As soon as I heard about the festival which holds the Guinness World Book Records for the most jack…read moreo lanterns lit at one time (30,581 to be exact), it immediately made its way to my bucket list. It took a few years, but I finally got there and it was just as wonderful as I had hoped, even in the cold rain! The weather added a bit of fog and mystery to this amazing annual festival in a quaint New England town. And really what's more perfect than a sweet little town with incredible foliage and perfect crisp, cool mountain air? The streets of town were absolutely filled with pumpkins! Everywhere we turned there was a new display to discover! Some kept We loved seeing them during the day, and then again at night. Make sure you plan to stay for both! Well worth it! Some shopping around town at both new and vintage stores, costume parade watching, fair and street food truck noshing, games and races for kiddos too. The entire town is one big festival! We enjoyed a seasonal, candle-lit dinner and sat outside where the wait staff were dressed for Halloween, and then it was time to head back to see the pumpkins lit at night! Seeing them all lit up was magical!! The Pumpkin towers was awesome! Don't miss that! I actually thought the bit of rain we experienced was perfect as the light from the Jack o lanterns reflected off the puddles! So even if the weather isn't perfect, don't let that stop you! I've been to a few pumpkin festivals and what I love about this one is they are all real! There's nothing more going on than the simple art of pumpkin carving. Street parking was easy to find. Everyone was super nice and helpful. The entire weekend was amazing! If you have the chance to go, make a weekend out of it!! *older photos did not sync with this review. Check 'em out!

I love the White Mountain Boogie and Blues Fest!! I've hit it for many years. I was there last…read moreyear in Aug 1016. My friends are there now and I wish I was too. I hope to make it back to next years Fest. The Blues are always great! (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). The food booths have delicious dishes. (Breakfast Burritos, Crab Cakes, Cheese Steaks, Burgers, Dogs and lots more.) The setting is awesome - camp ground The area is beautiful. The people are always friendly and fun. This is a great festival!! I've added a few photos from the 2016 fest

What a great annual event! The camp ground gets full, so book early! A wonderful vibe, everybody is…read morenice. The ticket prices are good for all the national and international talent they book to play each year. You can attend one day, or all three. There are vendors on site with food, drink, and crafts. You can bring your own cooler, and camp right there. If not, plenty of lodging in the area. For the musicians, they are truly treated like VIP's! The people that cook for the musicians KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!!! The food was plenty and they cook things to order. There clearly was a lot of preparation for this weekend. The people at the Backstage BBQ did a phenomenal job, I really can't say enough about them. For the attendees, there are many really good food options. Plenty of clean port-o-potties. And the fellow attendees are super nice, willing to share. This family runs a great festival and they just celebrated their twentieth year. I hope it never ends. This is what summer is all about.

The festival is held in July each year…read more There's lots of loud Puerto Rican music, a quincenera festival for the girls and lots of music and dancing. You know how good Puerto Rican food is. Ya gotta go just for that at least.

poorly organized, favorite events cancelled or greatly minimized. paid for a $140 for a dinner that…read moreran out of food before we got served any. After going for many years I doubt we will ever return.

Men in kilts tossing cabers, women in kilts throwing hammers, what's not to love?…read more Without a doubt the best highland games I've been to with marching bands, Celtic bands, venders coming from all over New England, Canada, and beyond. The food was awesome, where else can you find fast food haggis by the gallon? Something as simple as bread pudding made into something to die for by adding whisky sauce - OMG! Meat pies, bridies, sausage rolls, bangers, rumbledethumps, cock - leekie - soup, scotch broth, lamb stew, shepherd's pie, scotch eggs, shaved lamb on a roll, pasties. In yet another tent they had tons of seafood including scotch salmon, highland crab soup......but no finnan haddie or cullen skink - what's up with that???? Did I mention the whisky tasting? Didn't make it that far - too busy sampling the scotch ales! The games are spread out all over the place and you could easily spend a day (or two) here checking out all the clan booths, games, bands, singers, border collie contests, etc. You can even buy yourself a 100% legal title - a lordship or ladyship as you will by donating money to save the Scottish Highlands, well you actually purchase a few square feet of land and the titles come with it............Lord Fin of Glencoe, etc. Did I mention lasses in mini kilts?

