This was an amazing event to start Derby Season. The incredible local cuisine, the festive attire…read moreand atmosphere made for a really fun night. I enjoyed trying samples from restaurants that I have never heard of. It was nice to add a few restaurants and spirits to my list to try. It was really hard to vote for my favorite!

Fantastic event for Dare to Care fundraiser Taste of Derby Festival held at Slugger Field…read more This event was organized SO WELL and included free parking in the main lot next to the stadium, easy entry with a QR code, and well laid out vendors throughout a broad and open span. Plenty of seating, trash cans, and staff in abundance. We tried beverages of wine, cocktails, and coffee drinks. Appetizers of cheese, meatballs, shrimp, bisque, chicken wings, and Reuben wontons. Entree items of pulled pork sliders, lobster Mac and cheese, chicken tenders, and fried chicken pieces. We were stuffed over the course of a couple of hours of nibbling and noshing and chatting. We meandered from one end of the stadium displays to the other and then back again. Almost certainly only visited 1/2 of the booths, but that's okay. Would repeat this experience again annually!

I can't say we were impressed this year by the booth offerings this year. Sure, it's scheduled a…read moreweek after the Saint James Art Fair in Louisville that is one of the best art fairs in the nation. Perhaps that's unfair to the Harvest Homecoming folks but seeing political booths, "home improvement" vendor booths, and free Bible study classes is not the type of arts and crafts festival that appeals to us. Add to the fact that the nearby parking garage raised parking rates from $5 to $10 for an event in which we were there an hour and came back empty handed doesn't help. Although there were plenty of food booths(we didn't see the Boy Scout booth that sells roasted corn this year) there was literally no empty tables and getting a booth inside a restaurant was impossible. We ended up back in Louisville to grab lunch.

This was my first time visiting Harvest Homecoming. I came strictly for the doughnuts. Since over…read moreheard so many stories about them. I also grabbed me some island noodles as well. I must say, everything I've heard about these doughnuts being delicious. It's absolutely accurate. Come visit.

The Frankfort Avenue Easter Parade has become one of my favorite neighborhood traditions!…read more This was our third year of attending, and my kids now eagerly look forward to it each year. So now that we are a few years in, we know how to time our Saturday before Easter to make the most of it. We start by attending the Easter egg hunt at 10 a.m. the Peterson Dumesnil House a few blocks away. After we get our fill, we walk back, with my husband and kids finding our parade spot at the top of our street. We've been lucky to take our kids to these events in wagons, which helps keep them in one place for a while. I walk back to get our camp chairs and anything else from our house. By the time I make it back to our spot, the parade is about to start, around 11:30 a.m. And like in years past, the parade last 1-2 hours. If it's an election year, the parade goes on longer. And my kids always come away with full buckets of candy. Parenting tip: Recycle the candy by putting it in Easter eggs for the next day. ;-) Need coffee? Hop over to Heine Brothers! Need breakfast? Go to Con Huevos. This parade is so fun and wholesome, it's really hard not to smile through it.

Great day for a parade. The community did a great job as always. Very family-friendly kids all got…read morelots of candy and had fun getting it.

We hadn't been to the Gaslight Festival in years and decided to make it part of our Saturday…read moremorning. My husband and I went early enough to not be uncomfortably surrounded by people while visiting the vendor booths. Booths were a mixture of local businesses and groups or small business vendors selling earrings, candles, soaps, cookies, clothing and more. The food vendors were similar to being at the state fair, offering lemonade, corn dogs and funnel cakes. My favorite snack was the popcorn. For the kids they offered a variety of activities - bouncy houses and carnival rides. The Gaslight Festival is actually a few days of events. Most popular activities are the 5k, parade and car show. Street parking can be tough to find but some organizations offer their lot for a small parking fee, which raises money for their group. Keep this in mind if you're wanting to visit a restaurant in the area. (You're likely not going to be able to park at their private lot)

