This was the 4th annual Bakersfield Wing Festival and our first time going. The event was worth it, the downside is the long lines, but they have plenty of wing stands, so choose your line wisely. This year there was approximately 15-16 wing vendors and I didn't get to try them all, but of all the wing vendors my favorite was Bucky's. Bucky's chicken wing was crunchy, moist, and had good flavor. They had their levels of heat in "Mild-Smooth Smiling", "Medium-Heating Up", "Hot-Loco Loco" & "X-Hot-Get Buck". A lot of the other vendors had 1 or 2 flavors, and even Costco made it out there to give wings out. Winner of this years best wings went to Hooters. I think they were 2nd place in my books, but there was more votes for Hooters. I honestly feel that Bucky's was the best, but people didn't vote (Rolling my eyes). I don't want to say which vendor, but I waited in line for chicken which is fine, but when I got the wings they were chewy and then when we reached the center it was bloody, hope that was just because they were under pressure because the line was long at the time. I would definitely like to try it again next time. The atmosphere is pretty casual and we brought our folding chairs, I also saw some people bring their canopies and tents. What started off at 91 degrees changed in a matter of 2hrs. It got really cloudy, windy and even sprinkled a little down to high 70s, but it's Bakersfield so you never know what kind of weather it's gonna be like. They played good music on stage with live singers and live bands. They even had contests so you can win tickets to go to Vegas and they had that wing contest so you can get your Wingfest entry free next year. I happened to be in line during the contest, so I missed out on that cool contest. I would definitely like to come again, I think if I went alone then it wouldn't be worth it for me because I don't drink beer, but going with my husband he gets to get two beers at a time, so it evens out for us. The downside for the beers is that they fill it up half way. I'm not a beer drinker so I don't care, but the lines are already long, so drinking your beer then having to refill it takes some time. Waters are free so that's cool and I liked that. I brought my water bottle with ice in it and my ice lasted the whole day with the free waters because they were cold. read more

It's hot dog!!!!! Alright, Buffalo Wild Wings bomb!! I had the blazing and it's delicious and definitely not for the fate of heart. Next was Denweed's Heart and Soul had amazing real fresh meat the wing full of buffalo sauce. Then came KVS southern style was so worth the long line. I had a BBQ that was absolutely amazing their meat was grilled and tender and so juicy. At BLVD we had garlic wings absolutely delectable a must try. Next stop I had Dickey's BBQ , I had two BBQ wings that were pretty good. Lastly, we had the Barrington's Jamaican Kitchen had mild and spicy very juicy wings with lots of flavor. All the drinks were standard and hit the spot in the heat, I recommend the experience!! read more

Bakersfield Wing Festival - Festivals Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I came across this event on Instagram and was happy to find tickets for this event on Groupon. I try to attend every food related event thats nearby that I can. So I had to prepare myself for this 2 hour drive and 97 degree weather. I knew I needed to freeze some water bottles, grab some towels to wipe the sweat and charge up both of my hand fans; I wasn't going to miss it! The positive presence via social media made it that much more better. FREE parking is available in a huge lot right across from the Kern County Fairgrounds and a small walkway takes you right up to the main entrance. The second 3pm (event start time) hit, the event creator T Johnson yelled out a hype speech to the attendees, encouraging us to eat as many wings as we can, and have a good time. We all yelled,, "Oh yea!". I had starved all day just for this moment, so don't worry I plan to eat as much as possible. And shoot I forgot my to-go containers. Hey don't judge me lol The crowd headed towards the entrance to wing heaven, but I told my boyfriend we should go backwards since everyone is headed to the first couple of booths. I'm so glad that we did because honestly among those was this year's Best Wings Winner, Denweed Catering. There appeared to be about 15-20 vendors and some sponsors and small business vendors as well. Everyone was all for making you stuffed and fat and I loved that! It didn't seem like anyone was trying to hold back in any way. A lot of people brought folding chairs and pop up tents and found a shaded area to claim. It reminded me tailgating because it was a family-friendly event and plenty of space. There was also a main stage with various bands that kept me dancing while I stuffed my face. The main thing I appreciated the most was the genuineness from the creator, it took me the whole event to track her down because she was busy trying to greet and make sure the attendees were having a great time. If I could give this event more than 5 stars I would. Even tho I'm about 5 pounds heavier I will still make this drive again for the 2019 one. read more

