30th Annual Lunar New Year (TET) festival loudly celebrated decades of strong presence of hard…read moreworking and crafty Vietnamese community in Maryland. This was the second time I attended this festival and I saw no glaring differences. Lots of music, lion dance, even "adorable children contest" (I saw only adorable children) is a standard staple of celebrating New Year. Lot of flowers (apricot blossoms) that are traditional blooms for Viet New Year makes this event very colorful. And then there are drinks and food. Sweet Vietnamese coffee and bubble tea are everywhere. Women were busy making Banh Mi. Dozen other stands offered various Vietnamese food specialties but they all carried the spring rolls. This is not very diverse festival and I really stuck out (maybe because I am super tall). Yes, the spring rolls and meat balls were affordable and delicious but the best thing that I could have hoped for (something new and different) happened when I saw the stand serving CHAO LONG. The Cháo lòng is actually quite mild and surprisingly palatable. The consistency may be a turn off to some, but I completely embraced its subtle chewiness (slices of pork liver and heart and added blood sausage). Cháo lòng is certainly not the most aesthetically pleasing dish, but its flavors and textures more than make up for its lack of presentation. Fresh bean sprouts, scallions, rice, fresh ground pepper, lime wedges addition to the broth and meat create a really flavorful dish that I enjoyed very much. I was very happy to make a pilgrimage to TET Vietnamese New Year again and this was my second New Year this year while still expecting Chinese, Tao, Persian and Ethiopian New Year's celebration to follow.

Peruvian festival is a festival of happy and friendly Peruvians and friends of Peru that just…read morecelebrated its 30th anniversary. The parking was good, no entrance fee, a lot of free stuff (ice creams, water, bags, jello's, etc...), plenty of Peruvian food choices. Entertainment was rich and fun as you can tell by the pictures - they even had the horses do the tricks... I had food that I had never tried before: Anticuchos - marinated and grilled calf hearts, was delicious meal, with the taste and texture close to a calf liver. Picarones - Peruvian doughnuts were soft and sweet. I was expecting they will be soggy but they were perfect, melting in mouth. This festival is very colorful, and had all the colors under the sun, not just red and whites (their flag). The festival is family friendly and even had a NPS stand where kids can learn and touch objects. Only problem with that is the lack of alcohol (I would have loved a Peruvian beer) but that is a small price to pay for an excellent Peruvian experience.

The 9th annual World of Montgomery Festival is held each year in October to celebrate the rich…read morediversity of Montgomery County through international music, food, dance, culturally authentic arts demos, hands-on activities, and more. It is visible that the county cares about this event and one of the many proofs is that they even created a "kids passport" where kids can get a stamp in one of or all of the international tents. There was enough food (7 different vendors) but I liked the best palak paneer from Tandori nights. The cheese actually had a defined taste that complimented the spinach. There was so much to do and see and maybe the only complain to post is that it was almost too much of it on a very small area. I would recommend having one stage instead of two. I know that is hard because there was so much to showcase and so little time but two loud concerts within 600 feet is too much - along with other sounds that were presents. The parade of the cultures was so much fun!! I wish we have a Holiday where all the ethnic fabric that America is made off would dance and present them like they did it at the World of Montgomery Festival. It was amazing to see a National Federation for Blind (live the life you want) to march along - they may have got the loudest applause. No entrance fee, plenty of stuff for the entire family, affordable ethnic meals, free parking all makes it very attractive and friendly festival. Besides waving the African basket or making Ukrainian bread you could have witnessed many science and STEM experiments (live) which emphasized the role of the education for all. Everybody was happy to contribute their piece for this great diversity event - as much as we participants enjoyed it watching it. The pictures will tell the rest of the story.