I had a super time in Kennebunkport this past weekend! Wonderful music, beautiful weather and…read morefantastic food! What else could you ask for? If you're a Mainer, you know it's a must to take advantage of the few months of good weather we are blessed with out of the entire year! This festival is definitely one of those events you want to keep your eyes peeled for in June. It's about a week long and you can purchase individual tickets for separate days. I went to the brews and tunes event on Saturday and relaxed to amazing music on the lawn while eating vegetarian pierogi I bought from the food truck (picture attached)! Tickets may be pricey, but fine wines, acclaimed artists, top chefs, musical talent, and the oceanfront charm of Kennebunkport is quite irresistible for those seeking a getaway from it all!

If you love art, cocktail parties and fine dining and have ever considered coming to Maine this…read morefestival really is worth attending. A full week of the best music, food, and art set in the most stunning seaside town. For me the highlight are the dinners hosted by locals in their homes. They feature award winning chefs free of all restrictions to let loose with their best. Each one trying to outdo the others. Just over the top indulgence. The tickets are pricey but it a significant portion of proceeds go to feed hungry children.

We visited in September 2024 and I thought I had posted a review, but sometimes when I'm writing…read morereviews in the car while in-transit, they get lost in the either, so here I am again! We didn't get an early start and by the time we arrived there were lines miles away from the entrances. Police were directing traffic down different streets toward different parking areas. So plan to arrive early. Parking is in grassy fields surrounding the fairgrounds and there is a *lot of it so plan to walk quite a way to and from your vehicle and to drive 'off road' for a bit. Definitely do not bring your sports car if you can help it because those fields have ruts. The road way we walked in on was dirt and they did have a tractor pulling a cart if you wanted a ride that went by occasionally. Strollers and/or wagons for the smaller ones if an absolute must. There are a few entrances into the fairgrounds so make note of which entrance you are parked near. There are maps of the fairgrounds available inside (we were not offered one upon entry) at an information kiosk we stumbled upon. They also have designated 'meet up' spots in case you get separated from members of your group so maybe find those and let the kids know where to meet up if they get lost. And we *did come across some lost children who were frightened out of their wits so please do let the little one's know what to do if they get separated from you. (Yes, someone helped them locate their family but it still breaks my heart see how scared they were.) We enjoyed our visit to the Deerfield Fair. Although we did not partake of any of their ride options, we very much enjoyed their farm demonstration and exhibits. From the pig barn to award winning veg and chutneys it's a lot of fun. We also took in some heavy stock pulling competition in one of the outdoor areas. I can assure you the shady side was full, so plan on getting a seat early if you need a rest and shade (or sun). I really enjoyed the roving Pirate dressed in full gear, playing pirate and nautical music on his motorized pirate ship. Brought a smile to my face! There are plenty of food options here. Definitely something for everyone and we tried a couple of options. It was a beautiful day and the fair was super busy so there were definitely lines for food no matter the time of day. The staff in the food trucks were all lovely even with all the crowds needing attention. We took a walk through the kids petting zoo, and a tent full of old tractors that was very interesting. They also had a demonstration of several old motorized farm equipment pieces. Whether you are here for historic farm equipment, modern rides, fair food, cow barns, pigs, award winning veg or tractor pulls, Deerfield Fair has you covered. Wear you walking shoes!

The Deerfield Fair began in 1876 as a one day event; in 1930 it became a two day event; in 1945 it…read morebecome a three day event; by 1950 it became a four day event. It's located on 100 acres and during those four days, it had approximately 100,000 visitors. I really enjoyed experiencing this historic fair. It happens annually every September and probably the largest fair I've been to. I love the autumn and New England setting; it just feels super New England. Parking was plentiful when we went but I can understand if people get lost since there were so many cars. Also, if you have a low frame car, becareful because there were tons of deep potholes under all that grass. There were so many vendor tents, activities, and events. There were horse shows, live music, circus, magic show, rides, fair food, and petting zoo to name a few. I really enjoyed the variety of foods; so many to choose from. There were tons and tons of people. My family and I had a great time.

