This was my first time attending the Annual Moon Festival. This is held on Hancock Street in Quincy…read moreCenter and celebrates the end of the harvest season. The festival is a community event filled with vendors, food trucks, games, and activities for children, and performances throughout the day. I thought there would be more asian inspired vendors and food, but the majority of the vendors were banks, reality and McDonalds? We went specifically for the the Lion Dance that started at 11am. It was very hot and sunny that day, it would have been nice to have covered seating, but we really enjoyed the performances. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What's the August Moon Festival? The August Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most celebrated Chinese holidays. It is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Chinese families celebrate the end of the harvest season with a big feast. Unlike the American Thanksgiving dinner, the Chinese have mooncakes, which are round pastries filled with lotus seed paste instead of grandma' apple pie. Friends and relatives also send mooncakes to each other as a way of giving thanks. Dragon and lion dances, whose origins also date back to ancient China, are wonderful dances done during festivals, especially exciting are the dragon and lion dances. Free Parking and Free Admission!

When I was a child, I recall this was the annual sidewalk sale. I suppose over the years, it was…read morerenamed to Annual Summer Festival. In any case, it's still a sidewalk sale!!! I have not been in many years. There aren't much interesting stands anymore - tshirts, sweatshirts, summer dresses and tanks, dollar store items.. just to name a few. There were a few food vendors and 1 merry-go-round. What happened to the moonwalk!? In short, this is lame. Now I know why my 18 yr old cousin refused to come along!

Sadly, we only caught two of the nine days of this massively amazing (and FREE) festival, but boy…read morewere they good ones: - Saturday night (7/20) - 2-hour Mighty Mighty Bosstones concert in the Boston Common - Sunday afternoon (7/21) - Variety of musical acts and food/vendor tents at City Hall Plaza The vibe during the events was extremely vibrant and friendly, and there was incredible energy throughout both days, ESPECIALLY during the Bosstones concert on Saturday night. From the announcements and some Googling, this entire thing was carefully assembled (and funded) by Ted Cutler, and I have to say, this was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced in an already awesome city! I hope this festival returns next year, and if it lines up with a Yanks/Sox series at Fenway (as it did this year) we'll definitely be scheduling our next Beantown visit so we can enjoy it all! Thanks for an unbelievable time!

9 days of FREE ENTERTAINMENT? YES...at the Outside The Box…read moreFestival! In it's first year taking over the Boston Common, this festival was lightly attended by mostly locals. I predict next year, if there is one, to be HUGE. This event featured many types of artists, and something for every taste and age. I saw Dean and his touring band, of Jan and Dean fame, followed by The Dunwells, a young, English pop band. Also took in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," and "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" as well. THE DEAL: Plan your vacation to Boston next year to coincide with this fun festival. This is a family friendly way to spend the day... or even the entire week. I went back for more every day!

So the enchanted village is something I would recommend you try at least once. It's a seasonal…read moreevent and I would say also a way to increase demand by limiting it's availability. The village portion is free and then you can get tickets to see the laser show, the 4d ride, play a carnival style reindeer racing game, go down a tube slide, get an expensive picture with Santa and get their famous blueberry muffins. You probably have to buy tickets in advance to get the hours you want for the shows but no reservation needed for the other things you can do. It's a nice experience which personally I wouldn't do often, maybe every few years or so, but kids tend to enjoy it so if you have kids you might end up having to do it every year :p. It's cheaper than a carnival and an indoor experience during the cold days of the winter.

We love our annual tradition of visiting the enchanted village. The place is clean and fun. The…read morevillage exhibit is magical with the snow. I wish they would let it snow longer or more frequent bc a first time visitor could walk through and miss the best part. Rudolph 4D is great for children.

I love chocolate and I can't think of a better way to kick off the weekend in the middle of what I…read morefind a gloomy, harsh winter. With some light entertainment (music troupe) and chocolate, what more can you ask for at this 10th year of the festival? Line started forming around 12/12:15PM. We were lucky that today was warmer in comparison to weeks ago but it easily could have been frigid. I do suggest being prepared attire wise in case. By the time I left with a full plate of samples (fudge, ganache, chocolate dipped bacon, tiramisu, Starbucks brownies, Crema Cafe brownie/chocolate cake, JP Licks hazelnut ice cream and more), the line extended over 5 blocks long. I wish I was able to document all the goodies and vendors but it was too crowded to take pictures of every stand. As per the event website (http://harvardsquare.com/events/legendary-10th-taste-chocolate-festival-harvard-square), these are the vendors: Benedetto Cabot's Candy DAVIDs TEA Flour Bakery Freepoint Hotel Harvest Henrietta's Table JP Licks Parsnip Pressed Juicery Roseadela's Seacoast Sweets Starbucks Tatte Bakery & Cafe Toscano Zinneken's Suggestions for a more organized event though I could see how some of these may be difficult to execute: - Have previous registration - Use a fenced in area to ensure that those waiting in line can get a fair chance at getting samples - it seemed like anyone off the street could just join in at lightly crowded vendors instead of waiting in line for a plate that organizers hand out at the beginning; vendors are too busy to regulate who waits in line or not - Token/raffle ticket system - i.e. give a string of 12 tickets and each patron can use their tickets how they choose; in this way, there are more samples to go around Overall, I enjoyed the event, recommend it, and would definitely come again.

