I've been going to the Puyallup Fair (THAT'S WHAT IT'S CALLED) since I was a child. It's been a…read moreyearly tradition for my family and now that I'm a parent, it's a tradition for my kids too! We recently took our kids for a Dizzy Pass day and MAN those are expensive now. I remember when they use to be like $40 and for both of my kids to get a Dizzy Pass it was $140 which is crazy work. I will say it's worth it to make sure they can do a ton of rides, but still. I feel like they added some rides to Sillyville this year which is always a bonus. My kids had such a blast and they did basically every ride. We were smart in terms of food and packed them lunches because they never end up wanting to eat any actual food from the fair so when we do buy them a $20 meal, it goes to waste. So pro tip - pack your kiddos their own food and cut that cost! My husband and I went back for a date night a week or so after taking the kids so that we could check out the new 1900 Food Hall and Rooftop Bar. The new food choices are good additions - we tried the sandwich spot and the new Asian spot. Both were decent, but next year I definitely want to try the Seattle Dog style corndog. The rooftop bar is a VIBE! Especially at night. They did an awesome job with the space. It's pretty big, with lots of different seating options. Bartenders were nice and tried their best to get through the very long line. Prices were shockingly not bad for the fair and were comparable to a regular bar's prices. Overall it was another great year at the fair and we'll be excited when it rolls around next year!

Came here with Chooksedo Sam and it was a good time, but what the heck was that parking situation?…read moreThe people controlling the traffic were doing so poorly that I parked my car where it was open and free, but they started to come up to my car to have me park again for a third time. The staff trying to control too many cars at once when we could just have road guards managing parked cars or cars in "park mode" then moving staff to guide the cars to drive into certain spots of the lot

What a wonderful annual event celebrating an era and ethnicity! Poulsbo is normally a small yet…read moreadorable "Norwegian themed" town that has deep roots in this culture and is doing everything it can to keep the traditions tied to it alive. This VikingFest occurs yearly in May and involves the entire town. The people are kind and the foods are fabulous. We tried 4 different meat pies and can't tell you which we liked best! It was set up perfectly with the carnival and rides set away from the entertainment, craft, and food vendors that were located near the marina, which kept the lines down. We even attended the Lion's fundraiser Pancake Breakfast on Sunday! It was great. Yummy pancakes, eggs, sausage, etc.! All breakfast funds are going towards the Lion's scholarship. (I was a recipient back when I attended college in the Dark Ages, so please help out this group if/when you can!) Highly recommend this festival that runs Friday afternoon through Sunday.

I love Viking Fest! The weekend is a fun time and no matter whatever day you go, you'll likely…read moreenjoy yourself. Not only do you get to explore all the little shops in downtown Poulsbo, there are many little vendors set up along the waterfront. They range from the same old people that show up at every festival in Kitsap to people specializing in things like drinking horns. They have a carnival ride area that runs throughout the weekend. On Saturday during the festival there is a parade that is a lot of fun to watch. The "vikings" may not be the most authentic, but it is a lot of fun. There is a viking village where you can learn from the people that staff it and are set up in tents and wearing traditional clothing. The stage is filled with all sorts of entertainment throughout the weekend.

This was my first time at this event and I really didn't know what to expect…read more Upon arrival I could see that it was a street vendor event, however, what I didnt' anticipate was the vast number of vendors that were there and the number of streets that were blocked off for the event. It started to rain shortly after I arrived but the rain only lasted about 15 minutes so the "party" kept rolling and I got a free Alaskan Airlines umbrella in the interim. Although I was tempted to purchase a cutting board with a swanky etching, I only ended up buying a hot dog from Dawg Eat Dogs. It was good and I probably should have had two. Well, I did also get a nitro cold brew coffee. They had a few classic cars out there and a stage. I did spend some time gawking over the 66s and 67s - good cars that they don't make anymore. I didn't get to hear or see any performances on the stage but I'm sure that they had something at some point during the Festival. Overall not bad, it was an okay way to spend a dreary day outside without getting too soaked.

This was my first time at a Meeker Days Festival. I was really just in the area for the market and…read morethis happened to be here, so why not, right? This is a street fair that takes up many blocks and on that Saturday just so happened to collide with the farmers market. Surprising number of multi-level-marketing shills here (bleh!!), including Pure Romance...I thought this was a family event!! Many business here to choose from, some of which are actually local. 2 stages for live entertainment, a little classic car show, and a good number of food trucks so you can get the feelings of going to the fair. Overall it was okay.

