I've wanted to visit the Chinese Lantern Festival for a few years now, and finally made my first…read moretrip this summer. Getting in was easy enough despite the crowds, with plenty of staff on hand to keep the line moving and tickets scanned quickly. The real draw, of course, is the lantern displays. They're beautifully crafted and surprisingly diverse, ranging from insects and flowers to more Philadelphia-themed exhibits tied to the city's 250th anniversary and major sporting events. There are well over a dozen displays spread throughout Franklin Square, and each one feels distinct enough to keep you moving through the park. Timing matters. While the lanterns are interesting during daylight, they really come alive once darkness sets in. If you're planning a visit, aim for dusk or later to get the full effect. As expected, there were plenty of families in attendance, along with food and drink options throughout the venue. The atmosphere was relaxed and festive without feeling overwhelming. Overall, I came away glad I finally went. The displays are impressive, the event is well organized, and it's easy to see why it has become a popular Philadelphia summer tradition. While I'm not sure it's something I'd need to do every year, it's absolutely worth experiencing at least once.

We had a nice time. We played miniature golf. Walked around then watched a show. The show was…read morereally awesome and fun. Once the show was over we were able to see the lanterns light up in the evening.

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!

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

So much fun! Lots of variety of food and arts! Must go ... add it to your calendar! Glad I wentread more

We love going to the Manayunk Arts Festival. We had a great time, but unfortunately it was too hot…read moreto walk around for any length of time. Hopefully next year the weather will be cooler.

Had wings they were amazing. They have plenty of volunteer staff ready and available to take your…read moreorder so you do not have to wait. The beer garden is fun full of entertainment, especially with the Money Wheel As a shame, this place only happens once week a year

The St. Charles carnival returns for one week, usually around the middle of June, each year. With…read morehourly 50/50s, one last mega 50/50, and plenty of games, there are a lot of ways to win and have fun while supporting your local church. The beer garden, which cards at the entrance, also has cold beer for $4 or $5 including Miller Lite, Yuengling, and an IPA. The rides are always fun, with large and small Ferris wheels, the Pharoh's fury (swinging ship), the Gravitron, swings, a giant slide, the Merry-Go-Round, etc. In recent years, they've replaced all of the upside down rides that used to be there, such as the Zipper and Spin Out (much to my disappointment). Lines are much better on weekdays, and tickets are half price if you buy them during the pre-sale. There's plenty of food to eat, such as panzarottis (giant pizza rolls), burgers, dogs, fries, pizza, etc. There's an Italian night and a Polish night too, where foods from these countries are featured. There's so much to do, and if nothing else, it's always fun to people watch here too!

I'm what you might call a festival-phile. As my friend said when he ran into me at yet another…read morefestival for three weeks in a row "if there is a festival in Philly Melissa P. is there!" True story. This was my second year at Bloktoberfest and it was once again a good time despite the little fall of rain and some intense lines. $15 presale online (with a few dollars processing fee) gets you 3 beer tickets and a sweet wristband, they're $20 the day of. You can get a 5 beer ticket for $25 or additional beer tickets for $5. There are some fancy strong beers, some ciders, and a lot of pumpkin ales and Oktoberfests. I would recommend going with 3 tickets and taking it from there in case it rains/gets too loud/crowded/your lame friend wants to leave/your awesome friend gets too drunk and needs to leave, etc. Lots of food trucks are out and places like Jamaican Jerk Hut, Sawatdee, and Magpie have food for sale. Lots of live music and even activities/performances for the kiddies (but ya know 26 year olds like to paint pumpkins too!) Some freebies from State Farm, City Fitness and even free on site eyebrow wax! Also love the print your own instagram table. It gets really crowded though so if you're not into things like night market... I would not recommend. I'm really not sure what my weekends will look like without all these fall fests, probably a lot of crying and moping around the house.

Had I had even considered reviewing Bloktoberfest before I would have done so 5 years ago when it…read morewas Graduate Hospital's event of the year! But since that time I've have seen it grow into a big time festival that showcases everything that's awesome about my favorite side of South Street. Deep down I'm happy to say that I was at the first 2 Bloktoberfest's that took up 2 to 3 blocks of the Graduate Hospital hood just south of Sidecar. And even though they were smaller scale, had fewer food trucks and brews, and the 2nd one suffered a huge hit by a considerable rain storm; it was a solid event that showcased the best of a South Philly community. And even when it expanded onto the best of South West South Street, teamed up with Bella Vista Beer Distributors to bring in even MORE beer, added in even more food truck and restaurant involvement, and utilized even bigger musical acts; it maintains the central organic theme that it was based on. This years fest gave me the chance to catch up with bad ass Philly bands like Swift Technique, West Philadelphia Orchestra, and Jason Jefferies & Tall Trees. While it was great to catch up with old food truck standbys like Say Cheese, Koja, and Sugar Philly Truck; I was blown away by new trucks like Mom Mom's Polish Food Cart. Grabbing familiar brews from the likes of DuClaw and Clown Shoes was definitely a winning combo. But I enjoyed new brews from Horny Goat, and the fact thar Neshiminy Creek brewed Bloktoberfest's own fest beer. Add in some suitable previews of restaurants I've been meaning to try like Rex 1516 and Cambridge; and this year's festival might have been the best one yet!