Who doesn't love free chocolate? The Harvard Square Chocolate Festival is an annual tradition (now…read morein its 8th year) and occurs over one weekend in late January. The festival culminates in a one-hour free chocolate tasting event that is held in Brattle Square, usually from 1-2pm on a Saturday. I attended the one-hour tasting today, and it was fantastic! The lines start to form around 12:30pm, so getting there early is a must. Also note that the event is outside, so dress warmly since you will probably be standing in line in the cold for 30 minutes to an hour. Once the line starts moving, it goes fast. The event features a lot of local businesses like J.P. Licks, Ben and Jerry's, Crema Cafe, and so on, and you basically pick up a plate and then move along the line to different tents in order to grab free samples. Some of the goodies that I got today were: - cup of hot chocolate from Shake Shack - scoop of chocolate ice cream from Ben and Jerry's - scoop of chocolate ice cream from J.P. Licks - mini chocolate covered cannoli from Toscano (delicious! My favorite item) - chili chocolate mini cupcake from Crema Cafe - Chocolate chip cookie from UNO's - Bite-sized portion of chocoalte cake from Wagamama - Chocolate square with a dab of honey from Follow the Honey - Sponge cake from El Jefe's - Fudge from Cabot Candy Most of the vendors also have free coupons and discounts that you can grab to encourage you to visit their stores. There was also a music group that was playing, and it contributed to the festive atmosphere of the event. Overall, I was very happy with the event - I just wish it could happen during the summer when it isn't so cold to stand outside!

I look forward to Japan festival Boston every year: fabulous food; Japanese, cultural…read moreentertainment; local Japanese exhibitors, and vendors. Only downside (not the festival's fault): for the first time this year, the college crowd has taken over with pushy, rude entitlement... The exact opposite of Japanese culture. THE DEAL: if you want to experience Japanese culture, right here at home, Boston's Japan festival is free and fabulous!

I volunteered at Japan Festival Boston. As a volunteer you can get T-shirt and quick pass. T-shirt…read morewas only large size: a bit disappointing. Most volunteers are Japanese, why is the T-shirt American large (equivalent to extra large in Japan) size? For food concession stands: there are many good stuff, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, ramen, udon, coffee, desert. A little expensive and very long line. There is room to improve. Probably to experience Japanese culture for non-Japanese people, it is a great opportunity.

This event was great! There were many many beer tenders offering tastings. A few food vendors for…read moresale.

Let me start by saying I'm obsessed with this concept. I love beer and I love the zoo. Fusing the…read moretwo? Genius. I was thoroughly impressed with how many different beer vendors there were (plus, some snacks vendors too). Plus, it felt exciting to explore the zoo at night, definitely a first. I think the only thing that could be improved for next year are the beer and snack portion sizes. Each attendee received a small plastic cup which would typically be filled with beer a quarter of the way by vendors (after oftentimes waiting in line). I understand it's a zoo, not a bar, but I would have loved a chance to truly enjoy the beer I was sampling. Also, the snack offerings could have been more generous. Don't get me wrong though, I had an amazing time and would definitely consider coming back next year!

Great event! The lines were huge though. Please just take my money and give me food sooner! Perhaps…read morethe event numbers could have been calculated better. The line for what looked like the most popular stall- for street food, including lots of grilled meat on sticks, papaya salad, and tons of other yummy looking options stretched beyond the food designated area and into the carnival games area. A couple of lines were like that, and I just had to live with not getting food or drink from those stalls. I remember the egg roll cafe truck from a past year. Their fusion egg rolls do not disappoint! So crisp. Got the Buffalo chicken one. Also got Japanese curry fries, which definitely worked flavor wise- the curry had kind of a gravy quality, and there was a creamy sauce, seaweed, and scallions. Also tried Nigerian food for the first time, which I was surprised to find there. I appreciated the way all the flavors came together- the special rice, plantains, and spice encrusted thin piece of beef on a stick. I was stuffed, but I wish I could have kept eating. Also saw some awesome drinks in the drink section- including one AAPI owned brand, and boozy boba that had an awesome presentation (it lit up!) The carnival games were also a hit. I secretly would have loved to win a snorlax or a two sided octopus. I was one bean bag away from winning! I guess it just wasn't my day, because at the MUJI tent I also only won a gel pen- they had a wheel that you spun. I preferred a past year, where they gave everyone notebooks. Loved those notebooks- sadness. Will just have to buy them at the store, lol.

Visiting from California and this was a great treat! At the end we snacked on Apple cider and…read moretoasted almonds!