This was an amazing event, never experience this kind of setting before love the lights with the…read moredecorations the Asians knows how to entertain. The concessions stands was awesome I ate until I was fulled I love this so much..I even went to china..which was a trip of a lifetime (bucket list) ...I love this and hopefully you will enjoy this as well.

The Chinese Lantern Festival in China has unimaginable HUGE light displays, children running around…read morewith lanterns on a stick, and of course FIREWORKS. With a huge opportunity to bring culture to the South Florida community, it was largely missed. Checking in seemed disorganized but once in you walk through a tunnel of dolphins. Spitting you out to the craft section. Prices were as low as 2.00 all the way up to 500.00 with oriental rug stitching. The craft section also serves as the they're for the puppet show. This I thought was charming especially since the team of actors have been putting on shadow puppet shows for over 50 years. Than there's a small beer and wine stall along with an off brand food vendor ran by event staff and Chan's restaurant. All vendors were serving generic Chinese food. Which is a shame for such a rich culinary culture. The loop than puts you to small playgrounds and the King Fu theatre and over to a dinosaur ride section that has nothing to do with the Chinese Lantern Festival. Than it's to the light displays that wraps around the lake. All displays were cute but no where near the displays that could be accomplished. At 20.00 a person the Kung Fu show and Shadow Puppet Show ended up being the two small options worth any time or resources spent at this event.

Another great event! (53 years and going strong). The event is put on by the hardworking ladies of…read morePlantation Junior Woman's Club in a beautiful park setting with something for everyone in the whole family! Great art and crafts for every budget! Amazing live music Saturday & Sunday plus talented student performers, and animal shows for the kids. If that's not enough....there are bounce houses, rock walls, food booths and beverage tents with everything under the sun for drinkers and non-drinkers alike! There is amazing student art work on display from the K-12 Art Search winners, a wonderful scholarship raffle booth with a plethora of prizes to support college scholarships, even Macy's and the Bloodmobile! Come on out....you'll be glad you did!

This is the 52nd annual Art in the Park! That's quite a streak. Held in Liberty Park in Plantation…read morethis annual two day festival features a wide variety of arts and crafts, food, live performances, and children's activities. A highlight of the event is the Art Search which is an art competition for students. This years theme is "Splash into the Arts." I saw a wide variety of items for sale during my visit at all different price points. Some of my favorites were the colorful sun catchers, glass animals, and a wide variety of jewelry. You can definitely knock off some of your holiday shopping list here. My favorite items were by Aranji who makes handcrafted jewelry. I got a chance to talk to Ruth the creator who was so friendly. She was a science teacher who used her knowledge of chemistry to adhere glass to paper in order to make wonderful pendants, rings, and key chains. She had a large selection of already made pedants at an affordable price of 2 for $20 which even included the chain. Rings were $5. I am going to send her some pictures I took and art work my daughter created in order to make custom pendants for the holidays. If you are looking for one of a kind inexpensive keepsake jewelry Ruth can be reached at ruth.aranji.us. She is also on facebook and pinterest. I can't wait to do an artistic collaboration with her. There is so much food, shopping and fun. Parking is free but limited. You have to find parking around the outside of the park on the swale. They do ask that you leave your pets at home. After visiting this hometown folksy festival it is easy to see why it has lasted so long. I plan on adding it to my annual events calendar.

As festivals go, particularly at the price and especially for one being sponsor by, held and put on…read moreby and inside of a retail store, the IKEA Swedish Crayfish Party is a Five Stars Winner and one not to be missed. In the words of IKEA: "Imagine a mild late summer evening. Friends gathered around a table set outdoors with bright red crayfish, bread, cheese, shrimps and various pies. And as the sun sets slowly, candles are lit and paper lanterns glow in the increasing darkness. Everyone is wearing paper hats and bibs, singing merry songs to accompany the snaps." As it is actually held indoors within the second floor IKEA restaurant, you do have to imagine the table set outdoors, the candles and increasing darkness of a late Swedish summer night but other than that, it's all very real, very wonderful and oh so much fun. I would have missed it myself, but thanks to Yelper Mary Ann C. who set it up as an UYE I made it but not by much since it sold out so quickly. Originally set as a one night event with three seatings it so quickly sold out IKEA was "forced" to extend to two night with a total of six seatings. And when I say "forced" I do mean forced because when IKEA originally announced the tickets as having been "sold out," there was a near customer riot within the store. The regular price is $12.99, but with the free IKEA Family Tickets available at any IKEA kiosk, only $9.99, which for all the Swedish styled (read dilled) crayfish you can eat along with Swedish meatballs, Swedish gravy, Swedish lox, herring, cheeses, lingonberry soft drink and varying desserts, the dinner bargain of a lifetime. Being of Swedish heritage and having personally attending several late summer crayfish festivals in Sweden this was a real treat for me as IKEA managed to do it all so very, very well. Though I smugly thought the crayfish would have tasted different than those I've had in Sweden, they didn't. I couldn't tell the difference. They had that identical delicate dill taste, full flavor, texture and were all of large size. In fact, with the exception of the salmon which was smoked instead of a true "gravlax," all of the food was the same and very much served in the same manner. Just looking at that huge vat of tasty crayfish set my mouth watering with me eating more of them than I thought possible. The live Swedish music, the party napkins, bibs, and general festive décor of the place couldn't have been better, but what really astounded me was how many different languages and people of so many different heritages and backgrounds all showed up as fans of Swedish food and Swedish culture. In fact, other than me muttering a few Swedish words to my dinning partner, fellow Yelper Jim D., and listening to the singer singing in Swedish, I don't think I heard anyone speaking Swedish. So a big hooray for Sverige (That's how say Sweden in Swedish) and a big hooray for IKEA! It was a real classical Swedish late summer treat.