The Jtown Gaslight Festival is a relaxed neighborhood affair -- a perfect festival to close out the…read moresummer with. I was impressed with the amount of booths at this festival -- probably two or three blocks' worth. And these booths included a mix of local businesses and nonprofits, artists and cheaper gifts. For example, if you bring a child and want to buy him/her something inexpensive, you can probably find it here. There is also a car show, which is fun to browse, as well as rides, live music and a variety of fair food. The kettle corn stand made the main thoroughfare smell amazing and rightfully so had a decently long line, which included me. A favorite part was that walking the streets of the festival allowed me to slow down enough to really take in the buildings and businesses lining downtown Jtown. I didn't know that Jtown had its on archeological society, for example. It also provided me an opportunity to check out the new Feast BBQ that just opened in downtown Jtown. Parking was decently easy to come by -- an added plus. It seems like Jtown is becoming a more and more popular place to live and do business. It was fun to see all of this on display at the Gaslight Festival.

I have never been to Louder than Life or Bourbon & Beyond, which are the other festivals put on by…read morethe same promoter. I didn't really know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. It also helped that I got weekend GA tickets on Groupon for $50. First of all, there are some kinks to be worked out. Most ATMs didn't work on Saturday and despite what the website said - most vendors didn't take cards. Not knowing what to expect, I was woefully unprepared. I was in the middle of the crowd, near the stage for Tim McGraw. It was so hot and I was so dehydrated that I left the crowd and my friends and watched the remainder of the show from further back. Sunday - I was better prepared. You were able to bring in an unopened bottled water each day. Parking was easy both days and I didn't wait long to get out at the end of each day. Food was delicious. I got some pulled pork from the BBQ place that just melted in your mouth. I also had a drink from the tiki bar. Drinks were overpriced but that's to be expected with festivals. For the first time out, this festival had some HUGE names! Everyone I saw put on a hell of a show. I hope this becomes an annual event because I had a hell of a time!

This review is for the VIP experience. Perks: close to the…read morestage, could watch the headliners and not have people on top of you all the time. Vip bar had many bartenders and lines were never long for a drink. Air conditioned bathrooms were nice. Little to no lines when ordering food. Shade and mister fans nearby. Cons: the pavilion while providing shade, also kept the heat in. It was cooler outside of the tent. Not all beverages were available at the vip bar- there were more options outside of VIP. Although there were couches and tables, hammocks and benches, they were all taken. There wasn't enough to go around. There was only one way in and out of the stage area, so if you were up close, it took forever to get out to get back to the bar. Overall, having some personal space and shade was really worth it. And not having to wait in line for anything was huge. However, the festival needs major improvements. First, they need WiFi whether free or paid because it's impossible to text anyone to communicate. Also, nothing was getting uploaded to social media. And the map in the Hometown Rising app could not load because of slow service. At the end of the show, ordering an Uber or Lyft was impossible. We couldn't connect with the server. Second, the entry process needs help. Our tickets were scanned and we made our way to VIP. When we got there, they wouldn't let us enter because we had no lanyard or bracelet! We should've been given those when we entered. The VIP guy told us to wait in the vip upgrade line for our bracelets or go to the festival booth. That line was over an hour long. So while my date waited in line, I took our tickets and hiked all the way back to the entrance to see the guys at the designated driver/special needs booth. They had no idea how to help. Then I went to the entrance to ask and was pointed to the other entrance. Thankfully they were able to help me there but it was a hike back and forth throughout the festival to try to get what should've been given to us when we arrived!!!! Drink selection was meager. They had natty light seltzer water in one flavor which was gross. They had cheap beers and nothing imported other than Stella, and the best bourbon they offered was old Forester. The food was tasty. I had a pulled pork sandwich no bun with coleslaw. We ate at the standing room only bar top with random people since no seating was available. The artists themselves were awesome. We really enjoyed Jake Owen, Keith Urban and Luke Bryan. Sound was good. The video screens worked well. They did a good job keeping everyone on time. Overall, I had a great time at the festival. But I wished for some improvements, especially in knowledge/organization of the staff there. I would attend the event again, pending who is playing, and I would absolutely get VIP so I can enjoy my space and short lines.

