This Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin festival two day weekend event has been occurring since 1994 but when…read moreCovid happened in 2020 it happened online. It was only recently we attended if we weren't away traveling as my wife loves a huge festival that entails lots of walking, live music, shopping & food. It's an ideal place at autumn time with giant pumpkin weigh-ins. This year 2025 the top pumpkin weighed 2,147 pounds! Brian Werner from Gridley California won. This year they also had a scarecrow contest, pumpkin recipe contest, lil pumpkin cupcake & youth art contests. There were also multiple stages of entertainment & the pumpkin regatta happened on Sunday. We didn't arrive here until after an hour of opening yet they had plenty of parking at 20 dollars a pop. We did spend several hours here so it was worth our time. Also they do have kids rides & activities for them! That tractor tram ride for kids only looked so fun! It is really a family friendly event! This year we bought their Mediterranean food: chicken gyro & lamb salad. Service was good. My chicken gyro however was meh. Yet my wife loved her tasty spicy lamb salad as she ate the entire entree bc she was hangry! That value on that salad was worth it to her! My wife even purchased her favorite chocolate dipping' dots bc people kept walking past us eating them! We also observed some people dressed in costumes & lots of furry friends on leashes. An ideal place for people watching too! The weather was the most perfect right after a stormy week! Not hot as the temperature was nice & cool! Last Saturday it was odd though as the internet was down so they encouraged to bring cash! Cash is King! Now if you missed this year's festival make it a point to attend next year. It usually occurs the first weekend in October. You will be highly entertained. Seriously. My wife thought her pictures she captured were exceptionally pretty bc of the beautiful pumpkin orangey colors especially against the greenery background, bright sun & blue pond. It does make you appreciate our lovely sunny California weather. We are truly blessed.

recently attended the Elk Grove Pumpkin Patch, and it was an enormous event packed with fun and…read moreactivities! This was my third time going, and I love it more every year. The giveaways were abundant and added a special touch to the day. One of the most unique and exciting activities was the pumpkin races on the water--such a creative and entertaining sight! The people were incredibly friendly, which only enhanced the warm, family-friendly atmosphere. Despite the hot day and the lengthy parking lines, I found free parking in a nearby neighborhood, which was a big plus. The great family vibes made it all worthwhile. The Elk Grove Pumpkin Patch is a fantastic place for families to have fun and make lasting memories. I can't recommend it highly enough!

We came to the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Aquatic Center for 2024. The tree itself is…read morelovely, as shown in the photos from David's review and I highly recommend stopping by to see it lit during the season. That being said, if I were writing a review for the Tree Lighting event itself, I would be giving closer to three stars. The event was dog friendly which is why we came but was packed and hectic with long lines for everything from food to games to photos. We saw some instances of unsupervised children damaging decorations and being overall out of control. This event is really tailored to large families with small children. I would definitely not attend the event again but I would stop by at a quiet time to see the lit tree during the holiday season.

This is on the East side of the Aquatic Center. This light Christmas tree is put up by the City of…read moreElk Grove, I believe. It's so beautiful and we come here every year since they started it. I think 3 years now. I did a Drone video the other year and had a picture of my wife and I kissing. It's so festive. Great to take your family picture in front of. I will have to find it and post that one later. I checked with Elk Grove and the tree is lite 24/7 until the first week of January when they will take it down. Don't miss it. Visit and get your picture to post on your media page.

The good news is that the long remodel of this lot into a public space is done. It makes it a…read moreperfect spot for a farmer's market, notably with a shed roof and attractive landscaping (both plants and pathways) and well-organized parking (for the most part). But the function is more like boutique farmer's market. There's not much variety of actual farmers, although there seems to be a pristine example of each category of agricultural goods -- honey, cheese, meat. But don't expect to get your green grocery shopping done here, and the variety within even basics like berries or greens is more limited than Sprouts or even Smart & Final. The food trucks are a sparse but typically mediocre and expensive. And the market is already too crowded. The big treat is the yard-long tube of popped corn that distracts the youngsters while mom and dad peruse the beeswax soaps. My biggest gripe is that the City likes these little demonstration projects, and makes no attempt to get real quality farm-to-fork food, or to coordinate it with the other efforts at Laguna/Big Horn or District 56. Good ideas, all of them, but pick one that works.

