I attended the Pacific Islanders' Cultural Association (PICA) Aloha Festival for the first time…read morethis summer! It was a fun and entertaining event, despite the heat. I enjoyed watching the musical and dance performances, eating the delish foods, and learning more about Pacific Islander culture through the vendors. The event was free, but parking can be costly. Luckily, there is street parking available if you don't mind walking a few blocks. Overall, I had a nice time. It's family friendly, educational, and laid back!

What do you expect? Of course it's going to be a bit pricey at a festival like this. But of course,…read moresometimes it's always nice to have some fun, and buy some stuff here and there, even if you're not going to the South Pacific anytime soon. I would still go crazy, because this is where I can be myself and just buy frangipani everywhere. LOL I actually got a good amount of stuff. Still would go every year if I can.

The event feels smaller this year with less food vendors and less merchants. The food lines were…read moreso long because not too many to choose from. Food was ok. One of the vendors ran out of meat by 1pm. Cute hula performance. There were nice shirts that I haven't seen with pop culture themes; a mix of newer and traditional Hawaiian wear. A few of them were funny novelties. The Menehune's plate lunches were priced well at $15 per plate and generous portions. The other food vendor had a bigger selection; the chicken skewers look great but lacked flavor. Fish and chips were ok. The calamari was calamari sticks with bland breading. The various merchandise were cute and colorful, from wall hangings to jewelry.

Aloha Festival 2023 - first time back prior to the Pandemic and how this year was such a major…read moredisappointment. For one, the vendors were set up outdoors in which it was so hard to browse as the area was very crowded with shoppers which unlike our previous visits, they were all inside one of the pavilions where for attendees there was more space to move around. Don't get me started on the food stalls and trucks which there were probably about a dozen but not nearly enough to feed the hungry hordes of people wanting to purchase their foods of choice. Signage was also poor by many of the vendors and many vendors did not communicate when they ran out of a particular item. My son waited over an hour to get poke only to find out steps away from ordering that they ran out of the poke that he wanted and instead settled for the spicy poke. Shout out to the Menehunes Motorcycle Club as their Loco Moco was really bussin as Gen Z would say. Upon leaving, I asked one of the senior Exhibition staff as to why the vendors were not inside as in the past as I thought they might have been remodeling but that was not the case. I'll have second thoughts for next years festival as this is probably my 6th one that I have attended.

The Festivus is back this weekend with loads of foods!…read more Sonoma Teriyaki has a food tent set up grilling and frying some serious grub! Their skewers are truly amazing. So juicy and flavorful. They're super addictive. The same folks serve up some fried goodies, too. Fried Artichokes are huge and juicy with a nice crunchy batter. Come on over this weekend and enjoy some music, art, wine and some great food! UPDATE: Sunday of the Festivus - round 2 of food feasting! Potato Twister is very unique and natural on a stick they will put anything on it you like, really cool peeps at this food tent. Lobster Food truck is here! Lobster Roll and Clam Chowder really good! Come on down! The weather is mild today too!

Large selection of vendors and everyone is nice and friendly…read more Its safe for children and adults and it's a great walk if you just want to walk and look around. They have a variety of good trucks and a bunch of mom and pop stores that sell art work, popcorn, soap, dishes, etc. Found Polar Fizz drink company which is handing out free soda. Which helped since its so hot today. For those of you who like free stuff towards the end near Starbucks and CVS they're giving out free bags and Frisbee, etc.

Fantastic lively annual summer festival! I was with a food truck vending there and the team…read moreorganizing it was super professional. Loved the live music and everyone dancing.

This is a small art and music festival along Burlingame Avenue, not too different from those hosted…read morein other cities. It did have some of those unique vendors selling puzzle comics, pop up cards, bags shaped like animals, SteamyTech creations, beautiful art sculptures, books for kids, and more. It also had clowns making balloon animals for kids, and 6-7 food trucks that didn't seem that popular during this event (probably since there's a lot of great eateries along the same street). They also had the typical beer and wine stands for the 21 and over crowd. But the best part, I'd have to say, was the live music at the main stage. It was a more lively scene at this corner with spectators sitting in the shade on their lawn chairs appreciating the performances, and lots of people dancing near the stage. The band kept everyone energized and getting funky on the dance floor, playing hits like Get Down On It by Kool & The Gang, and Brick House by the Commodores. The parking wasn't easy, but we managed to find street parking after circling around for a bit. Overall this was a cool festival worth checking out on our way to the city, for a little bit of entertainment and shopping on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Today was a beautiful sunny day to attend the 22nd annual Festa Italiana di San Mateo (aka. Festa…read moreItaliana Community Street Fair). It deserves 5 stars because of how well this community event is organized. Plenty of space to stroll around, several dining areas, tons of crafts vendors (more than 100), 3 live music stages, martial arts demos, multiple food stands in every section (never have to wait long for food), beer & wine drink stations everywhere (with REAL glassware, cool!), trash bins every 20 feet, 2 playgrounds for kids, and LOTS of free parking (because it's on a Sunday, although u need to come early to find a spot). The festival includes a parade and Bocce tournament. There's also a car show: 3 sections filled with old cars, renovations/replicas, and pimped up cars on display. Don't expect to find any culinary must-have foods, but if u dislike festival foods (lemonade, kettle popcorn, fried foods, pizza, hot dogs, pastas, beer/wine, and ice cream) u can go into any of the dozens of nearby restaurants instead. New visitors might not know about "Spaguetti Alley", a popular spot for spaguetti with meatballs ($6). They have umbrella covered tables and live performances of Dean Martin songs (I think, not sure.). My favorite festival foods are the fried asparagus ($5), pork kebabs ($7), and grilled sausages ($5). Although I often prefer to have a cheap lunch at a Japanese restaurant instead, like Himawari or Oidon. Good fun for the family! I'll upload my pics later.

