Firebird Festival has been on my radar for years (tickets in the past sold out too quickly), but I…read morefinally made it this year, which luckily was the first year it was open to all / free to all! If you want to do the Firebird Festival, here are some tips from my experience. First, get on their email list. All the info will be emailed, including updates on building the bird, ways you can help, and volunteer opportunities. When they say they light the bird at 8pm, YES IT WILL BE LIT AT 8pm, AND IT WILL HAVE BURNED DOWN TO ITS FEET BY 8:15pm!!!! My last photo was taken at 8:13pm, as I walked away, and the structure had burned, collapsed, and was just a big bonfire + phoenix claws. And SO MANY PEOPLE were still descending on the park, thinking "it's only 8:15, I've got plenty of time" ummm, no. I passed at least 300 people wondering if any of them understood that all that was left was good live music and some drunk hook-up options. But the party continues until 11pm, so for the childless crowd, there you go. If you do care to see the bird, be there at least a half hour before 8pm. The drum procession into the field happens at 7:30, and is very cool to see, plus is a part of the ceremony and theatrics of it all. Then, dancing, chant music, fire dancers, etc. all circle 'round the bird. You can really see all they've developed over the years in the choreography, creativity, and attention to details. There were a lot of kids there, babies to teens, all ages. I was worried about my preschooler being afraid of the fire, or the idea of burning an animal figure. I made sure to show some kid-friendly YouTube videos ahead of time, and educate about this mythological creature, and it's meaning. I stressed that a new young bird rises from the ashes, according to legend, and that this bird was pretend, made of wood by volunteers. They ask for people to bring lunches to the volunteers in the months (yes, building starts in SEPTEMBER) leading up to the festival, and if I'd had time I would have done that and taken my kid to see that process. It's my plan for next year. Anyway, it went over pretty well. No kids were crying. Mine was a little sad at first, but then pretty fascinated by the fire. I don't recommend positioning yourself close to the fire with kids; it's scary and overwhelming for them. My preschooler was a little nervous when we were somewhat close, but did better from afar, where we saw a lot more kids as we walked out. The show really is something worth checking out at least once. They make a different style of bird each year (always a phoenix, but in different poses and styles). The bird is always about 25' high, made of wood. This year the bird had rainbow lights as eyes, and a mechanical beak that opened and closed. It also had a plume of branches sticking out its head. It looked partridge-y, but still I could distinctly see a phoenix. It was beautiful! As you can see in my photos, they projected a colorful light show into the body of the bird, which was equally beautiful. In addition to the phoenix, there are vendors, food options, and live music. A Boy Scout troop was selling hot chocolate ($3/cup) and offering apple bread and brownies but asking for donations on those. Sadly, a lot of people just took the baked goods and gave nothing, which was totally despicable. Those kids were working so hard, and giving up their own leisure time to enjoy the festival so these greedy drunk-high jerks could rob their baked goods. Ew! The live music was really very quiet. I had a hard time hearing it 50' away. There are residences all around Veterans Memorial Park, where it's held, so I guess noise had to be kept down. Stinks. Speaking of, there were a row of port-a-potties available, and the scent of weed every 3 square feet, with a cop every 10 square feet. Multiple fire engines were right nearby and ready. Everything was extremely well organized. There were police officers controlling traffic, guarding blocked off roads, and there to assist in the crowds. Shuttle busses ran from three different municipal lots (all full very early), and walking was possible from the downtown area, if you were up for a 1.5mi journey. We had best luck parking by a church in a nearby residential neighborhood, and walking from there with a stroller. I definitely recommend the Firebird Festival! But make it your focus of the evening. Everyone who thought they'd have a nice dinner downtown and then catch the shuttle or walk over to the festival was sorely disappointed to arrive when there was nothing left to see.

I love fire, it can be very theatrical…read more Generous volunteers make this awesome free event happen each year. It's the family-friendly, East Coast mini-version of Burning Man. OK, maybe not but still a great time. Fire dancers? Check. Live music? Check. Local artisans? Check. Happy friendly hippies? Check Comfort food? Check Large wooden object burned to the ground while revelers clap and cheer with joy? Check.

Always a great time with great food I go every year with my mom she's from that area so it's a…read moregreat time for her

I once had the pleasure of a one day trip with good close friends to Philadelphia, PA during the…read moreItalian Market Festival. We had a foodie day of Italian staples including sweets. Italian Market Festival is an outdoor market on 9th Street that complete me... Italian sausage, Italian staples as freshly handmade pasta, and all genres of sweets imaginable. Eat, walk a little, walk some more on Philadelphia's historic 9th Street! Foodie galore in the City of Brotherly Love!