NuLu Fest remains one of my favorite neighborhood festivals in Louisville…read more Some things I love about it: * The varied booths, which bring out a wide array of goods and crafts that I don't always see at other festivals. It's usually a mix of local brands and smaller artisans. * The great local businesses. Don't miss out on actually going into the businesses when you're walking along Market Street. Revelry, Red Tree, Louisville Cream, Paxton's, Clayton & Crume, Muth's -- this is one of the best areas for shopping and shouldn't be missed. * The great beer and bourbon brands that are also selling drinks. Akasha Brewing is our favorite brewery, and I love grabbing a beer from them and strolling the festival. * The entertainment. NuLu Fest usually brings out some smaller acts as well as a more marquis musical entertainer. * All the other odd bits mixed in. For example, during the most recent fest, a circus troupe performed in the middle of the street. NuLu Fest is also a great opportunity to just catch up on what's happened in the neighborhood. There are nooks and crannies along this stretch, and I love spying the small businesses and unique views that pop up. NuLu is always fun to visit -- even more so during NuLu Fest.

A fun afternoon. Large enough to handle large crowds. Lots of stops for food or drink along…read moremarket street. And of course, lots of food trucks. Great crafts. Cold beer. Good music. Worth every penny. Oh, wait. Admission is free!!

The South Points Buy Local Fair at Iroquois Park was a cute community event promoting the area. The…read morefair was easy to find and offered free parking and admission. Though small, it offered a good variety of local businesses selling plants, t-shirts, honey, crafts, running gear, etc., as well as a silent auction. Live music and a DJ provided a lively atmosphere, while kids enjoyed the bouncy house and the nearby playground. Health screenings were available at the UofL Health booth, and the water company offered free cold water. Local BBQ restaurant Shack in the Back had a food truck and there was one table selling local beer, wine, and soda. I stopped by the south points tourism booth and learned about some points of interest that led to further Saturday adventures. It was a small fair and only took about 30 min to walk through, but was worth checking out.

Really a pretty cool event inside the iroquois amphitheatre. These buy local events pop up in…read morevarious locations across the city and this was my first visit to the amphitheater site. It was not very large by any means. Probably only about 10 to 12 vendors total but they had some cool art work and a few food vendors. There was live music on stage which was a nice touch. In addition they had a silent auction which was nice. It appeared most of the vendors had donated a piece of art that you could bid on. There is ample parking near the amphitheater clean bathrooms and friendly southend folks. We were meeting friends for dinner elsewhere but did pelurchase a couple of empanadas from one of the food vendors that were excellent. I appreciated it being in the park near my home. I do recommend buy local fairs.

I normally avoid wine/beer festivals in Kentucky as I feel I get a better deal at festivals in…read moreIndiana (Ky wine festivals have drink tickets, Indiana wine festivals don't). However, I won tickets this year through an Instagram contest and had to check it out. First of all, the weather was gorgeous. A friend and I headed downtown after work and parked at the Kentucky Center for the Arts. This made it super easy to leave when we were ready. Getting into the area was a bit of a hassle. There was a person checking IDs. A person to scan your ticket. A person to hand you wine tickets. A person to hand you your glass. And then a person to put your wristband on. Seems that this could be combined somehow. Once inside, there were 16 wineries, multiple food vendors, and several food demonstrations. We made a point not to get the same wines so that we could try each the other. This way - we actually got to try 30 wines. There were plenty of people walking around with cheese and crackers, which was nice to absorb some of the wine. Most wineries were not skimping on the pours and I was definitely glad to have a designated driver. I also loved the photo booth. Such a fun way to end the night! I feel like I've overlooked this event due to being spoiled by Indiana wine festivals. I had such fun that I could absolutely see myself buying tickets to this event in the future!

This was a choosing of myself and my sisters. The weather was perfect and couldn't ask for better…read more We did get to catch the very beginning of the Steamboat race which was exciting. We got to try a few wineries that were there, some I never even heard of. We stuck with mostly wine slushees. 502 winery in my opinion had the best one. There was also one called Jesters Winery that had good slushees. My favorites were 502 Winery and Brooks Hill Winery. The ones from Brooks Hill was Black and Blue and Lillie's summer wine. There was an abundance of cheese, crackers and other fruit to pair with the wine. My reason for 3 stars was I felt there was not enough selection. Only 16 wineries there. Not sure if I'll be back to the wine festival next year or not. We did have a great time.