FOR $9.99 YOU GET A BUFFET OF SWEDISH FOODS, The food was great but the staff was better, outgoing,…read morefriendly, and very helpful. I did like the crayfish, I had a platter was full of them but it takes work to get to the rewards. The Swedish meatballes were my favorite and that is coming from an Italian who makes his own meatballs.The restaurant was very clean and the set up is very easy to get what you want fast and easy, no space goes to waste. Everything the sell in their supermarket was at the buffet. There were many families there and above all they had live music. It was a treat of treats to start anyones weekend.

Love coming here, so nice to see! It really does make it feel like the holidays and lots of…read morefamilies come to visit with their children and pets.

This is one of the most elaborate Christmas displays put together by a private home. For the…read moresecond year in a row, we enjoyed walking around and taking pictures of this delightfully decorated home. Over 170,000 lights framed the house and the decorations all over the yard. Many of them were mobile decorations, my favorite being the Christmas gift conveyor out of the Santa's workshop hut. Just ingenious and delightful. The family is very patient and very good with all people on their property. Some want to touch the moving train, the displays, the lights, and they politely say, please do not touch the displays. A great place to get into the Christmas spirit ! It's tough to find parking since this is a private residential neighborhood, but if you are willing to walk a few blocks, you should be able to find a parking space.

I ended up here by accident but it turned out to be a happy one. I was actually vising a different…read morenearby cultural institution when I spotted the Fort Lauderdale Greek Festival presented by St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church. On a whim I decided to check it out and I am happy to report that i had a great time. It was right before the cold front was moving down from the north so it was a gray and drizzly day but the festivities helped to brighten it up. Parking was available for free in Holiday Park across the street. It was just a short walk over but there was even closer parking for $20 in the Art Serve parking lot. Admission at the gate was $5 cash or card. This year was the 46th year of this annual festival so they really know what they are doing. The church has secured a number of local partners to support them. The festival was created to share the traditions of Greece with the Ft. Lauderdale community. You could take a free tour of the church, listen to a lecture and authentic Greek music, take in a Greek cooking demonstration, shop the bazaar and Greek Grocery store, view a traditional folk dance, and possibly my favorite, indulge in the decadent food and drinks. The festival menu included spanakopita, tiropita, cheese saganaki, loukaniko, ribs on the grill, shish kabob, Greek fries, gyro sandwiches, souvlaki sandwiches, moussaka, pastitsio, roasted chicken, braised lamb shank, stuffed peppers, butter beans, Greek salad, rice, and lemon potatoes. Make sure to save room for dessert because the choices included kourambiedes, almond crescent cookies, diples, katafi, baklava, kok, ekmek katifi, pasta flora, rice pudding, galaltoboureko, koulourakia, tsoureki, ravani, karithopita, and melomakarona. As the weather turned colder throughout the day, the loukoumades, a fried Greek donut drenched in syrup and sprinkled with powdered sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts paired perfectly with a strong Greek coffee that warmed me up. Of course I had to leave with a few pastries to take home. I thought all of the food offerings were reasonably priced for festival food. I also appreciated that they don't require you to first purchase tickets which are turned in for food like a lot of other festivals. I was easily able to Apple Pay everything I wanted with no leftover or wasted tickets. After eating I enjoyed watching the children dance as people threw money up in the air around them to support their lessons and costumes. There were so many vendors to shop from selling Greek jewelry, accessories, beauty products, wine, and more. They also had carnival rides for the kids. I was really impressed with how large the festival was and how friendly and welcoming all of the volunteers were. The Ft. Lauderdale Greek Festival is a wonderful experience for all ages.

