The best Greek Festival in town. I didn't feel like cooking and saw this big Greek Festival sign…read moreand pulled in. Was I ever surprised. Not only did I get my dinner, I found advice from Aunt Voula, wine and music. For a great time head to the Greek Festival.

55th Annual Greek Festival of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church of DC is my 7th…read morelocal Greek festival that I visited and reviewed. It was A-OK. The litmus test of the cost of beer ($5 for Mythos) passed (not $7 like DC). Unfortunately, a half of the fun is opening the bottle and having it there, but at this festival it had to be poured in the plastic cup by the bar personnel. The food was good. The Greek Ladies have prepared their authentic Greek fare using recipes passed down from generation to generation and producing a menu of Greek favorites like, Moussaka, Pastitsio, Manestra, and Spanakopita as well as succulent Greek pastries such as, Baklava, Galaktobouriko, Diples and Kourambiethes. Unfortunately, the cost was sometimes not justified - $4 for a small hand of the french fries is a lot - even it is "for the church." The picture shows two portions of french fries that I combined in one. The Greek sausages did not meet my expectations - yes, they were lemony and a lot of spice in them but the consistency was too soft and the final mix of taste was not impressive. Not much choice in the deserts department but the credit goes to cook for the excellent Galaktobouriko and Kataifi desserts. There was not any entertainment program going on for 60 minutes I spent there and that was a big downside, where on the other festival you have either bigger market (Bethesda) or non-stop entertainment (Annapolis). The average crowd was mostly retirees but never the less more diverse then at many other festivals. There is no entrance fee and the parking is free.

The 9th annual World of Montgomery Festival is held each year in October to celebrate the rich…read morediversity of Montgomery County through international music, food, dance, culturally authentic arts demos, hands-on activities, and more. It is visible that the county cares about this event and one of the many proofs is that they even created a "kids passport" where kids can get a stamp in one of or all of the international tents. There was enough food (7 different vendors) but I liked the best palak paneer from Tandori nights. The cheese actually had a defined taste that complimented the spinach. There was so much to do and see and maybe the only complain to post is that it was almost too much of it on a very small area. I would recommend having one stage instead of two. I know that is hard because there was so much to showcase and so little time but two loud concerts within 600 feet is too much - along with other sounds that were presents. The parade of the cultures was so much fun!! I wish we have a Holiday where all the ethnic fabric that America is made off would dance and present them like they did it at the World of Montgomery Festival. It was amazing to see a National Federation for Blind (live the life you want) to march along - they may have got the loudest applause. No entrance fee, plenty of stuff for the entire family, affordable ethnic meals, free parking all makes it very attractive and friendly festival. Besides waving the African basket or making Ukrainian bread you could have witnessed many science and STEM experiments (live) which emphasized the role of the education for all. Everybody was happy to contribute their piece for this great diversity event - as much as we participants enjoyed it watching it. The pictures will tell the rest of the story.

The 2015 Montgomery County Fair is wonderful. Worth every penny of the $10 admission fee…read more The agricultural exhibitions are heartwarming. Seeing the 4-H kids care for and show their livestock is a privilege. These youngsters are carrying on a tradition that the USA mightily needs. The farm animals are adorable and many can be petted. Just talking with the Maryland farm families is fabulous. This year's food and drink vendors do not disappoint. Here's my recommendations: Be sure and get a grilled cheddar cheese sandwich sold at The Big Cheese booth. They're made right before your eyes and come out hot and gooey. Hands down this is THE BEST food item this year. The meals for sale at two competing church booths--St. Francis of Assisi Catholic and Germantown United Methodist--feature some highly respectable pulled-meat BBQ sandwiches (both chicken and pork), along with some killer fries. There's a vendor selling large ears of freshly roasted corn that be can dipped (or not) in butter before purchase. A condiment table offers all kinds of salts, hot sauces and cheese toppings. The roasting of the corn makes it nutty-tasting and plumps up the kernels. I could not finish my ear because it was so huge, and was depressed beyond words. Freshly-squeezed lemonade for sale all over the fairgrounds is tart, refreshing and addictive. The free entertainment is out of the ordinary and fun: piglet races; magic acts; a "chainsaw chick" who creates impressive works of art from wood; local dance troupes, etc. You name it, it's here. Of course no fair is complete without rides and amusements and the "Carnival" section has something for all ages seeking thrills. The high-flying swing ride is wildly popular. But you better act fast. This edition of the Montgomery County Fair closes at midnight on Sunday, August 23, 2015.

