This was the second year the Chinese lantern festival has been in Syracuse. This was my first time…read more Tickets are $16 at the door or $15.50 online. There are discounts for groups over 20 people. There are also senior discounts and children's prices. The event is best at night when the lights look prettiest. Inside the international building there's a show that takes place thrice a day. Come early to get seats. I loved the show. It included jugglers, hoop jumping, foot juggler, face changing act and a bowl balanced. I thoroughly thought the acrobats and entertainers were extremely talented and the show was entertaining from beginning to end. I had a wine slushee here that was $7 and was more like a wine snow cone. The ice wasn't blended with the liquid. They sold beer for $5, ice cream for $5 and flurries for $6 (like a McFlurry). Other food included gyros, baklava, Cajun fries and a few other options. My favorite lights display were the zodiac arches. Each arch was shaped like a zodiac animal and under the arch was a description of each sign as well as the years that correlated with it. Parking is free for this event. Overall the event was very fun but a little on the small side considering the price. I would still recommend that everyone check it out (and do not miss the show).

We went to the sauerkraut Festival again this year and we noticed that there weren't as many people…read moreon Friday night is there were in the past and it was a beautiful night.. we also noticed that the parking in The Big Field next to the festival was not open to parking? I think that had a huge impact on the attendance. We did find a parking spot close to the festival but other people had to park way down the road past the bridge to park. The other thing that we noticed was that in the years past they offered little cups of free sauerkraut and we noticed that there weren't any signs stating you could even buy sauerkraut except for one place did did have it but it was hot and my fiance doesn't like hot sauerkraut she likes cold sauerkraut but they didn't have any of that. Also they had in the past cabbage bowling which was kind of fun especially for the kids I didn't see that either. We did spend a lot of money on the quarter game.. to help support the festival. We did purchase a couple of fried doughs also. Then we drove down the road to shortsville and ate at Warfield's and had a fantastic dinner. :-) because unfortunately Phelps hotel is closed..

Don't waste your time. It's a fireman's carnival. My family use to be vendors and enjoyed the…read moreevent. 2018 was horrible. 2019 was a disaster! No free parking, expensive rides, expensive food. Save your money! Take your family to the Waterpark in Canandaigua or go to the movies. Do Not let your kids do CABBAGE HEADS. The judge was always out drinking the Officials said, kids cried, and a mob was yelling. Such a DISAPPOINTMENT VILLAGE OF PHELPS AND PHLEPS FIRE DEPARTMENT. Never again!!!!!!!!!!!

2026 Food Truck Battle! The day started out chilly, but there was no rain and it started to warm…read moreup. I like that there are play areas for the kids and other vendors to walk around and see. The music was really good and with all the food it really was a "Festival". Over 55 Food Trucks serving up samples and full size portions! One of my favorites was Blueberries and Lace's Banana Draft Latte with an oatmeal sandwich cookie on top....enough coffee flavor to balance the sweet banana and milk. The oatmeal sandwich cookie with the frosting middle was a super delicious treat! Redneck Reuben Union truck was serving up , what I like to call, the "best Reuben in the Syracuse area", house smoked corned beef with warm sauerkraut, lots of melty swiss and smoked thousand Island dressing perfectly grilled. Carvel ice cream sundae with very flavorful chocolate ice cream and crunch kot, caramel and whipped cream....so good. Vietnamese Noodle House - chopped beef Banh mi with an Asian beef dipping sauce that I could have just drank alone. Mamacita's Seoul Nachos were crispy and delicious with fried wonton skins, beef, a creamy topping and a sweet sauce. Ji-Woos Korean manu dumplings and There Bibimbop. There were so many great trucks....Toss & Fire Pizza ( wood fired and always one of my favorites... I'm glad I am near one of their brick and mortar stores so I can get their pizza anytime!), Calle Tropical, Moonchot, Via Napoli, Bold Coast Lobster, Exhale Bakery, Silo Chicken, Fair Deli, Lucky 7, and so many more. Put this show down for next year as a "Must Go!!"

This was my first time at the food truck battle! We went on a Friday and luckily the weather was…read morereally nice. We were able to find parking pretty easily in the Brown lot. They do have security checkpoints at the entrance which made me feel safe. As for the food, all the trucks had such amazing samples! They're pretty big and the pricing was usually $5 per sample from each truck. I really enjoyed the lobster roll from Bold Coast Lobster, it was probably the best thing I had the at this event that was not a sample. I would say the best sample and best bang for your buck is definitely the banana draft latte from blueberries & lace, just look at that entire oatmeal cream pie that comes with it! The latte itself was also not too sweet and a the banana and coffee flavor really blended together nicely. The ramen elote from Elm Street Tacos was yummy but I do wish the noodles were a little less cooked and a bit more al dente to give more texture to the overall dish. The Seoul street nachos from Mamacitas were very popular from what I saw but I do wish that they used a gochujang based sauce over a Thai chili sauce to make it more a "Korean" fusion dish. That being said the Seoul street nachos were still very delicious and was a great way to start off the food truck battle tasting. Something not pictured that I'd like to shout out is the pork belly burnt ends from Salt City Smokehouse. The portion size was the smallest compared to the other samples but it is all meat so I'm not surprised. I would say it's definitely worth it to try regardless of the size because it the pork belly has a great smoky flavor and was very tender. Overall, I enjoyed the food truck battle and I will be returning again next year! The event was definitely organized and I never felt it was too overcrowded despite there being a lot of people.

