2016 is the twelfth year for the Alpharetta Arts Streetfest - this year there were 95 participants,…read moreranging from photography to pottery to jewelry to metalwork and everything in between. The festival is located in the heart of downtown Alpharetta - the city closes a block of Milton Avenue (at the intersection of Main Street) and the participants set up in rows along this block, and along certain sections of Old Roswell Street and Old Canton Street. It's a condensed area but never feels too crowded - the layout makes it easy to stroll through and see everything. There are usually a few food vendors, but in this location you're also surrounded by several restaurants - Hop Alley, South Main Kitchen, Smokejack BBQ, Ceviche, Mugs on Milton. In addition to the artisans, there are a number of booths dedicated to kid activities, so the event is absolutely family friendly. Because it's an outdoor event, many people bring the canine members of their family - while I definitely love this idea, just remember that late May can be very hot and this event is set up on pavement, which can be painful to paws. Double check the temperature before bringing Fido. If the pavement is too hot for you to walk barefoot, it's too hot for your pup's paws! The one improvement I would recommend for the event is based on temperature - when the weather hits the high 80's/low 90's (as it did this year), having a few mister fans at each end of the festival would be a real relief to attendees.

Wonderful venue to spend time with friends while listening to great music! Get there early to get…read morethe best seats.

ROSWELL ARTS IN THE PARK…read more Arts in the park is an annual event that takes place in September. It is held at Town Center in Roswell. Although I have attended other art event, (Mother's Day weekend), at this location, I somehow expected this event to be different but it wasn't. This venue is so small and so crowded, that there was simply not enough room for me to even take out my wallet. We lasted about 20 minutes before it just got to be too much. This is probably the perfect venue for someone who just wants to go in, purchase a piece of art and go home. I like to tend events to actually purchase, jewelry, home decor and clothing items and so I tend to frequent very large festivals that involves the entire town, (Moonshine, Duluth Fall Festival, Gold Rush). I love having tons of artists using various mediums and I really like being able to find interesting and unique foods to eat. With the larger events, we enjoy spending the entire day listening to music and watching performers. After 49 years, I would think that this event would be much bigger and have a more suitable space. Although we did not make a purchase today, we can say that there were some beautiful displays of art: phenomenal water colors, pottery, hand carved items, and so much more. I really felt that the vendors are at a disadvantage when they are crowded into such tight quarters because some people just need space, (physical and mental) to shop. I know I do! The great news is that you don't have to fight with parking. Simply park at City Hall and ride the festival shuttle. The drivers are always on time and very polite.

This was a return, after not attending the past several years. The food was great! I had the Lamb…read moreBowl and my wife had the Greek Lemon Chicken Bowl. We had a Coke and a bottle of water to drink. Later, we had Almond Crescents and Baklava, which we shared after a dance program. The chicken dish was so very enjoyable that my wife used the internet to find a similar dish that she could prepare at home, it was both healthy and tasty - a rare combination. All that we had to eat was quite tasty. We chose well.

We had a great time Saturday. It was very organized with several stations from food to live music…read moreto face painting to an artisan shop. We enjoyed the food thoroughly. I recommend it. It has been going on for over 30 years.

Chalktoberfest https://www.chalktoberfest.com/ is an annual weekend festival in Marietta square…read morethat features over 85 artists using various mediums including chalk. What it is...is they basically shut down the square and paint the streets! It's been going on since 2013 and every year it gets bigger and bigger. This year they're expecting well over 100,000 people over the two day weekend. It's basically a neighborhood block party with beer, food, ice cream, live music by local bands and lots of dogs! It's a family friendly event and it's free for everyone. If you're coming here I suggest you get here early. The Saturday events usually starts at 10 AM but there were people there even earlier like 7AM. There are plenty of parking spots but because this is a "special event" all the parking spots were charging $10 per vehicle which is a bit steep for Marietta. I suggest you park either at the "Lawrence St" parking deck https://goo.gl/maps/exq8BR2cFC7g7viT9 or across the street at the Cobb/Waddle Parking Deck which is attached to the court house. It's not listed on Google but if you type in 120 Cherokee St. Marietta, GA 30060 into your GPS it should take you there... This year (2019) it rained on Sunday so we were glad we went the day before so that we got to see some of the awesome work that these talented artists do. It's super crowed but people are pretty friendly and the Marietta police presence were everywhere...safety first! Cool event. Hope you can check it out next time it rolls around.