Arts and crafts are too expensive, food is overpriced, food samples are almost non-existent…read more Festival has lost most of its charm over the years. Parking was $15.00 two years ago, so it probably will go up in 2025.

I've been to the Harvest Fair in San Mateo and San Jose (when it was open) for a number of years as…read moreI enjoy the quality of the vendors. The vendors here seem to be more established and there is a good variety of products on offer. Even during COVID, some of the vendors I'd seen before showed up at the fair. The lines to get in used to be so long that it could take 45 minutes just to get into the parking lot. However something changed in 2023 as many of the usual vendors I had seen many times prior did not show up. Even one of the vendors and some of the other patrons mentioned that the fair seemed to be much smaller and less well attended than before. In addition some vendors have raised their prices quite a bit, which they have every right to to do, but for the higher price the quality should match. This is the only fair I've been to that charges an entrance fee. The venue also charges a parking fee. The fair entrance fee can be discounted if you have a $2 coupon, which helps. However, this holiday season thus far I've been to 3 other fairs that don't charge any fees and have 2 to 4 times the number of vendors (and patrons). Some of the vendors that I used to see at the Harvest Fair were at the other fairs. Will I return? I'm not sure.

What a nice Street Festival event during the summer season!…read more This is my second year coming to this event. This year was their 3rd San Mateo Downtown Summerfest! Located in the heart of San Mateo on B Street were tons of different things for children and adults to experience. The festival was on June 20th and June 21st from 10AM-6PM. The Festival is presented by the Downtown San Mateo Association, www.dsma.org . The DSMA produces and/or sponsors promotion and special events, business mixers, open houses, and fundraisers. FOOD AND DRINKS: -Bliss Pops-Popsicles (strawberry, pineapple, toasted coconut, mango habanero, fudgesicle) -Tea & Picklets-sliders, skewers, curry dishes, iced milk teas with toppings -Dragon Papa-Dragon Beard candy, mochi, ginger candy -Endless Summer Sweets-Funnel Cakes, Kettle Corn, Corn Dogs, Cotton Candy -Sweet Delights-burger and fries, pupusas, corn dog, hot dog, philly cheese steak, gyros -Sonoma Teriyaki-Gyros sandwich; Street tacos with chicken, steak or fried fish; Rolled chicken tacos; Quesadilla with chicken, steak or fried fish; Artichoke hearts with shrimp and crab; Fried zucchini/garlic fries.Teriyaki chicken with fried rice, chow mein or steamed vegetable; Teriyaki chicken on a skewer; Teriyaki chicken rice bowl; Sausage/hot dog on bun; Lemonade There was also a vender that was serving wine. VENDERS: Tons of venders that were selling their products: Organic clothing, Kitchen cooking tools and Fresh made Honey. ENTERTAINMENT: Saturday, June 20, 2015 Main Stage at B Street and Baldwin Avenue 12:00 Noon - 1:30 PM Citizen Rhythm 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Tom Finch Group 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM The Bad Jones 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM JazzMaTazz (Teen Performing Troupe) 12:00 Noon Core Taekwondo Community Presentation 1:00 PM The Peace and Prosperity Ukulele Orchestra of San Mateo 2:45 PM Curious Blend (Adult Acapella Group) 3:45 PM Accel Gymnastics 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM American Line Dancers Sunday, June 21, 2015 North B Street 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Walking Mariachi Band Main Stage at B Street and Baldwin Avenue 12:00 Noon - 1:30 PM Twice as Good 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Jay Buckaroo Bonet 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM DreamCycle Community Stage at B Street at 6th Avenue 11:00 AM 1:00 PM Scribble Me Happy Art Project 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM Core Taekwondo Demo Team 2:00 PM School of Rock Overall, Good set up and tons for the children to do as well! I can't wait to see what next year has in store!

I've been to all sorts of fairs, markets, wine walks, and festivals and this Summerfest was as…read moreclose to a collection of junk vendors as I've ever seen. It was deceptively large, and yet only contained - at most - couple handfuls of true 'art' tents. The rest of the blocks were made up of extremely aggressive sales people for vegetables, cruises, newspapers, and other misc junk. Warm, badly mixed Jamba was being upsold at the large size price for medium sizes drinks, and while they had incredibly helpful people at the information booth, the music on the fifth ave stage was really really bad. The teenager on the base was quite a good player, until she opened her mouth and you caught on she was tone deaf. I sat a block away and finally had to put on headphones. The second stage near first ave was much better, with a vocalist who worked the crowd - it really was a pleasure to listen and she was the saving grace of this event for me. All in all, there really isn't much reason to come to this unless you live nearby - the vendor selection was the worst I've ever seen, so if you stay home, you probably won't be missing much.

The fairgrounds have made some updates to their bathrooms! I'll post a picture for example, many…read moreany of them are cleaner, and remodeled. Not all of them. This year, in 2026 they had duck races! Super cute and worth watching. Oh and don't forget about Ameca the AI-powered robot. Each year has something new and different to checkout. Things have changed, like there are not as many vendors or food booths. However they make up for it in spirit. This is a clean and safe fair. As long as we continue to live in the Peninsula, we'll be at the fair.

This was not the fair I was expecting. Minimal attractions and food, sigh. We were ready to leave…read moreafter one hour. I will say it addressed my fair fix. Parking was easy too, but for a total of $60 for 2 tickets and parking (not including food) this is not a good value. Bathroom lines were long and didn't have good air flow. I'm glad I tried it, now I know.