The 2016 fair is so-so. It's kind of a scam if you're not really careful about how much you spend…read more You can park at Lakeforest Mall and take the ''shuttle'' to the fairgrounds (it's just a school bus), and then you pay $10/person to get in, plus payment for tickets OR a $15 wristband on wristband days to ride all the rides you want as long as you get there before 5:00PM. So if you get wristbands, you're already at $25/person. If you get food and drinks, that's easily another $20-$30/person extra because the food and drinks are crazy overpriced. Fries for $7? A corn dog for $8? Lemonade for $5? It's insane. The games are an entirely different ball game. AVOID them. The people running the games will taunt you as you walk by and make you want to play but don't. They're all rip-offs. $5/game seems reasonable but it's really not because you're tempted to keep playing until you win something and before you know it you've spent $30. Plus, that $5 doesn't even give you much - 3 basketballs at the shoot-out games and 3 darts at the balloon ones. Again, it's insane. The rides, on the other hand, are actually not bad. Some of them are uncomfortable and rickety, but the others are pretty smooth and thrilling. Getting the wristband is a good investment because getting tickets if you wanna ride a lot of rides ends up being more expensive. Expect lines. And if it rains, the rides will definitely close down. The agricultural stuff is okay. I didn't see a petting zoo this time, but there is a rabbit house and barns where they keep cows and pigs and chickens. It's cool and all but beware of the smell and the nasty pathways.

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

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

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.

This was my first time at the festival and I had such a great time. I love Jazz and right in the…read moreheart of Silver Spring downtown, this event adds to the excitement of the line up Veteran's Plaza brings up every year. I personally know the event manager, Eric, at the Plaza and he is a wonderful guy. The bands were awesome. The atmosphere was so casual with the crowd getting their own chairs, bringing food and drinks from the many near by restaurants in the area and just chilling - very fitting for the event. There were two stages. The bands alternated between the stages every 30-45 mins. So people kept switching the direction they faced. Cool. If you are in MoCo or visiting around this time, make it a point to spend a few hours at this event next year. If you appreciate jazz, you won't be disappointed. And what's better, the event is free!

I've attended many concerts at the Annual Silver Spring Jazz Festival; but there are certain…read moreattendees that immediately come to mind: David Sandborn (saxophonist), Dianne Reeves(vocalist) and most recently Dee Dee Bridgewater with her all female quartet! There have been many artists that has participated but these stood out! Always recommend this event.

It seems like there's one review a year for this festival and 2024 is my year!…read more This festival celebrates Cambodian New Year which is done by date and not lunar cycle like some of its neighbors (China, Vietnam, etc.). There is everything you could possibly want at a festival like this but most importantly, the food. There will be stuff that you'll recognize and stuff that you won't but I encourage you to try more of the latter than the former. Just look at what other people are eating and go and find that. One thing that everyone can seem to agree on is the sugar cane juice. It's fresh - it's delicious - and it may be good for you...who knows? There are musical and dancing performances and everyone walking around seemed to be in a great mood. Go early...go often...go hungry.

Upon arrival at 12pm most vendors had started to pack up, many booths were sold out of food and if…read moreyou were in line for the sugar cane drink it didn't move for the 10minutes we stood there. I have some Cambodia friends who have told me lots of good things about the one in Philadelphia so I had high hopes for here but maybe better luck next timem