This is such a great event!!…read more It's free, you just find parking or park in paid lots. This is in the huge Marietta square and it takes up the entire thing. These artists are so talented & the completed works are so cool to behold. There's a ton to do, you'll spend all day for the whole family. Tons of businesses selling and giving things out. Lots of food options from restaurants to trucks, breweries & bars

We had such a great time here! The best part is that it's dog friendly so you can bring the pups!…read moreWe saw the farm animals, did the corn mazy, the hay ride and enjoyed taking lots of pictures. I would definitely come here again with friends and I totally recommend it. Great place for a family day or if you want to have a little photo shoot. We came here on a Sunday and it was great! The lake when you go on the hay ride is beautiful! Staff was very friendly and helpful! We bought lots of pumpkins.

Fun Fall Festival:) a great experience for a family with children. Great variety of pumpkins and…read morefun kids activities.

Very packed, lots of food, vendors and good music and shuttles at the Suwanee location.read more

I had heard about this event from the earlier event locations - this is a "pop-up" style market…read morethat moves around Atlanta, typically over a holiday weekend. On this occasion, it was the Memorial Day weekend on 2018.10.5 - 2018.10.07 and the market took place at the North Point Mall at 1000 North Point Cir, Alpharetta, GA 30022, along the side facing the JC Penny's anchor store. This is an outdoor vendor-oriented market featuring imported goods and a huge assortment of food. In Asia markets like these are done at night to escape the heat of the day - typically they go on pretty much all night but of course this US market is a bit more pragmatic. I met a friend after work on the first night (Friday) right when it opened, about 5:00 PM. The market was just getting started so some of the food vendors weren't quite ready and some tents were unoccupied, but this was remedied by the time we left. Admission was $10 but could have been less if we'd bought online prior to the event day - we decided to just pay at the gate. Oh and most of these vendors were cash only so keep that in mind - there are several ATMs but you get to pay those fees. I'd say that the "International" aspect was very well represented by a super diverse assortment of vendors and a crowd to to match. There were the typical saree and handbag sellers plus one booth that had leather jackets. I saw many, many different ethnic groups from all over the world - lots of fun to be had. There's also a stage with music that continued for most of the night with some live local acts and a DJ spinning a broad-time-spanning assortment of well-mixed dance music. But of course the real reason I attended was to sample the food. The food ranged from near-local to far reaching Asian - there were at least two different Lao vendors, Snackboxe Bistro and a Thai/Viet/Lao vendor that served Pad Thai, Papaya Salad and skewers of meat. There were also several Indian vendors including the nearby Dekkan Spice (very good) so a good mix of local restaurants, caterers and food trucks. I saw a couple of Halal places including a whole BBQ goat. We settled on a mix of Thai and Island cuisines, the latter being a veggie and noodle stirfry with teriyaki chicken. I thought both were quite good and less than $10. The Hawaiian rotisserie looked amazing but wasn't quite ready or I def would have gotten the pork ribs or turkey leg. There was also a vegan section with many restaurants within if what I described above scared you. I think there was plenty to sample something unusual and come away full. There were many drink vendors selling lassies and other cold drinks including many fruity drinks. I only saw one beer vendor but it was large and well placed sith several local craft brews - I ended up with a Creature Comforts Tropicalia IPA but also say a Three Taverns sour and a Steady Hand Farmhouse Ale (Saisson) as options. Overall I liked the event but coudn't stay much more than the hour or so (commitments elsewhere) but did have fun while there. The people serving were really nice and accommodating and good about answering questions. It was starting to get crowded so that was my queue to get out anyway - I don't deal with the jostle of the crowds - when my beer gets bumped it's time to leave!