This year was my first time coming to Taste of Tacoma in Point Defiance Park! Over 200 vendors,…read morethis is the food festival event of the year of the year outside the city for the Tacoma area. Parking is super chaotic so park blocks away and just take the hike to avoid paying $10-$20 dollars for a spot. There are packages called "taste of tacoma" vouchers that work like cash where you pay $18 to get 4, $5 vouchers. This gives you around 4 opportunities to taste different things from vendors that generally have a $5 smaller options. Don't be discouraged by the $5 options - these vouchers work like cash where you can buy anything you desire for around $20. Prices are super overpriced for a lot of the meals but what do you expect at a food festival. I never ate anything that was really life changing at this event but it was a good way to hang out with friends, learn more about some local businesses, and leave feeling full and satisfied. I think if you've never been - it's worthwhile to attend this event if you're around the area!

The Taste of Tacoma has made some improvements. I noticed a lot more food vendors, ATM machines and…read moreplaces to sit and eat. Parking is still a crap shoot however you can catch the bus at TCC if you don't want to deal with finding a park. Once your in you must try the fried Alligator. They have liquor for those that need their fix, there's beer, wines and other drink specials. I had a some type of summer punch that was really refreshing sorry no pics I was kinda thirsty. There's a live band playing that mixes up the music from rock to Beyonce. Expect to spend $10 per vendor for a full size sample sometimes more however most of the samples can be shared by two. If I have nothing else planned I may come back before it ends Sunday.

Sausage Fest is truly a community festival of sausages. Is there accordion music? Check! 3 types of…read moresausage served with warm potato salad and red cabbage? Check! Are there event t-shirts for sale? Triple check! Sausage Fest is a fun all-ages event that has been around for 30 years. It is held at Gull Harbor Lutheran Church. There are two ticket 'donation' prices: One for children and one for adults. The child meal is smaller. It includes one sausage, a roll, warm potato salad, red cabbage, and a dessert. The adult meal includes knockwurst, bockwurst, and kielbasa. Tickets are available at the door or at other community vendors such as Wagner's Bakery. Parking includes the parking lot and the property behind the church. Attendants will show you where to park. When you attend Sausage Fest you should have your ticket in hand when you are ready to be seated. An attendant will take your tickets and place the order for you. You will be seated at a long 'community style' table. There is non-stop accordion and singing. Songs include The Chicken Dance, Roll Out The Barrel, Edelweiss, with some Beatles mixed in. There is a pitcher of water on the table but there is also coffee, tea, and soda available. If you don't mind paying extra you can order the specialty Sausage Fest Root Beer bottled by the Gull Harbor congregation. Honestly, the root beer is one of the reasons I attend! It's delicious and sells out quickly! Assistants are easy to spot because all of the volunteers at the event wear Sausage Fest T-shirts that have an illustration of Martin Luther on the back. If you are unable or uninterested in staying for the event, you can order your meal(s) to go. I was sick one year and had a relative pick up my order. It's a good way to go if you just want a meal without all the hubbub. I for one would rather attend if able. Nothing is better than watching the whole community get down with the Chicken Dance. This event is truly fun for all ages! Other stuff to do at Sausage Fest include buying a t-shirt containing the catchphrase "The Best of the WURST", entering in the raffles for various prizes, and of course, buying Sausage Fest Specialty Root Beer. This event is on the second Friday and Saturday of October. It's a blast and all of the proceeds go to charity. Do you think the sausage-y goodness ends on Saturday? Think again! Any unused food is for sale in bulk the following Sunday after the church service.

This was a very underwhelming event. The amount of booths and sellers in costume was impressive but…read morethe Santa area was depressing and bereft of people and things for kids to do other than coloring. Both my friend and I commented on the gate fee ($10 ahead, $12 at door) when the primary purpose for the fair seemed to be shopping. There were quite a few fabulous local vendors that I loved supporting. I was a little taken back by the amount of MLM booths (Scentsy, Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, Tupperware to name a few). There was not much in the way of entertainment other than some music which was back in a theater. No music piping over the loud speakers or anyone wandering around in costume or things I might expect. The food was standard fair food. I had a beef and cheese piroshki which was tasty. My husband had an excellent veal sausage and great sauerkraut from the food stands. Overall a fun community event but not for the door price. It seems like you would want people spending money on the vendors versus at the door. Wish they had a bit more to engage those who weren't just there to shop shop shop.