What an absolutely amazing event! The Ft. Lauderdale Greek Festival was such a fun, vibrant, and…read morememorable experience from start to finish. We loved watching the traditional dances and even learning a few steps ourselves--it really made you feel immersed in the culture. And the food... wow. Everything was incredible. From savory favorites like dolmades, saganaki, loukaniko, and lamb shank to the desserts (don't skip these!)--baklava, assorted Greek cookies, and authentic Greek coffee--it was all delicious and worth every bite. Beyond the food, there was so much to enjoy. Vendors, cooking classes, a carnival, and plenty to see and do for all ages made it a full-day experience. But the true standout for me was the church itself. It's absolutely stunning--each painting is beautiful and meaningful, and learning the stories behind them made the visit even more special. We loved every part of it and truly can't wait to go back next year. If you're on the fence, go--this festival is a must. An amazing time all around!

Spent Friday evening enjoying a wonderful time in Las Olas. Had some great food and drink met some…read moreinteresting folks and overall had a great time. The Las Olas Festival was an experience, lots of great food from local restaurants and some independent providers. We tried something from almost everywhere and it was truly an experience. I am sharing just a few videos from the event but places like YOLO, The Wildly, La Marialita Rum and so much more. This was a great experience and I recommend when it comes by next year, you check it out as well.

Enjoyed the festival but it will be my last year. The 1/2 hour VIP early entrance is not long…read moreenough because by the time I went down one side of the event the gates opened and the line at the tents were prohibitive (So Long) to wait for a taste or drink.

Despite having lived next door to the Bergeron Rodeo for several years back in the 90's this was my…read morefirst visit. I won't go to a rodeo because I don't find abusing animals entertaining but a craft show on the other hand is right up my alley. This is an annual event sponsored by the town of Davie. The event was advertised as having 100 vendors. I don't think there were quite that many but they had a lot. Admission and parking were free. The tents filled the rodeo arena and outside it as well. People were selling plants, floral arrangements, zombie soup mix, jewelry, lights in alcohol bottles, soap, dream catchers, a tiny fairy garden, woodwork, stained glass, baked goods, clothes, bags, and a myriad of other hand made goods. They also had food and drink vendors and bounce houses and kids corner activities for children . The grounds were perfect for the craft show. There were plenty of clean bathrooms. The weather was gorgeous, the vendors were varied, and with the upcoming holidays it was the perfect time to shop. It is good to support the local arts community. This is a nice hometown event perfect for kids and adults.

My family and I really enjoyed visiting Family Farm; we've been a handful of times. It's nice to…read moresee a farm in the super populated Broward County area. Parking was plentiful on grass. Once we parked our car, we walked up to a booth; for a fee, you can buy a bucket of mixed veggies to feed the animals. There were free roaming chickens, pigs, tortoise, cows, ponies, and goats. They had picnic tables throughout. There was a BBQ pit; I saw them grilling up ribs. I wouldn't eat there because I saw a couple of chickens pecking at the ribs in the grill when the attendant stepped away. I saw many birthday parties there; a great spot to book a birthday party for the little ones. They also have tractor rides for a fee; they drove us by the cows and we were able to feed and pet them. Pony rides are available for a fee too. They hosts a ton of events; just check their website. We went during Halloween and Christmas. Depending on the season, you can pick fruits and sunflowers. Overall, a fun place to take your little ones.

Robert Hoover opened the 30 acre Family Farm in Davie in 2019. For decades he grew food for…read moresupermarkets. After seeing other U Pick farms disappearing in the area he decided to open as a strawberry U-Pick farm to educate and pass on his passion for sustainable farming. I love farms and farm to table so I stopped in to check out Family Farm when I was in the area. Family Farms offers an ala carte menu that includes hay rides, pony rides, and bunny encounters. You can purchase animal feed for $5. When in season you can pick strawberries, tomatoes, and flowers. You can book a private party. There were several birthday parties going on during my visit, They also offer Mommy and Me classes, camp, Bonfire Saturday Nights with BBQ and marshmallow toasting, live music, and photography mini sessions. Halloween at the Farm is held every October. In the picnic area chickens and goats were roaming free. Several round swings hung from the trees and were occupied by children swirling around. They had a face painting tent and another one selling accessories. Davie has its roots as an agricultural farming community. It's nice that there is still a place where you can experience that.