Glow Hartford is definitely geared toward children (as is to be expected, but perhaps a tad more…read morethan expected), with lights, light swings, hoppity-hop areas, color-changing pads they can jump between, a small train, and some photo ops that kids will love. It's all indoors and warm, which is a plus for New England winters, but personally I'd rather find local outdoor light displays instead. For the lights themselves, the standout for most kids was probably the hanging "icicle" garden -- rows of lights you can walk through, which seemed to get the biggest reaction. Do it early enough next year, and you may even get a decent shot or two in time for your Shutterfly or equivalent Christmas card. The snack options were fine, and there's alcohol for adults, though some things are a bit on the expensive side. You'll probably also end up giving in to some of the add-ons -- glowing cups, light-up wands, or similar extras -- so your kid isn't the only one without one. (Maybe prepare yourself with a preemptive "OK, but just ONE.") The self-stamped passport activity was a nice touch, and the PEZ dispenser prize at the end was a cute detail. All in all, it's an OK experience and a nice family option if you take advantage of everything inside. I'd call it 3.5 stars -- fun to do once, but probably not something I'd make a yearly tradition.

"Morning glow, filled with light You can make the whole day…read morebright" (Michael Jackson) Glow is a family-friendly indoor winter festival of lights currently open in five Canadian cities, Eugene Oregon, and good old Hartford, CT. It was a beautiful display of color and design, highlighted by plenty of dazzling lights in the shape of iconic landmarks from around the world. If you ever hoped to see Christmas lights in the shape of the London Eye, Eiffel Tower, Asian temples, Taj Mahal, the Louvre, and London Bridge... well you'll be amazed at the images you see here. Complementing the visuals are bars, rides, food, photo ops with Santa and the Grinch, live music, and a vendor trade show. Plenty of kiddie activities too - a bounce house, train ride, glowing swing sets, and games. We saw quite a few families with kids of all ages, including a lot of strollers enjoying the show and taking advantage of the hundreds of photo ops. No doubt many of the pics will end up on next year's Christmas cards. All in all, this was a very enjoyable experience.

Local love at this fantastic annual arts and crafts festival!!…read more The Avon Arts Association creates and runs a perfect festival, set in the upper parking area (between two separate [but connected] lots) in between the small businesses in Old Avon Village. It is very easy to ambulate (and thus wheelchair accessible, which is hard to find in local festivals and farmers markets)!! The festival is very well advertised, with huge stand-up signs along the roads near the main streets of Avon and colorful flags and balloons bordering the entrance to the lots. You are led the way in!! You are able to see a number of local artists and their showcase works. From woodwork to jewelry to hand-dyed tie-dye to photography to paintings, you will see a little of everything here. I was really impressed by the number of vendors here!! I saw the talent and passion with each vendor as I passed through. It is really fun to see the excitement vendors have when they show their work. I was able to interact with the vendors, too, and chatted with a few about their items. Each vendor--including the shop owners at the antique shop that is in the center of the festival--was incredibly kind and, again, very passionate. I purchased a beautiful and unique ring at Two Birds Jewelers (opening a storefront in Ashford soon) and gorgeous tie-dye scarf and t-shirt from Deena's DDJ Designs ("tie-dyed clothing with a heart and a twist"). I spoke with the jeweler who crafted my ring and learned about the stone and setting; then I later chatted with Deena who made my tie-dyed pieces and who told me how to care for my funky one-of-a-kind wardrobe items. I really enjoyed strolling through, seeing local artists and their talents. There really is nothing like seeing local artists showcase their work and their passion. The only problem with this festival is the parking. There are small and windy roads in this village's parking, so it can be tricky to navigate to find a space in the limited number of spaces it has. You may want to go early--though you may want to anyway to miss the crowds and see the items showcased by each vendor more closely before anyone else--to grab a close parking spot. When I went mid-morning, I lucked out by grabbing a space down a flight of stairs from the center of the festival. I saw others though parking in the lower lots behind the larger complex and walking uphill to the tents. Overall, I very much like the smooth and accessible space this festival is set in, so it is worth the walk. There were a considerable number of people there when I went, but the festival is perfectly spread out so foot-traffic is not an issue. If you are not able to make one day, do not worry--this festival is open two days. Even if arts and crafts are not your thing, definitely stop by. You will see the local talent and may get a free sample of ice cream!! Why not support local every chance you can?