They had everything, Dominick's food truck had the best roast beef sandwich I've ever had. Everyone…read morethere was friendly.

Honestly, I'm surprised I've yet to review this festival. It was one of my favorite festivals many…read moremoons ago when I lived in Collingswood. It takes over Haddon Ave. for two days in August and is filled with lots of lovely vendors from artisans to food. It's fun to be able to pop into the local shops too when it gets to be too hot outside also.

Better than ever - delicious food and pastries. Music each…read moreevening (and greek folk dancing). CHurch tours. Vendors selling Olive Oil, Jewelery etc. So much fun. $5 parking.

Since my sister lives close to the church, we've been going to the Greek Affair for several years…read more Back in the day, they used to give the surrounding neighborhood coupons for the inconveniences of people parking on their street and the loud music. That's no longer the case. They also cut the number of days the Greek Affair used to be held to just one weekend. This year we found other changes. Apparently, the head chef passed away so this year they ran out of quite a few items early on a Friday night, mainly the combo platter with spanakopita, moussaka, and pastitsio which is like a Greek lasagna. They also ran out of the chicken souvlaki. Additionally, they no longer sell the big container of Greek chicken lemon soup which was a major disappointment. The grape leaves stuffed with rice were also extra even though the pictures showed them to be a part of the platters. Fortunately, a Greek salad and pita bread still accompany the dishes which is great. Overall, we loved the moussaka made with eggplant. The pastitsio is also good. Plus, their desserts like the loukoumades are delicious drenched in syrup. One request is please bring back the flea market in addition to or in place of some of the vendors. We would always find moderately-priced treasures there.

We all have gone to a block party here and there in our times. You haven't done a block party like…read morea Philly one where they block off 4 blocks. This will make for some good times. Does your block party have a live band? Maybe some do, but not like this one. Does your block party have multiple food stations where you can go into a food coma? Again I'll go with maybe, but I will bet Barclay , Butcher , Alma De Cuba, Rouge, Oyster House, and so forth aren't catering to it. The food I could go on with the countless racks of ribs being layed out by different places, the burgers from Rouge or Lobster Rolls from Oyster House that was a taste of perfection. Lamb Burgers, and Underdogs doing their thing. Everyone trying to be better than the rest. I love a healthy, stuff your face with this mouthwatering dish kinda competition. Drinks you say? Every block had a section designated so you could enjoy a libation or two , or three in honor of Spring coming into full swing. I'm sure you've been to a block party with a keg or two, but this one simply blew out whatever you experienced. A great flow of people(more like an endless sea of people) becoming one giant, over fed , well hydrated, party going family. Besides the endless amounts of food to be consumed, or drinks to satisfy your thirst, ice cream to cool you down, there is more. Vendors selling house things, trinkets, cloths, you name it they sold it. A great day in the city of Brotherly Love to be enjoyed. Plus the after party to keep things going are at the bars and restaurants right at your feet. Can't wait for next years festivities and another Mojito !

I'm what you would call a festival connoisseur. This weekend alone I was at the Night Market, the…read moreRittenhouse Row Festival AND the Italian Market Festival. I'm addicted. PROS This festival had A LOT of freebies/spin the wheel/enter this raffle/cornhole/beer pong: My friends and I came home with beach balls, hand sanitizer, tote bags, pens, a bag of hamburger rolls, a measuring cup, hand cream, Helium comedy club passes, yogurt, mints, etc. Let's just say I'm going to have to unsubscribe from a few hundred emails next week. All the fancy Rittenhouse restaurants were out-Le Bec Fin, Oyster House, Butcher and Singer, and some of the not so fancy ones-Dunkin Donuts, 500 Degrees, etc. CONS Some of the food was kind of pricey for small samples coming out of a tent (Il Pitorre, no one wants to pay $7 for 1 shrimp). Lines for alcohol were lonnngg (but hey some of the drink samples were free). I'm a big street jewelry/craft fair display person-there was a lack of that here. VERY crowded at some parts. Overall great festival, but it did conflict with the Italian Market Festival, and I am aggressive and did both (we stuck to a strict schedule), but if I had to choose I'd go for the Italian Market Festival.

Great time and festival if you are a Harry Potter fan or just looking for something fun to do! Very…read moreorganized! I took the shuttle from Springfield High School. I waited in line for the shuttle for about 15 minutes and 3 school buses arrived. The buses took of to the bottom of Germantown Avenue, where the festival begins. We just had to be back on the shuttle no later than 4:30pm to be able to get back to the vehicles. Getting back was just as easy. There were buses ready and waiting for us. It was about a 10 minute ride. The festival was great! They had turned the town into a Harry Potter themed world. People were dressed up and vendors were there to make sure they kept with the Harry Potter theme. The festival is great for children, families, and adults! Plenty of butter beer and other treats and gifts to buy along the street! Worth checking out!