I think the Victorian Country Christmas is a great place to support local small business.read more

This was The 4Th Annual Tacoma Craft Beer Festival at the 21st Street Park on the Foss Waterway. It…read morefeathered over 50 breweries from allover. The festival was on Labor Day weekend this year which gave it more of an issue to compete with other happenings on the long holiday weekend. As an avid beer nerd there are several things I look for in these types of events, one is is it at a place that is easy to get to and has plenty of parking and then inside has plenty of places to sit. The next is the level of literature about the beers and the breweries featured. And third the "extras" like food and entertainment. Tacoma Craft Beer Festival is at a nice park next to the Foss Waterway which has a major road that goes overhead creating a large shaded area to sit under and that creates an area for the food vendors and honey buckets to be placed. Most all of the breweries are under there own tents and are spread out among the park with almost all on the grass. The stage for the bands was placed a little further away to have more an area for people to listen and not be in other people's way. They had a good list of breweries from all over, local, national and the world. My only real complaint for this year is they did have a map of where all the breweries were in the park, they did not have a list of what each brewery was serving, (This is something every other festival does.) All in all a good summer day spent drinking a lot of good beer.

I believe this is the same festival as before, it having moved into Cheney Stadium since the…read moreprevious year presumably to handle a bigger crowd. Cost was alright, $30 for 10 tastes was fairly reasonable, my only real complaint here was the additional $10 parking fee, which I felt should have been included. Beer selection was great, and we all found a new favorite from a local brewery none of us had never heard of (real ginger ale at 11% FTW). Crowd was good and setting was pretty mellow, though it might have picked up later (we left around 5). There was live music for most of the day, but they were having some issues there. First off, of the 3 bands, one was okay, one was terrible and the last seemed to be having some serious technical problems. It didn't help that the sound system was also horrible, everything sounding tinny and piercing. Logisitics also did not seem that good, it seeming to take quite awhile to swap out bands. Seeing the question about dancing below? It might have helped to lay down a temporary dance floor assuming there eventually were danceable bands playing.

Kirkland Summerfest is a neighborhood summer event. It has everything from kids events, beer…read moregarden and live band stage, booths for sales and information, booths for food and drinks. The Kirkland Summerfest is one of the prettiest festivals, aesthetically speaking. Incorporating the use of beach, park, Heritage Hall, and the streets, there is a lot to appreciate the natural beauty in this area. It's moderate in size. Over the years, they have changed how many streets they close for this event. This year (2019) is more modest in size. The good thing is that they are open from Friday to Sunday so you can choose the convenient time for you to attend. Be sure to study the map so you're not missing out! Parking is street only, or library or city hall.

I participated in the Kirkland Summerfest in conjunction with the Sip Kirkland wine tasting event…read more I had a really great time here and even though there were a lot of people at the event it wasn't overly crowded unlike other food / festival events that are overwhelmingly busy and the lines are really long. The weather was perfect and this year it was located at the downtown Kirkland Marina Park and it is an absolutely beautiful park especially to eat and drink and enjoy the scenery for a social event like this.

Bon Odori 2025 went on even though they are still dealing with Construction inside their main…read moretemple alter and other side bldg where a Homeless guy torched the place. Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Church has been hosting Bon Odori since before WWII with the Issei organizing it. Obon is the Memorial where you remember you dead relatives by having the priest read their Buddhist names in the service. But for Bon Odori is more of a fun family Dance Festival with Food, And one live band, Two Story Zori Band in the Beer Garden. This year there was two practices in the gym. During Cvid the Teachers danced inside the gym and they wore kimonos and masks. It was not the same. It took 3 yrs after that for them to have a Live Bon Odori. Find more Bon Odori around the World on YouTube where there is a Japanese community. It's a lot of fun and open to the Public. This year on Sat it was not that crowded. Before Cvid, it would be very crowded and not much room to walk on the sidewalk. This Sun, there were a lot of people dancing , "Soran Bushi, " the Fisherman's Dance. I went late so inly did 3 dances. Next Sat, I will go more earlier to dance more.

5 stars! This was my first time at the Bon Odori festival in Seattle and I was glad I had a chance…read moreto attend this event. The festival itself officially starts at 4pm (i.e. start time for food sale) but the event performances such as dance and Taiko last til early into the night. Other than the street festivities, food vendor and beer garden areas, you can also walk into the Japanese Buddhist Church or Betsuin area where they showcase different club activities related to Japan such as Go (Japanese chess) club, language classes, etc. There are 2 things that I especially like about the Bon Odori here. First, the festival isn't too crowded like all other festivals I had been to in Seattle. At least you can get into a line and wait a reasonable of time to get your food/drink. Second, the food vendors here are really people trying to raise funds for the community. You won't see Beanfish taiyaki which sells a taiyaki at $5 or other Asian food trucks with more expensive price tags here at all. What you see though are local people from nearby Japanese American communities making easy Japanese food such as teriyaki chicken, grilled onigiri, grilled mocha, shaved ice, zaru somen (cold noodles), niku donburi, etc for sale. Best of all, they are at very reasonable price. I believe the most expensive dish was just $8...but most items were just $3-$6. P.S. Parking was a bit hard to find...so come early..so you can park not too far from the event and get your spots along the street to people watch/enjoy the performances!