My boyfriend's 8 year old twins are Fraidy Cats! So, I had to find something special to do with…read morethem for Halloween that was non scary, so that we could take his other 2 kids to a Haunted House w/o them feeling left out. And I stumbled upon this place. It couldn't have been more perfect! The day started at Castle Hill Farm (Hayride/Corn Maze and Pumpkin Picking), then we came home had lunch and carved 2 glorious pumpkins! Entry to the festival was 1 carved pumpkin/kid +1 dollar for the candle. Entry included 10 Trick or Treat Stations, games, balloon animals,bouncy house obstacle course (what?), dj, hula hoop contest and of course there was food for an additional fee, a very reasonable fee. All the kids were dressed up, it was fantastic. But when night hit is when it raised the festivities another notch... all the hundreds of pumpkins were lit up for viewing and it was pretty freakin cool if I do say so myself. What was even better we were able to retrieve our pumpkins at the end of the night. FYI: THIS MAY BE THE LAST YEAR AS THEIR FUNDING "IS DRYING UP". THAT WOULD BE SUCH A SHAME.

Small event that is great for families and kids, good selection of food trucks and rides. Beer tent…read moreis always busy and everyone working is kind and helpful. Music can sometimes be very loud but what else would you expect from a music festival

"You are the apple of my eye Forever you'll stay in my…read moreheart" (Stevie Wonder) Wow, wow, wow!! Were we impressed by the Glastonbury Apple Harvest and Music Festival. The Festival grounds (located in Riverfront Park) was enormous. There was a big midway with amusement rides and games, plenty of food trucks, three stages of live music, craft and clothing vendors, a petting zoo, a pub, ice cream stands, apple pies and fritters, and even a 5k Road Race for tomorrow. We had such a fun time, just strolling the grounds, checking out all the food options. We eventually settled on a plate of Tofu Pad Thai and dumplings from Siam. We also picked up a 6-piece order of Apple Fritters and split that between three apple and three pumpkin. I also had a nice visit to the at the Pan De Oro booth and learned they make salsa and tortilla chips right in Hartford! Who knew? We parked at the high school and took a shuttle bus to the gate. Admission was $5 per person. Sure beats the crowded Southington Apple Festival in our opinion.

Weekend fun. We like to Visit this festival almost every…read moreyear. First visit is to the delicious apple fritters stand. OMG its just a very popular treat, eating it as soon as they come out its an amazing experience. We noticed how popular this festival is becoming and more people visiting every year. The stands and food vendors are always great. We stopped to watch a few dances too. It was a bummer that they didn't have a second parade, most people gather for that but its only once over two weekends event. Until next time

The annual Southington Apple Festival occurs in the fall for 6 days and on two weekends. In the…read moreNortheast, it is one of the longest and largest festivals. There's plenty of activities for the 100,000 people that visits. There were plenty of food tents, a parade, fireworks, carnival rides, arts & crafts, live music, and more. There were parking ordinances throughout. I saw many lots charging a fee and free parking throughout. We were able to find free parking at a municipal parking lot, after some driving aorund. The event was packed! I had apple cider margarita at a booth with live music. Also, I had apple crisp with vanilla ice cream from a church; both items were good! My family had a fun time at this traditional event and glad to have checked it off our list.

I have been going for the last four years and I always look forward to it. The festival takes place…read moreFriday, Saturday and Sunday at bushnell park in Hartford. They have jazz artists all across the country come and perform. They also have a bunch of vendors and food trucks come. All the food and drinks are delicious. A great variety! The festival is free to get into and also plenty of free on street parking. A lot of people come with blankets, wine and candles which makes for a nice atmosphere. It's a great time!!

'Twas a fun and fantabulous time. With the rain looming, the crowds piled into the streets early,…read moreprobably at its peak at 7pm. There was plenty of seating - if you also include the benches and fountain - and great vendors to choose from. I appreciated the diversity, and it was great to be reminded - by smell and taste! - of the variety Glastonbury has to offer. For $7, the ribs at J. Gilbert's was a solid choice. They practically fell off the bone, and the sauce was complementary without being overwhelming. Some other items were a little pricey for the portions, though. There were only two beers to choose from - Sam Summer and Ten Penny - and a few more wines. I'm kind of surprised they charged $1 for the ID band. They don't even do that in NYC! A quintessential local event. It was very fun and tasty. Great people watching, as well.

