footage of the musicians would show up on the big screens on the sides of the Fisher stage more often, especially for Blood Orange and Death Cab for Cutie. There's also a fashion area for merch and some fashion shows near Climate Pledge Arena and the KEXP building, where one of the stages is located near. This year's lineup in particular covered a lot of ground in terms of generational relativity; there is something for everyone to listen to regardless of age. I will try coming back for next year's lineup!

It was such an amazing experience! It was my first time, and I'm already excited to go again next…read moreyear!

Wonderful West Seattle Community free outdoor movie! There is food and coffee available for…read morepurchase (all proceeds go to charity!), and raffles, and this week they had two comedians performing while we waited for it to get dark! So great that all this is provided - all you have to bring is yourself and a chair and blankets .. Some people were pretty nifty with sleeping bags! The movies they play are great - this week is Guardians of the Galaxy :) the only thing is that it is at a cement lot not grass... That doesn't stop people from setting up on the floor - just be prepared :) ps u can also bring your own food - this is a wonderful free community event!!