Thanks to my Elk Grove pals Ashley N and Judi M for giving me a great reason to drive all the way…read moreto Elk Grove ;) This farmer's market is great, and it's only getting better. Old Elk Grove really needed this boost. The setup on Sunday has your basics: kettle corn, a food truck or two, fresh veggies, local cheeses and honey and some arts and crafts. But the extras did it for me. The coffee vendor, the loose leaf tea vendor, the vegan mayo/spread vendor- all fantastic. The organic produce was also reasonably priced. Parking is not a problem. There's a small paved lot across the street from the market, or a large dirt lot directly behind. Bonus is that you're in Old Elk Grove, which means you are walking distance to a handful of good brunch and lunch spots too.

Cute little church event with delicious food and dancing…read more There wasn't much activities, but they had a little play area for the kids with bubbles, mini basketball and toys. They also had some dancers perform and you can tour the church and learn about Greek history. Although there was not much to do, the food was amazing ! Everything was al a cart and charge by the item. I tried the chicken, lamb and pork with rice and a side Greek salad. Although everything was tasty, the chicken was my favorite (this is saying a lot cuz chicken is not a go to meat for me)! It was super juicy and flavorful with a lemon pepper vinegar zest. I also had Greek coffee, which was pretty strong but small in size. I do recommend to come early as it got really busy during lunch time and there was a long line! There was plenty of seating, so bring the friends and families to enjoy this event and tasty food!

Not so much a weekend in Greece per se, but my girlfriend and I had a relaxing day with greek food…read morethat genuinely tasted like it was made by the churchogoers in their home kitchens (and I say that in the best way possible.....food tasted like what American Greek families made at home). The kid dancers were cute, and people just seemed more like a big church picnic rather than a Greek festival. Again, 3 stars because I wanted more Greece.....however, for a weekend "Church picnic," it was a nice relaxing afternoon

This was an impressive community event and our first time attending out in Courtland! Loads of…read moregreat food trucks, drinks, and good music! The Wolf Jett performance was our favorite, but Hip Service also rocked the stage with some great hits and the mariachi band was truly a sight to behold. bravo! I'd love to have seen some hay bales and a couple pop ups for shade for parents to sit in shade near the bounce houses. But there were ample bounce houses and water slides which were a hit for the kids. Additionally, The petting zoo was wonderful for littles. My son loved seeing the young cow, sheep, and llama. The Pear Pie from the local Elementary School stand was so delicious!! We look forward to coming back next year!! Great Job, Courtland! We prefer this over the massive State Fair crowds!

This year 2023 the Pear fair was going strong despite the 20 dollar charge for parking. It's a…read moresticker shock for many but they don't charge for admission to enter. Small price to pay for a fun small town fair. If you're in a wheelchair or disabled it's very difficult for the handicapped to get to the fair bc of the very lumpy grassy parking area. That's an understatement too. We sympathize. It was a hot 95 degree day the last Sunday in Courtland. That's not bad bc it could be 100 plus degrees easily. We came to enjoy the live music as we heard Rachelle Steele play. Also lively and energetic Hip Service band got many up dancing and grooving. There were crafters tents & many items for sale by the Courtland high school auditorium which was nice to keep cool from the heat. We tried our best to stay in there & in the shady areas of the event. If you watch the bands play plan on sitting on the prickly haystacks! Ouchie! Seriously! We lucked out with the extra folding chairs used by the fair employees! Sorry but no pics as my wife did enjoy their well designed bright green & blue psychedelic pear fair tshirts! We enjoyed the delicious birria tacos! Unfortunately my wife waited until 430 PM to purchase some pear ice cream. This fair technically ends at 6 PM. So Mel's ice cream tent was long gone by then! Her bad! Lol By then we decided to hit the road home. So close to Elk Grove. Many times we are traveling away so we don't always attend every year. But it's small town fun. We observed the small cute homes across the street having their own party going! Woohoo! Lucky them & so conveniently close! Gotta love that!