Had a great time at the 2026 Strawberry Festival despite the hot weather. For the first time we…read morebrought something to sit on, but I felt it may have limited our movement around the festival. We got there early even though the event started at 10am. Tickets were viewed on our devices and hands stamped with a red strawberry. I noticed they were still selling tickets at the admissions tent. A line had been created to enter the festival, and they allowed us in at 9:55am. Music, Food, Vendors, and all things Strawberry. I missed out on the Strawberry Shortcake this year - the line was very long, and I didn't want to wait. I'll have to catch it another time. I tried OG Tacos at the PhoWheels tent. It is listed as Vietnamese style tacos with one of 3 protein selections topped with cilantro, pickled carrots and daikon, siracha lime mayo and placed in a roti canai (Malaysian flatbread). The protein I selected was chicken thigh. I wanted to include an add-on per what was shown on their standing menu board, but they shared add-ons were not available. There was another item unavailable which I discovered on a later visit but that didn't stop me as these tacos were so delicious (it comes with two). I would go to their restaurant just to get it again. I also got their Thai Tea (also good). Others with us tried a different food tent that served Ghanaian food at Kuk's Tribute Cuisine tent. One got Jollof Rice Platter with Baked Chicken Leg Quarter, fried plantains, sauteed veggies, and tomato stew and enjoyed their dish, while another got Fried Rice Platter with Baked Chicken Leg Quarter and fried plantains only, but didn't enjoy their dish due to an aftertaste. Food vendors this year (that I saw) included: Amano Real Fruit; Black Horse Kettle Corn; Churros Inc; Dalat Deli; Halal Cousins Shawarma; Kuk's Tribute Cuisine; PhoWheels; Rice Around the World (they seemed to be the only tent that had no sign as to who they were); Rustic Route Coffee; San Valentino Pizza; Taco Dirty To Me; The Crepe Shoppe. There were also a Beer Garden and a Cocktail Garden as well. Music-wise there were dance performances and musicians playing on a stage. One of the highlights on the Main Stage was the Miyako Taiko drummers. It was cool to see them playing in rhythm. This event had something for everyone at this year's festival - you just had to be there. I'm glad the ground had lots of trees to shade us from the sun, and picnic tables were available if you knew where to look for them. Parking was at 3 spots this year including the high school across the street from the festival, and the others were down the street at the elementary school and a church across from it. Since those 2 satellite lots were not really within walking distance, they provided a shuttle to bus those patrons to and from the event and also offered them a $1 coupon off the Strawberry Shortcake (a bonus). It rained lightly for a very short time, but I saw it as a way of cooling down the heat in the air (somewhat). Overall, there was a great turnout again. I did not visit all the vendors this year, which was a first for me at this festival, but I still had fun throughout the time I attended it.

It seems like there's one review a year for this festival and 2024 is my year!…read more This festival celebrates Cambodian New Year which is done by date and not lunar cycle like some of its neighbors (China, Vietnam, etc.). There is everything you could possibly want at a festival like this but most importantly, the food. There will be stuff that you'll recognize and stuff that you won't but I encourage you to try more of the latter than the former. Just look at what other people are eating and go and find that. One thing that everyone can seem to agree on is the sugar cane juice. It's fresh - it's delicious - and it may be good for you...who knows? There are musical and dancing performances and everyone walking around seemed to be in a great mood. Go early...go often...go hungry.

Upon arrival at 12pm most vendors had started to pack up, many booths were sold out of food and if…read moreyou were in line for the sugar cane drink it didn't move for the 10minutes we stood there. I have some Cambodia friends who have told me lots of good things about the one in Philadelphia so I had high hopes for here but maybe better luck next timem

