This was an interesting experience. First time hearing about this event. It was quite busy on the…read morefirst day and loud. We went right at opening and was able to get parking on the lawn, which was managed by police and volunteers. Outside has tents for frappes and some desserts. The main hall has seating and vendors all around. Walking through the hallway leads to the main kitchen area where there are two lines - one for actual food and the one in the back just for desserts. Both can take a while. If you're there with two people, I would split up here. Finding seating is the next problem as it rained during this time. But it cleared up and most people took it to go. The live music was loud, but you wanted that because of how many people were there and talking. They do serve alcohol on premises and they had a "Bar" corner. Fun experience for the area and while you're driving around, you see some nice houses.

The weekend before the St. Katherine's Greek festival in Falls Church was the St. George in…read moreBethesda, which is a bit of a drive but worth going to Maryland as it's always well organized and a lot to do/see/eat. They have multiple outdoor areas with tents for food options like the coffee (frappe) and it can be customized according to your liking. There's Loumoumades which were well cooked, fried so it's crispy enough and also enough honey/syrup. There's other food too when you go inside and we managed to catch the dance performance at the stage. This church hall also has a flea market and multiple vendors. And there's a large area/section towards the back where there are pastries and other goodies to buy like Greek pasta, candy, coffee bags, etc. Even though the lines can seem long, they actually do move pretty quick. There was also pistachio ice cream this year with the Greek sour cherry spread on top reminiscent of what I'd enjoy when I travel to Greece. The parking lot does tend to fill up pretty quick so folks can do street parking, and they have volunteered directing crowds as well.

We use to really enjoy coming to this annual event but it's progressively gone downhill. A lot of…read moremarketing and seldom do the food vendors display the ticket costs until you ask. Fun with small children for maybe a couple hours. Huge increase in Latino and Asian foods, be careful a couple of the dishes were so bad we threw most away. Also the cost for what you get continues to climb. My 2 pics were 4 tickets each which converts to $8 apiece? Yikes.

Bad service and mediocre food. Disappointing, nothing homemade or special about it. Just average…read morechicken and French fries. I seriously think Popeyes is better

Everything I expected and more. Showed up before the open time and the line was already…read moreestablished. That had to mean good things are awaiting indoor. Once we were in, most people moved toward baked goods and got something that they get every year. Everybody new ahead of the opening what they want so this is a serious festival where you have to earn the rights for fresh bread or cakes - you snooze/you loose. Meatballs were the best ever! It made me think I eat something sophisticated that took many hours to prepare as the taste exploded in my mouth. The crown jewel of the food (no pun intended) was Princess Cake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_cake It was worth coming just for that!. This festival will give you exactly what you expect - it will open in exact time, it will have Swedish products that you want to have and food will not disappoint. The food really fits in the Fall schedule. Date for 2016 Festival is November 5, 2016 @ 11:00 am

Why wouldn't that have a shady area or more cooling stations…read more Non gender porta potty's - gross. Very little choices for picky kids, vegan or other diets- maybe pack your own stuff. Fair food.

The Fairfax Fair is a Northern Virginia social institution!…read more Most people's first initiation into this yearly carnival is sometime around high school when they hold hands with a certain special someone on the ferris wheel or if they took the group date route, had worn matching tee shirts emblazoned with their crew's name in neon grafitti writing. Either way, the Fairfax Fair is the start of many, many blissful summer memories. A few of mine include: 1) The time I volunteered for a major sponsor of the event to dress up as the Cow from Cartoon Network's "Cow & Chicken". All of these little kids tried to pull my udders and punch me in the eye (which was conveniently located through Cow's open mouth). 2) The time my best friend performed on the Budweiser stage with her hs sign language choir. It was like an awkward scene out of Napoleon Dynamite that I will cherish in my heart forever. Whatever your age, gender, race, or socio-economic class the Fairfax Fair has something for everyone. Meat on a stick? Check. Laser light shows and fireworks? Check. Carnival rides? Check. Crazy circus carneys? Double check. Burnt out music artists from the 80's? QUADRUPLE CHECK!!! Musical guests have included eighties wonder kids Rick Springfield, Pat Benatar, Rob Base, Flava Flav, and more! I am secretly hoping that the Backstreet Boys will be hitting the county fair circuit soon so I can take care of some unfulfilled high school dreams. So anyways, what are you waiting for? The Fairfax Fair is coming to town this Friday, Saturday and Sunday!! Buy your tickets now -- the Fairfax Fair is your chance to do the Hump with Digital Underground himself. PS: If you don't know how to do the Humpty Dance here are a few rules: #1) Limp to the side like your leg is broken #2) Shake and twitch kinda like you're smokin'