We went to the festival today and were a little disappointed. I was expecting lots of ethnic food…read morebooths and all there was were a few food trucks. I don't consider Cousins Maine Lobster food truck to be ethnic food. I don't consider Cousins Maine Lobster anyway for $17.00. A little steep for a quick lunch at an event. Other than the lack of food choices we liked the event. They had 3 stages set up and we heard some good music and watched a few dance groups. Lots of community group booths, but only 3 or 4 vendors selling things. That was disappointing also. Corina's office had a booth and I met a few more of her co-workers. We stayed about an hour and went to eat someplace else. https://www.yelp.com/events/elk-grove-elk-grove-multicultural-festival-2018

We came for the first time on NYE night & could tell that some homes were not as decked out/lit up…read moreanymore & the experience was not full impact. However, there were hardly any cars, so we could do a slow, easy drive. It was still magical with lots of lights throughout this neighborhood. The standout feature was that the streets were lined with continuous strings of white lights that swagged down the participating areas, creating lit paths to follow. It was impressive! There were definitely some houses that went above, while others were more simple, but all delightful to see. Here & there, Christmas trees were in the middle of a court or roundabout. We aren't familiar with the neighborhood & lost track of how we meandered through, so next year we'll try to figure out a good route. We'll definitely plan to come back earlier during the next holiday season to enjoy the full experience.

Rockmont/Java Ct. Lights are some of the best Christmas lights I've seen! My favorite was the Home…read moreAlone house! The lights are viewable the day after Thanksgiving until New Year's Eve! They collect non-perishable food for local food banks and donations to local charities as well! We'll be back, maybe again tonight! SYOY! :D

At St. Josephs annual craft fair and chili cook off you get the best of both worlds...hand crafted…read moreitems and artwork and really good chili. The booths are amazing and all are run by local artisans. I, however, immediately walked over to the waffle experience booth as it is a natural reflex of mine to follow the scent of delicious bacon and waffles! I ordered a waffle with pesto cheese eggs and sausage and with food in hand I browsed the booths. One of my favorite booths is the one with welded iron and three-dimensional art pieces. I especially enjoyed the welded kitty cat wall art and the frying pan turtles. Several booths have hand knitted items as well as handmade bracelets and necklaces. What's fun about this craft fair is that you may stand aside and watch an artisan work on their craft, which is what I did at one of the jewelry booths. I quietly watched the artist at work as she methodically created beautiful wired frameworks for precious gems and stones. About the chili... The chili cook off is "on go" at this delightful little fair. You may buy a chili testing kit and sample all the different styles, or you may simply try what sounds good. Believe me...you wont be disappointed. May favorite was the Native "Fire" chili... I found it to be deliciously spicy and comforting at the same time. There are several picnic tables for families to sit and enjoy their food while they listen to the live band. And there are activities for the kids to keep them engaged in the fun as well. You should come visit St Joseph's craft fair & chili cook off, and if you do you bring your friends and family. You will love this environment as Clarksburg is a grass roots home style community of fun loving people who love to rally up and break bread together.

This is my 2nd time coming here. My first time was actually the first banana festival they had. I…read morethink it was 09 i could be wrong but I used to work at a produce company and thats how I had found out about it. 15 bucks to enter was crazy! I only went to let my daughter play on the jumpers. Was there for like 2 hours tops. They had lots of vendors selling their arts and crafts. They had food vendors, I bought a knockoff Merlinos freeze. It wasnt bad but it wasnt fruit made u could just taste the syrup. They had a cool station and offered water, that was koo but honestly it wasnt worth15 bucks and the prices for stuff was ridiculous. It was a rip off but if u want to get out the house then maybe hit it up next time they are in town.

The banana festival is great family event for the community. The funds go towards youth programs…read moreand local museum. The food, vendors, and entertainment are amazing! There's more than just banana foods as well. You'll enjoy the atmosphere and music from both stages; main and kids. There's many activities in the Kids Zone such as art, Rock climbing, face painting and more

I hired Makamae Melia 'O Polynesia for a private party show for my husband's birthday party. The…read morecommunication was clear and constant. The show was amazing and had a lineup of 8 different songs and dances (hula and Tahitian). They showcased many different styles of dance and costumes and my guests were so impressed by the quality, talent, and professionalism of the group and dancers before, during, and after their performance. I would highly recommend them if you need impressive entertainment for your event.

Please do not hire this business for your event. I paid deposit 6 months prior to my daughters…read moreevent and they cancelled the performance 2 weeks prior to the event with some lame excuses and did not return my deposit. I had to file a complaint through PayPal.This is a deceiving business. I went through soo much stress with this business