The weather looked threatening with the potential to soak the 2013 Edition of Sound Bites…read more However, the rain held off and attendees were treated to one of the city's best charity food and music festivals that topped 2012's event. Like last year's Sound Bites, the event was held in and around the 9:30 Club with all proceeds going to a worthy cause, DC Central Kitchen. Also, like last year, there was plenty of live musical entertainment, but perhaps the threat of rain resulted in it all (except for the DJ and the always energetic Batala) being moved indoors to the 9:30's stage. This year's iteration, however, offered a bigger (and better) lineup of participating restaurants serving up a wider range of delicious bites. Thankfully, that also meant that there were many food offerings beyond "sliders". Food highlights... Chef Jeff Black/Black Jack's ceviche, Chef Victor Albisu/Del Campo's grilled salmon campechana, Bar Pilar's Peruvian ceviche, Jaleo's huge chicken and sausage paella, Rappahannock River Oysters' Olde Salts, and Astro Doughnuts' unique array of tasty doughnuts. Frankly, every food booth offered up tasty bites with no clunkers. I left satisfied. This year's cocktail competition was a battle for 14th St. bragging rights as crack bartending teams from Bar Pilar faced off against The Gibson while Black Jack battled Birch & Barley. The finals pitted The Gibson against Birch & Barley with the all-female team from Birch & Barley eeking out the win. Who knew Birch & Barley even served cocktails? Once again, though, samples of the competitors' cocktails weren't available to event attendees. If there's one thing that hinders Sound Bites from 5-star status is the cost and quality of drinks. $4 for a bottle of water?!?!?! $5 for Natty Boh?!?!?! $8 for a John Daly or this blue slushie?!?!? The 9:30 Club monopolized drink concessions. I can only hope that the proceeds from its beverage sales also went to DC Central Kitchen. Given the wealth of restaurants and bars serving amazing beers, wines, and cocktails in this city especially considering many were participating at this year's Sound Bites, it was a shame that they weren't able to also serve drinks. I would've gladly paid for them. Oh well. Sound Bites, in my mind, is DC's best-kept charity food event secret. It offers great food at a great price for a great cause. Sound Bites in 2014? It's a date!

Considerering the oldest human origins and human migration,…read morehttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0603/feature2/map.html , and welcoming hosts, my Ethiopian New Year in Alexandria was celebrated with my family. In Ethiopia ans Eritrea two calendars are being used. The Julian calendar, that precedes our Gregorian calendar, says that the New Year is on September 11 this year hence the celebration on Friday.. The Youth Choir from Mariam Orthodox church in DC and Fendika troupe from Ethiopia made this New Year truly special. Youth looked like they enjoyed singing and I am willing to chase Fendika troupe across the DMV region and pay a concert ticket to enjoy them again. I am so sorry that nobody has had arranged for them to perform at the Kennedy Center Millennium stage. They were fun, engaging - you just cannot close your ear or eyes when they perform because you may miss another brilliant note or move. Durant Art Center and city of Alexandria exceeded all the expectations in celebrating the diversity. The National Council for adoption that helped for 15,000 kids from Ethiopia to be adopted in DMV region in the past 17 years made it all better and even more family affair. Free parking (check), metro access (check), kids activities (check), cultural presentation video/pictures/ (check). Food really comes at the end of the list. It is not important what you serve when you are among the friends, but the food did not disappoint. The pictures will show Ethiopian "pancake bread" and huge assortment of the food offered. The food was eaten with the fingers or the utensils - whatever your comfort level was. It was a bit spicy for me (not accustomed to it) - not spicy to seek water but spicy to have my nose run a little. I enjoyed trying something new and I enjoyed being emerged in another culture (with my very distant relatives).... Happy New Year!

Annual Hungarian Bazaar kept the quality with the food quality, food choices, cultural program and…read moreabove all amazing work of all volunteers. The volunteers are highly motivated, having a hawk's eye for any possible assistance. I was given a napkin (that I forgot) and had plates taken (as soon as I finished) and when I tried, in the second round, to trash more plates, I was "denied" by a volunteer who assisted me and did it himself for me. Food came to me with a speed of fast food restaurants - if not faster. My pasta with pork and been soup were delicious as expected. Definitely smooth and fatty in a good way. It is sad that I have to wait a year to repeat my good experience. Dobos torte was just like it should be (elaborate and fancy) (all tortes are cakes but not all cakes are tortes). The crowd was actually diverse, married-in or just visiting (like me). Once again, extending my wishes for a successful fundraiser and congratulations for a job done well!