What an extremely disappointing experience. My Husband was very excited when he saw it was family…read moreweekend. He had been a few times and reminisced about the magic he felt there as a child and wanted that for our children. His explanation of how it was, was the same story I had heard from many of my friends as a child in the 90's. A place where you go back in time. Fully immersed, people not breaking character in awe of modern life because they do not even know it. Then we entered the festival. To start with the prices are absolutely insane. $19 for a turkey leg. $14.50 for a smoothie, etc. All that though I could have been fine with but the experience was horrendous. Workers on their smart phones, not attempting to even sound like they are from the past. People working there walking around like furries with tails attached to them. They are moving to CASHLESS! Yes you read that correctly. Digital tablets all over. If there is anywhere in NYS that should only require cash it's this place. I didn't see any beggars or thieves, but that was okay since after the shows the performers begged for more money and we were robbed of time and money. The magic was totally gone from this place. We will never come here again. My kids could not wait to get out of there.

Oh, how I loathe giving out 1 star reviews when I know small business works so hard…read more Let's preface this by saying it could totally be stylistic and personality. I'm just not into such an odd time in our history. In any case, Renaissance festival as a business- horrible. We arrived at 11am. Waited in line for 40 minutes to get in the door. They seriously need help with crowd and line management. If six flags, sporting events, etc. can figure it out, a business that has been in place for 50+ years can. We also waited an hour in line for food when it was lunch time. The food was fried pickles and mushrooms that were incredibly overpriced & absolutely not worth the money spent. The inefficient process of the entire place had my type A personality in a bit of a tizzy. One, that's right ONE person was taking the orders, collecting the cash, getting the drinks, putting the order together, and serving it to the ordered. It was like this in every booth including fried cheese curd line, turkey leg line, rose pub, etc. Long lines everywhere with one server. Additionally, I visited when I was in my early 20s and in my childhood, what I don't remember is every show asking for money to be donated to them. Well, we only caught 3 shows because of the long lines, but each show asked us to donate money to them personally or the one show was to their non- profit for birds. If you like paying for over priced tickets, paying too much for bad food, long lines, crowds, and then being asked to donate even further to each show, this is the place for you. Trust me that it hurts to write such a bad review, but hopefully if someone is on the fence about visiting, this feedback will help. Be prepared that this is not an efficiently run organization and it's really too bad how its draw no longer appeals to me as it did when I was younger. The kids we were with ages 9,9, 11, 13, & 15 couldn't leave soon enough. Sad that there is no longer the appeal to kids either- but they could be a bit type A like their parents A Plus - the two comedy shows did give quite the chuckle with some of the witty humor.

I'll be honest... my expectations for a food festival in Kingston really weren't that high…read more I was visiting the family and my mom had a printout of the map from the website. I looked it over, realized that half of the restaurants were chains (Coldstone, Pita Pit, Pizza Pizza, Dairy Queen, etc) and decided it would be worth attending for a laugh or two. How wrong I was.... Yes, the chains were chainy. However, the local restaurants all featured amazing menus by very talented chefs. My biggest surprise came from the Garrison Kingston culinary team. For $3, I was treated to an amazing plate of food with a relatively large portion of pork/chicken tenderloin, chipotle & candied beet coulis, fruit salsa, a potato croquette, and an unexpected but delicious shot glass of coconut cream pie. Other standouts included the tiny Chorizo sausage with pineapple salsa from Farm Boy, all of the various drinks offered by King Street Sizzle, and the Silly Yak pastries. They closed down a portion of Ontario Street to have lots of activities for the kids, too. My little one enjoyed the bouncy castles, and a personal tour of a fire truck by a real firefighter. Oh, and face painting too (she decided to be a "princess monster" and the very talented artist made it happen). I hope that I find myself back in Kingston to catch next year's Taste of Kingston!

Awesome time every year!! Always great food vendors. I normally hit Vito's and Twin Trees. This…read moreyear I got a bunch of the Bacon wrapped scallops with a Sausage sub. Of course they have a bunch of drink options and desserts as well. Prices were very fair this year compared to other downtown events. They had great bands that all the families enjoyed. If you missed it you have to go next year.

Do not go to Mama B's in Mama C's for chicken rigatoni. Worst place there. Riggies with some scraps…read moreof chicken thrown in a bowl with riggie sauce. The organizer should do quality control and shut this place down. This is the reason attendance is shrinking...Big waste of money!

I've heard about the Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival but this was the first time I've ever gone. It…read morewas really neat! Loved walking around downtown on an absolutely gorgeous summer day and checking out local makers. There was so much amazing art to enjoy, and I even bought a couple of prints. There was a whole section of a street giving out free food samples and another street of local food trucks with amazing eats. There's also a stretch of sidewalk where attendees can make chalk drawings, and the results were really cool. As with any downtown festival, it starts getting crowded as the day goes on. Even if you don't wind up buying anything, it's super cool to walk around and enjoy the art. Highly recommend checking out.

A decent experience for an afternoon, but full of things you wouldn't expect to be at "arts" show…read more Particularly, there is one line of booths specifically just selling their general products like gutter guards and drink mixes. Makes it feel like a building at The State Fair rather than an arts and crafts festival. There are plenty of vendors, whether you are looking for pottery, photography, geeky prints, original art, woodworking, etc. Some are unique stops that you wouldn't see otherwise and worth the time but maybe not the thousands for the average attendee. So why 3 and not 4, because it isn't going to be worthwhile for many people, and it's not the best art show in the area (go to Plowshares) Don't be discouraged from attending if you have a free day. It's not a local showcase, but it can be a place one can purchase some prints. But if you are saving for a day of arts and crafts, this shouldn't be your first choice