Family festival in beautiful downtown Newburyport. Free admission, free events, buskers, music,…read morefood court, professional crafters, yoga, dog walking parade, K9 demo, trivia challenge, karate demo, charity tables. and much more. 1 hour norht of Boston, take route 95 to exit 57 follow route 113 east. paid parking in public lots.

We were in town for a celebration of life last year on Father's Day weekend and the town was…read morebuzzing about this Fiesta celebration. We decided that we wanted to come back this year to see what the fuss was all about. I have to say I didn't have any crazy expectations for this event and wasn't sure really what to expect but it was so much more fun than I thought it would be. Everything from the greasy pole competition on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, to the carnival rides, games and food, to the late night drinking celebrations at the various bars by the wharf to the parade. It was all so much fun! I love that this small fishing town gets together for this crazy tradition. Check it out if you haven't before. Look up the YouTube videos of the Greasy Pole and see why it would make for a fun weekend getaway.

For the crowded streets and godawful street food in the name of Saint Peter, and for the hard-knock…read moresense of community shared by Gloucester Sicilians, and (of course) for the spectacle that is Greasy Pole, I wholeheartedly endorse road tripping for SPF. A more spread out version of any given weekend in the North End, the fest revolves around the parading of an ikon through the docked streets of G-town, lubricated with more booze than you can shake a funnel cake at. The real draw? A legendary contest known as Greasy Pole, where contestants deck out in costume and attempt to slip'n'slide their way across a slicked-up telephone pole to grab the flag at the end. Yep, that's it - but the most simple of challenges is rife with rules, traditions and customs that must be abided by, lest you meet the explanatory fists of Anthony "Matza" Giambanco, the game's enforcer. You're not going to make a ton of friends, but you'll hear some seriously tasty stories, making St. Peter's Fiesta absolutely worth the drive.

We went last summer just for the food as we saw a vendor serving Filipino food and have a very hard…read moretime finding any places serving it in our area. The food was AMAZING. You could see everyone working together to cook the food for quite literally the longest line at the festival because of how good it was. We got pancit, garlic rice, lumpia, pork and chicken BBQ, and turon. Each dish was also served with a small vinegar based sauce as well. There is something for everyone at the folk festival as well, with SO many different food vendors from all over the world sharing their unique flavors with the city of Lowell! The festival itself is free, but parking around the festival is not so you definitely need cash. It is also suggested to have extra cash inside the festival as well because many vendors are cash only. There are always concerts playing with live bands and plenty of local artists selling their work. HIGHLY suggest going one of the days it is available over the summer.

The Lowell Folk Festival, always the last weekend in July, is the nation's largest free folk…read morefestival. The Festival starts on Friday night and runs through Sunday afternoon. All of the performances are FREE. There are American Folk, Jazz and Blues performers as well as very many international singers and performers. There are sundry food stalls selling meals from around the world. The prices are always good. The downtown shops and restaurants actively participate, too, with great specials. All of the venues are within walking distance of each other. Everything is held outside, rain or shine. There are lots of tents set up in case it rains and to give shade. Schedules are available on line and from volunteers when you arrive. There are free shuttle buses from the Lowell train station.

Great old fashioned state fair. Super nice people with a lot to offer for food and entertainment…read more Lots of helpful people to guide you around. The fried pickles were my favorite.

Went to the fair this past Saturday and overall it was an okay experience. I'm not sure if it was…read morejust because we went on a Saturday but it took us about an hour sitting in traffic before we could even park. Then it was so packed that it was hard to walk around and look at things. We saw the animals and some horse racing which was fun. I got an Italian sausage and that was cold so that was a disappointment. I would check it out again but hope for less people!