I was disappointed by the May 2026 Chastain Arts festival. I understood from websites there would…read morebe a acoustic music, yet there was none. There were only about 5 food trucks. Plenty of artistic booths using unique mixed media, that was good.

This festival is only for a few days, yearly I think. My favorite artist , Kathy Cooper, who does…read morefabulous floor cloths , was there which definitely made the visit worthwhile. I got a few other artsy items as well. Only possible problem is it is difficult to park nearby. My granddaughter dropped me off and then parked. I highly recommend this enjoyable and interesting festival. Cathey W Stinbergm

Atlanta Eats Live! is a new annual food tasting festival that takes place at the Verizon Wireless…read moreAmphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta. I attended this year's event on Sunday evening, October 5, 2014. I believe this was only the event's second year in existence. It's organized and produced by the folks behind the Atlanta Eats TV show, hosted by Steak Shapiro and Mara Davis. Both Steak and Mara made appearances at the event. Atlanta Eats Live! is the best non-Yelp-related food tasting event I've been to locally. I think it's marginally better than Taste of Atlanta for the following reasons: 1. Your ticket includes unlimited tastes from every vendor. At Taste of Atlanta, you must buy additional tastes. 2. Free parking. 3. Vendors are mostly high quality restaurants. There aren't nearly as many non-food vendors or sponsors, like Xfinity or American Family Insurance, trying to advertise or sell you their stuff. It's very food focused. 4. The event is nicely laid out in a contained space and the lines - even the long ones - flow well. 5. Related to #4 above, the Atlanta Eats event is smaller, so it feels more "intimate" and less crowded and chaotic. In 2014, tickets started at $45 per person, not including ticket fees which bumped the cost up to about $56-57 per ticket. Like Taste of Atlanta and other food tasting events, VIP tickets were available for $100+ each. VIP tickets allowed access to a roped off club section with a few additional tents such as one belonging to Woodfire Grill. VIP tickets also included complimentary drinks and a special parking section. At a minimum of nearly $60 per person, not including extra beverage costs, plus the drive up to Alpharetta for the non-North Fulton folks, I'm just not sure Atlanta Eats Live! is completely worth the price of admission. Though I do have to admit, there was plenty of good food and I stuffed myself silly. Beverage costs were $9 for draft beer, $7 for single wine, $13 for double wine, and $4 for bottled water. The event ran from 5pm to 10pm. Food was served from 5pm to 8pm. Some vendors ran out of food as early as about 6:15pm, but the majority of vendors were well stocked. Advice: Go early. Live music was performed on-stage from 8pm to 10pm. Yacht Rock Schooner was the band for the night and they performed some great covers of 80s songs such as "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" by Hall & Oates. Along with food and live music, there were supposedly cooking demonstrations by local Atlanta chefs, but I didn't see any. Over 40 restaurants were "hand-picked" for the event. Most of the restaurants have already been featured on the Atlanta Eats TV show or web site. I was impressed by the restaurant lineup. They got some good ones from all over town. It's nearly impossible to try food from every restaurant unless you just take one bite from each restaurant and throw the rest of the dish away (#firstworldproblems - I did not do this). You really have to pace yourself. I tapped out maybe two-thirds of the way through all the tents. I physically couldn't put more food or drink into my body. It also didn't help that I'd indulged in a brunch buffet just hours earlier. Here's a list of most of the vendors I visited and the foods I tried: 4th & Swift - Fall Vegetable Minestrone with Crispy Pork Shank Takorea - Gogi Nachos (pork and beef) Crawfish Shack Seafood: Cajun Infused Poached Scallops and Andouille Sausage Sugo - Meatball al Sugo Double Zero Napoletana - Butternut Squash Fritelle Cooks & Soldiers - Bikini - truffled, Iberico grilled Mahon cheese sandwich Muss & Turner's, Local Three, Common Quarter - Meat Butter - chicken liver, foie gras, cherry, cola St. Cecilia - Smoked Trout Roe & Harissa Seed Kitchen & Bar - Fall Mushroom Crostini and Tres Leches Cake Alma Cocina - Butternut Squash and Pork Cheek Posole Canoe - Slow Braised Southern Family Farms Pork Belly and Flavored Pops Kimball House - Pate a Choux - chicken liver mousse, jam Gu's Bistro - Chengdu Cold Noodles Heirloom Market BBQ and Sobban - BBQ pulled pork, scallion potato salad Villains Wicked Heroes - Nick the Pig Cuban Sandwich Lottafrutta - Miniature Cuban Coffee Ovations Food Services - Avocado Mac & Cheese Bite, Espresso Pumpkin Cheesecake, Ginger Apple Lime Soda The Ice Cream Bar - various spiked ice cream samples (e.g. bourbon, mojito) In general, the food was pretty good. My favorites included the Butternut Squash Fritelle from Double Zero, the "Meat Butter" chicken liver and foie gras spread from Muss & Turner's, Local Three, Common Quarter, the Tres Leches Cake from Seed, the Chengdu Cold Noodles from Gu's, and BBQ and sides from Heirloom and Sobban, the plate of which was big enough to almost be an entree all its own. I like how the restaurants didn't hold back in terms of the dishes and ingredients they served. An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people attended. Overall, I had a good time.