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The Bakersfield Wing Festival has been going on for a few years now, this year was the 4th Annual but the first time my wife and I attended. We never knew anyone who went to it and with the price for General Admission being $45, we were sketchy. We have been to festivals that are supposed to glorify the product and are nowhere near that, but this festival did not fail, wings were definitely glorified. I won't name the vendors but here is what happened. Vendor "A" was crazy busy, the line and words mentioned about them spread quickly, the demand was just overwhelming for them. My wife and I went back after visiting them upon entering the festival initially, at that time the demand wasn't as big since it just started. The second time we visited, we waited a bit, with chicken you have to ensure it is thoroughly cooked, the second visit left us a little disappointed, the middle was pink and bleeding. My guess is they were trying to churn out wings fast and weren't letting their oil reheat after each batch, while the outside is gleaming with crispiness, the middle wasn't cooked. Vendor "B" also faced a similar situation but just not as much demand as Vendor "A", but their wing was super rubbery and you can tell the frying wasn't done properly, the skin of the wing wouldn't break by biting into it. The flavor was superb but the wing being rubbery was just unappealing. We showed up not even 30 minutes into the festival starting, by two hours in some vendors were out of wings, not sure if they planned it that way or not but it is a shame they couldn't display their wings, the ones who did and did well certainly gain a customer from me. I had three favorites, one surprised me a lot too but I just never went to the restaurant. First is my top choice, Bucky's Chicken, they work out of a food truck that they just purchased recently. I tried all four levels of heat, Smooth Sailing (Mild), Heatin Up (Medium), Loco Loco (Hot) and Get Buck (Xtra Hot), all had spectacular crispiness and seasoning. Hot or Loco Loco had a decent hum, nothing bad but that Get Buck aka Xtra Hot had the lips burning. My second favorite was Black Rose Catering with their Southern Creole wings, they weren't deep fried but seemed smoked with a beautiful creamy sauce dazzled with green onions on top. I think the only reason it fell second to Bucky's was simply because the skin wasn't crispy, that is how I love my wings. Third was Hooters, I have never been to a Hooters at all, I never knew they had quite the variety of flavors of wings. When I approached the table, one of the ladies greeted me and asked which flavors would I like, I didn't know what to choose so I told her to pick them and I'd give it a try. I'll be honest, the only one that stood out for me both in flavor and name is the Spicy Garlic, which was a damn good wing. The souvenir cup they give for general admission is not too much bigger than a shot glass and when you go to get your beer they were trying to fling them out fast so it was alot of foam. I did find a few beer stands that were taking their time so the pour was much better. Free water bottles were also available at two different sides of the festival, that is always good especially when the weather is in the 90's until a bit later it started getting stormy but cooler. I think I will return next year, the value was worth it and now we know everything that goes on, we will watch the wing eating competition and the fire wing competition, that should be fun! read more

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I attend the Wing Festival each year. I have a blast. It's fun walking around sampling different types of wings. I enjoy that they give away free water. That helps a lot. The live music kept the crowd going and the the contests were lively and fun to watch. The winner took home a Grand Prize and that was nice to see. It was well organized and I would return. It was hot, but I'm from Bakersfield, so I don't expect anything less. I no longer complain about the expected. They did have portable coolers placed around the festival. They also had tons of other vendors. I was lucky to snag a spiked snow cones from one of the vendors. It was a pineapple spiked with chile. It was really good. I was also able to snag a t-shirt as they were tossing a few out in the crowd. I also got a souvenir cup which was a pretty good size. I will be returning again this year. read more