I don't see the date of this balloon event posted anywhere, other than another poster that says to…read morearrive on the 1st day = Friday night...? I really want to go to this festival too.

The evening glow was really underwhelming. There were only five balloons. The park was so crowded…read moreyou could hardly move. The food vendors seemed overwhelmed. My son waited over one hour for a Philly cheesesteak. The fireworks were awesome. The logistic support for the parking and shuttle system were handled really well. Been there, saw the balloons. Don't need to go back.

Spent a glorious afternoon on the Hartford waterfront enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and taste…read moreof the Riverfront Dragon Boat & Asian Festival. Food Half a dozen Asian food stands whipping up fresh batches of lo mein, rice, chicken & veggies, skewers, pad thai, egg rolls, spring rolls, on and on and on. Also saw Rita's Italian ices! Entertainment Music and dance all day long. We saw a lady doing trick bicycle riding on the way in and a group of kids playing drums on the way out. Dragon Boat Races Very impressed by the races and the racers. They came from all over the East, including MA, NY and Philadelphia. It was fun walking down to the team tents and reading the banners to see where they were from. Many of the teams were cancer survivors, so it definitely reminded me a lot of Relay For Life. There was a touching memorial moment when they played Somewhere Over the Rainbow and then people tossed pink carnations into the water. The Venue My first time down on the Hartford Riverfront and I was very impressed. To be honest, it was beautiful. Multi levels to explore from the waterfront up to the Science Center. The Lincoln Financial Sculpture Walk looks like a great way to spend an afternoon Room for improvement? Well, I thought there was much too much "down time" between the boat races. The dead time wasn't helped too much by the MC who could have been a little peppier.

Ambiance: SUPER nice and festive - tons of people, the waterfront plaza was clean and had a good…read morenumber of benches/railings to sit. Vendors: the sellers of "things" were few and far between, but interesting to look at while walking Parking: we parked across the street for $10 - easy ! Food: I was really excited to eat "authentic Asian" food as described per the event flyer, but alas, we are still in Connecticut. Bastardized Thai food galore, a Thai restaurant selling Japanese food, a sandwich food truck, Carvel truck, and italian ice. mmm... there is more to Asia than Thailand. There was also an Asian beer garden which was great!! Food gets a big fat F. Entertainment: was interesting! two "stages" separate enough from each other to enjoy acts without being distracted by the other. We watched hula, aikido, kung fu, tai chi, Chinese dance, modernized taiko, and some Chinese singing. It was all great! Dragonboat racing: I have to agree with the other reviewer that there was a lot of down time between heats which made it kind of boring. The emcee should probably have announced WHEN each race started because you only really ever knew once they came towards the finish line that the race had even started. Really cool to see so many people share a hobby, though! Overall, I would go to the Waterfront again, but I would not really look forward to attending this festival again. They need better food, more vendors, and more variety of things to eat/do/see. The food was so lackluster and unsatisfying, that we left to go to eat at Pho Saigon afterward. :P Future tip: bring a picnic blanket or chairs if you want to watch the dragon boat races for a long time!

Q1: - What did I see at the Farmington Food Truck Fest?…read more A1: - Over twenty food trucks, a DJ, kiddie rides, games of chance Q2:- What kind of food could you get there? A2: - Steak tips, fried dough, barbecue, burgers, dogs, brats, poutine, fried dough, kebabs, meatballs, baked potatoes, ice cream, kettle corn, tater tots, tacos, even fried cookie dough. Q3: -What food truck had the most provocative double entendre of a name? A3: - Just The Tip (steak Tips) The Farmington Food Fest was a blast! It was in an office park that was empty today, and there was a ton of parking with lot attendants to keep everything running smoothly. There was a big crowd, but the grounds were so spread out and there were so many food trucks we never really felt crowded in. We walked around the place a few times to get the lay of the land, see what trucks were there, and plan out our strategy for the day. We both went to the Tots Hots & Brats truck for a hot dog and a red hot .My Red Hot was excellent -big juicy with onions and peppers on a soft roll. I loved it. Dessert was an easy choice as we made a mutual beeline for the Shaved Ice truck. It was a different kind of shaved ice because you applied your own syrup to your personal mountain of shaved ice. The Food Fest was operated by USA Festivals out of Fort Myers, FL and they have a niche in organizing these events across the country. They sure did a great job with this one. Only negative is that it's just a 2-day affair -Saturday June 26 and Sunday June 27. So tomorrow's your last chance.