Amazing free all day jazz festival on the plaza. Last year I think it was the day before Father's…read moreDay. Also a great way to get people from all over the region and even some visitors like my dad to support the many amazing businesses in Downtown Silver Spring.

The Silver Spring Jazz Festival is an enjoyable event. There was a variety of jazz styles and…read moreartists, which I appreciated. It didn't really get busy until after 5. There are some benches but it's best to bring your own chairs. The beer garden was disappointing because it was only beer--no wine, mead, or cider. And there were only two breweries with limited offerings. It was a cute setup but the furniture looked flea-ridden. We sat on the least chairs with the least amount of fabric. Food and shopping vendors were limited and disappointing as well. One Thai food vendor that has awful food and then some stands that looked like they belonged at Fiesta Shows. Better to support local downtown restaurants. So when you come to this event, you are really coming for the music. Which is fine because the music was really good. I've been to a few DTSS events and this was the best one by far. Every other event has been dismal and I want better for Silver Spring. But the Jazz Festival is worth it.

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.

I have not seen anybody looking at the phone screen @ this festival which is a testament of things…read morebeing interesting and moving quickly. Entertainment was great: starting with the basic African drumming, continued with the dance and followed by steel drums music with a lot of good fillers between (African Zumba and South African country dance). The vendors offered very unique items to buy - from minerals to clothing and sandals and jewelry. Sales people were very kind and willing to explain the meaning of everything they were selling. It was a teaching moment for kids to see the works of art featuring Mandela. The venue was perfect, 7 story garage right at the venue, big parking lot nearby and street closed. The menu was interesting - a true African cuisine. My choice - it turned out very good - was a food vendor from Ivory Coast. Croaker fish was delicious and it offered a different experience just by virtue of having to pull the meat from the bone instead of eating it in a fish stick. The fish was wonderful, not fatty but flaky. The couscous was not North African but West African style and slightly sour. Plantains were divine (soft and sweet) and doughnuts different (consistency more like bread - a bit harder). Rice and greens met my expectation. I did not notice any North African country represented in the entertainment or in vending shop. Most northern products were from Ethiopia selling under premise of African art. This is a very convenient, very fast pace and fun festival with good food.

Such a fun way to spend an afternoon...you can't find so many different types of art from jewelry…read moreto stained glass ornaments to paintings to photography. So many amazing things to look at and purchase...wish it happened more than just annually. Also wish there some more food options and a beer or wine garden so you could make an entire afternoon out of the event other than just walking through....

A-RTS is a world class art and crafts fair held in Rockville Town Square. You can't ask for a…read morebetter location outdoors because it's adjacent to metro, lots of free parking, and the atmosphere is low-key. The calibre of artists and craftspeople who are presenting their creations is truly top notch. You can acquire some incredible large-format sculpture and art (or just oggle at the inventiveness and craft of the artists). However, if you are simply dabbling in token gifts and small home decorations, this fair won't fail you either. With a broad variety of styles and of price points, everyone can score something unique and fanciful. By discussing the craft and choices with the artist, you can feel truly good about supporting local artists. This arts fair evokes the best of people-to-people markets which is frankly a dying experience given the prevalence of the mall retail world. If this festival was held in downtown DC it would be chockablock full of people and the atmosphere would feel a lot more pressured and crowded. I know that is good for the sellers, but as a buyer I couldn't have been happier with the mellow, small-town feel of Rockville Town Center. Nearby you have a plethora of restaurants in which to dine/relax after taking a turn through the stalls. See my review of Rockville Town Square for selections. While attending I learned about arts communities nearby, including a pottery crawl in Richmond VA which I will surely try to attend. This is a wonderful experience and I would recommend all to savor the riches of arts in our local community through this fair.

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!