So, this is a thing that exists, and it's amazing!…read more I've had the pleasure of attending the Harry Potter Pub Crawl for two years in a row and it makes my friends and me so happy to geek out like this! The pub crawl is $15 if you want to get a T-shirt and some drink specials, but this year they sold out so fast that none of my friends got tickets. I got one but was unable to pick up my shirt because we arrived too late, but I called the next day and they mailed me my shirt which was really nice. Despite not having tickets, we were not gonna miss this, so we got intensely costumed (A Snitch, a Firebolt, Professor Umbridge, Tonks, and Bellatrix) and headed out! All the bars have signs renaming them for famous Harry Potter landmarks (The Three Broomsticks, Hog's Head, etc) and serve up specials like butterbeer (spiked apple cider) or some other delicious drink we had involving butterscotch, root beer and whipped cream vodka. They even have Harry Potter mugs that you can buy that are really cute and say "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Even though my friend dressed as a Firebolt was mistaken for a Nimbus 2000 (please, that's almost as bad as asking if she was a CLEANSWEEP), we had an amazing time going from bar to bar, stopping to pose for pictures along the way! The festival also includes a Quidditch Match and a conference and apparently a 5K, which I haven't done, but I definitely recommend the pub crawl!

Great spring festival featuring over 50 food trucks and vendors!…read more Main Street is closed down with food trucks nicely dispersed to accommodate lines. They had benches and tables clustered every so often. There's also 3 stages with live music and bands performing. For adult beverages there's the Beer Garden on Cotton Street. There's also bars and restaurants along the street that have outdoor seating and offer drink specials. The Bayou and the Cactus are good choices to grab a drink, let yourself digest a little, and you'd also have access to an indoor bathroom. While there are a lot of options for drinking, people don't wander around drunk and the festival is still very family friendly. Would definitely recommend arriving early. The parking lot on Green Lane fills up pretty quickly at $20 for festival parking until 5pm. The Mac Mart Cart and The Cow and The Curd lines fill up quickly so I'd try to make that your first stop. I would definitely recommend: -Cheese Curds with Siracha Mayo from the Cow and the Curd $9 -Mochi Nori Fried Chicken from Poi Dog $7 -Strawberry Nova from Undrgrnd Donuts I would pass on: -Spinach Artichoke Mac & Cheese from the Mac Mart Cart - nothing too exciting, not worth the wait -Bahn Mi Waffle from the Foolish Waffle - tasted good but the toppings were pretty minimal

Hello cool weather, hello festival season! Heralding the gorgeous Fall season and Manayunk's…read moreRestaurant Week (9/14/15-9/25/15), the Manayunk StrEAT Festival takes over Main St and stretches from Shurs to Green. http://manayunk.com/signature-events/fall-streat-food-festival/ With a gorgeous day in the forecast, we took advantage of the seasonal closure of Martin Luther King Jr./West River Drive (April-Oct wknds) to bike to the festival. (Also wanted to burn calories and avoid driving ... because festival parking is as frustrating as the traffic). Vendors: * ~40 Food Trucks in attendance, as well as several arts/crafts, ice cream, wine/beer, and fashion trucks! Food prices vary, but most are in the festival-reasonable range of $4-$12. The wallet buster award goes to Surf and Turf for their $24 Surf and Turf Roll: Steak, lobster, kale, sundried tomato, and parmesan cheese. There was no line for this truck! * I noticed a high proportion of tots, mac+cheeses, and a multitude of pork products ... or maybe the fabulous smells and long lines of those units caught my eye more frequently. The trucks were well-clustered - there were a few strategic empty stretches on the street where folks have space to breathe. Omg I need a break!: * Most of the stores are open, allowing for a bit of quiet respite from the outdoor festivities. Spouse had a bike issue and stopped in Human Zoom for a quick repair. Whereas I underestimated the cooler temperatures and dropped by Philadelphia Runner for a pullover - giving it a road/bike trial run on the way home! I gotta go PP (cause, yea, you know me): * There are porta-loos strategically/discreetly placed around the festival. I did not use them, I did not smell them, I did not see serpentine lines leading to them. I even doubted they were there! Foot Traffic: * With the nice weather, the festival was quite busy but nowhere near the crushing insanity of Rittenhouse Row Festival. Pets are allowed, and strollers in abundance. Watch your step, and watch your pets! Notes: * Don't eat the morning of (and night before?) the festival to max stomach space for yums. * Walk on sidewalks for free smells (kitchen vents out the back of the trucks) * Walk on sidewalks to fast track to desired destination(s) * Bring cash - don't let a faulty card swipey thing stand in the way of noms! * Bike/take mass transit if possible - vehicle parking is scarce! Will definitely be back in Spring 2016 if weather permits!