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.

It's been a few years since we've been able to get out to Sterling for the Festival and things have…read moredefinitely changed. A few years ago, they rarely took card and it was mostly cash, now that is flipped and they take card only at most of the food stands. The extras and games still are primarily cash which is fine, that's what we expected. The big concern I have is again the prices. It was about $20 just for an order of chicken fingers with fries, $17 for fried cheese curds, $5 for a pickle, and at least $4 for a bottle of water. It was $50 every time you wanted something to eat. While I appreciate them being able to take card so I don't need to get a bunch of cash out, I wonder if they jacked up the prices to pay for the card fees. The food isn't very over the top and they definitely feel like they're gouging the prices just a bit. I will say that the "Steak on a Stake" was delicious but not worth the price tag because of it's size. The strawberry shortcake though was HUGE, however it was also $15. The entrance fee is always more and more expensive each year which is another downside. The owner of the festival is not a good person based on what we've read and heard from the employees. It's definitely getting more expensive than it's worth. Also pro tip: there is ZERO reception here so be prepared to meet up with people in the parking area or before you enter. Maybe go old school with some walkie-talkies because finding people is almost impossible here. I love that you can unplug here, just don't get lost or separated from your party.

This would mark the 3rd time I've visited the Renaissance Festival, and it was as great as the…read moreprevious years. Let's get the obvious out of the way, the food and drinks here are pricey. You're looking at $20 turkey legs, $15 dollar beers, $14 fruit smoothies, $6 jerky slabs etc. Of all the years, this was the first year trying their turkey leg. This was giant and you would have to eat it like a barbarian since it isn't the most tender thing. Make sure you grab extra napkins. The "fruit" smoothie isn't made to order and don't contain any actual fruit. Rather a fruit flavoured syrup blended with ice. Nevertheless, this helped us stay cool. The jerky man walking around with slabs of jerky for $6 we've always liked. Tender jerky and for $6, that's not too bad. The shows were entertaining and the actors/actresses seemed to enjoy playing their role which made a difference. We didn't come across anyone who seemed like they didn't want to be there. The employees seemed genuinely nice. There was a "torture museum" which we found to be a waste of money and time. At $5 a ticket, we walked through this shack of dummies in various torture positions, and the entire walk-through took 5 minutes. Would definitely skip that for next time. As for acts, we agreed the most enjoyable and entertaining one was performed by the Acrobatrix hosted by Thunder and Tipsy. Although every act we saw was very good. If there's one thing I wish would improve is the state of the bathrooms, particularly the ones in the way back of the festival. The front and middle ones are kept in decent condition, while the one way in the back isn't climate controlled, and seems like there was no upkeep. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and now know to stick with the snacks and simple drinks to keep us going throughout the day and finding dinner elsewhere. We look forward to visiting again for future years.

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!

This is among my favorite festivals in Syracuse because it's one I think you can totally enjoy…read morewithout spending money, just wandering around admiring the creative art. (Or getting a more affordable option.) It draws a nice mix of repeat vendors and new talent. One of my favorite finds this year was an art stall that made a human-operated vending machine of random prints, complete with sounds. I of course had to get some snacks along the way. Right Mind Syracuse had their splatter art up this year and I thought that was neat - would love to see more experiential arts & crafts where folks can participate. A nice way to spend the morning or afternoon, especially when the weather's nice.

Good amount of vendors, artisans, food trucks and more for Syracuse Art Festival! Jewelry,…read morepaintings, eclectic lamps and furniture and so much more. We passed a bag pipe performance and other musical entertainment throughout the festival.