This is my first food festival/event. We got there a little after 5 and it wasn't too crowded yet…read more There was still PLENTY of food and almost no lines. I tried one of each thing and my friend had probably 3 servings of the pork belly. The selection of beers was actually surprising big, and bottled waters and small bottles of coke and diet coke also came with the ticket. As the night went on, it got more and more crowded and lines took 10-15 min for the highly sought after restaurants. I quit caring because my tummy was so bloated (I really can't eat as much as I used to haha). I went back to get some water, and the line took upwards of 15 min. (and they ran out of water). By that time though (7ish), the sky had darkened and it started to rain pretty hard. We hadn't even gotten to the last section yet. Rathbun's and a few others had run out of food and I was bummed. Towards the end, I could only pick and choose and take bites of some dishes since I was so incredibly full and wet. So I guess the purpose of this event--getting my belly full to the brim with yumminess--was served. Overall, they have to know the attendance of the event and they shouldn't have run out of food only halfway through the event. I found a coupon code and paid $65 or so for the GA ticket, so I'd say it was alright for the price. I would not have paid full price though.

CHRISTMAS FAIR AT LAKE LANIER COLLEGE IN CUMMING…read more This Christmas festival is celebrating its 12th year and I was very surprised to finally discover its existence. This is a two-day festival that takes place inside Lake Lanier college in Cumming, (behind the Collections Shopping Center). There is special outdoor play area for the kids along with concessions if you get hungry. Inside there is a little shop for kids to purchase their gifts. The outside areas needed seating because although we were hungry, we did not want to stand while eating. Also, parents who had children playing in the jump house probably would have appreciated the opportunity to sit as well. There were approximately 90 vendors inside and a variety of items available for sale. We spied cute little fascinators, candles, accessories, jewelry, paintings, wood art, natural/gluten free dog food, Greek treats, and a number of other vendors. There were several unique items that would be great Christmas gifts for those "difficult to buy for" people. Of course I always support my favorite jewelry vendors, (Stones to Wear) because they have such bold and unique pieces and they actually use sterling silver in their pieces instead of some other mystery metal. They sale necklaces, slide earrings and bracelets and if I want a bracelet to match one of their necklace/earring combinations, they will make it for me because I am their favorite customer. (Wink Wink!) Even if you don't want to purchase anything, this is a great place to browse and get some ideas for your own personal projects. Remember, they will be open tomorrow (Sunday), as well. A perfect opportunity for some holiday shopping!