I used to come to this street fair more often but now gravitate towards the Oside one on Thursday. Omgah, it's Thursday lol. But back to the review, please take time to go on the first week of May! There was around 500 vendors, I might be wrong but it was about six blocks full of fun things to be found. They do need some more things for men but then again, women are more in to shopping as a collective. If you love jewelry, small business finds, and food, it's definitely something I will be coming back for. I can't wait to go next year and replenish my earring collection. Recently started to collect them! We also had the most amazing freakin cake!!!! OMGAH!!!! I promise, if you like a cake that isn't dry, even a coffee cake that isn't dry, this company is worth ordering from! I am going to be ordering some yummy gifts for people in the future. It's called Dolce Monachelli's they do have a website and it's the best Bundt cake you will ever have. They have a cute sampler you can always get as a gift bc I will be gifting with these cakes! I think this is the best cake I've ever had! Sorry I don't have picks of the cake lol it was just too good and I forgot. read more

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Did ya'll know that one of the largest street fairs in the United States is the Carlsbad Village Street Faire? Well, ya'll know now! This FREE event is sooo popular it not only attracts local people but also people from other States. There are over 750 unique vendors for arts & crafts, antiques, jewelry, hand-made or vintage clothing, games, live entertainment and much more. It's a FUN Sunday full of shopping, food and festivities. So come on Yelp Community don't miss this biannual event! read more

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So many vendors, we didn't have a lot of time and probably saw on 25%. We purchased beautiful earrings, custom art work of Carlsbad and a straw hat. Plenty of food choices. In November we will plan more time read more

It's been years since I've been to the Carlsbad Street Fair! I was glad that my husband and I got to revisit this fair. The morning weather was perfect. We arrived at 9ish and a good crowd had already occupied the street. Plenty of vendor showered both sides of the street. We found the food vendors at two different locations. We stopped at both, but only bought food at one area. This area is where they had live performances on a stage. This is also where seating for eating or watching was available. Umbrellas included. It was an overall nice fair to visit. Plenty places to eat outside of the fair and other shopping at the local stores. I would definitely recommend visiting if you are in the area during this time. Keep in mind parking is no joke come early or drop people off and find your parking. Train station is right there so you could always Coaster your way in and not worry about parking! read more

This is one of the largest street fairs in the United states, I believe there are close to a thousand vendors, and it is several blocks long. They hold it twice a year. I have gone several times, and I usually don't leave empty-handed. There are two locations for a shuttle bus that will get you to the street fair so you don't need to worry about parking. They pick up from the poinsettia station, or the shops at Carlsbad where the old Sears used to be. Since the letter is a closer drive for me, that's where I park. The shuttle buses are very nice, and comfortable seating, I believe it fits about 50 people or so at a time. Depending on the time of day I think they run every 15 minutes. I love to go and check out the different booths, many of which give out free swag. Things from tote bags to hats, to candy, pens, hand sanitizer, I've even gotten a t-shirt in the past. This time being around Halloween there was lots of candy people were giving out. I didn't find as much this time, as I had in past years, which I was a bit surprised about considering it's close to the holidays. Most of what I found was actually from the shops that are along the street. I will say there is a good variety of things, from artwork, to jewelry, to spices, to skin and body products, clothing, shoes, snacks and baked goods, really just so much to choose from. They also have a live music area, with seating for you to sit down and take a break, and a food truck area with several options to choose from. There are also several restaurants in the area, if you aren't interested in the food trucks. One thing I will say, is make sure to have good walking shoes. It took me about three and a half hours, including stopping for lunch, to get through the whole Fair. It can also be a bit hard to navigate with there being so many people, and also factoring in all of the strollers and pets. One thing I wish the fair would get away from, is all of the political booths, and the vacation club booths. I wish they would just keep it to vendors who are selling Goods. I think the best thing to do is go early, if you can find parking great, but utilizing the shuttle is a great option. I suggest taking a tote bag, as sometimes it's easier to pack all of your little bags into one bigger one. Some of the bags you get also might not be sturdy, so having one of your own is a plus. It gets warm after walking so long, so I always wear layers. At the very least bring sunblock and shades but a hat might be a good idea as well. Some people do bring umbrellas, however I have found it inconvenient because it's just another thing to carry, and the crowds are too dense and I worry about hitting someone accidentally. read more

Soooo awesome! I go to this twice a year and it never gets old!! Amazing vendors and lots of walking!

This was such a fun event during May 2024. The only part that wasn't fun was finding parking for over 30 minutes. :) Saw lots of unique booths and delicious food offerings that we indulged in. The live band was playing some awesome 80's hits and then the main bass speaker blew and was making a clapping sound. Can't wait to return next month (Nov 2024) for the next street fair. For sure I will be there. read more

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Great entertainment and so many options for food and beverages! It gets chilly at night so bring a sweatshirt. The vibe is so positive and there were lots of vendors selling their unique items. read more

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What a great little street fair! This is a street fair that happens in Carlsbad on the weeknights, I think that it's Thursday night. There are strings of little shops, vendors, and a ton of food places, stretched out across two intersecting streets in downtown Carlsbad. A lot of the food options seems like they would be really nice, I ended up having a brisket sandwich at one of the vendors, and it was fantastic! There's also live music and it's fun to be able to walk and look at the shops and eat your food and listen to a live band. A lot of the shops are fun, but some of them are your typical street fair shops, like pokémon kitch and baseball cards, etc. The only real downside I had to this street fair, is no parking. I understand again that we're in Carlsbad but no parking is no parking. read more

So much to see! There were about 20 vendors. Don't come too early because the food vendors don't really finish set up until lunch time. We thought to come here for breakfast, but ended up going to a nearby shop for food and then coming back. Vendors sold items from bags, clothes, hot sauce, cotton candy, lemonade, kettlecorn, candles, etc. Never thought I would get lost in a street market, but I sure did! It spanned about 6 different streets read more

Carlsbad Street Fair - Bbq brisket booth - Festivals Near Me - Carlsbad, California

This is maybe my fourth time visiting the street fair and I always look forward to checking out all the goods and getting my steps in for the day. I usually meet up with my daughter and her boyfriend and sometimes a couple of my brothers join us so it becomes a fun family afternoon. During previous visits I've purchased some nice yard art, Italian ceramic dip bowls, yummy dog treats that my dogs just love and of course my traditional bag of kettle corn! During this visit we saw a beautiful metal bird that looks like it is flying when the wind blows through it. If I had a space for it I would have bought it in a second ! read more

Carlsbad Street Fair - Beautiful yard art ' - Festivals Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Here's a copy of an email I sent to Mr Bauer Kennedy of Kennedy Fairs on June 28, 2024...to which we have yet to get a reply. Hi Mr. Bauer, My wife, Terry, and I are long time residents of Carlsbad and frequent attendees to the City's street faires in May and November. This past April, Terry had bunion surgery on her foot, which had required her to use a knee scooter when we went to the street faire this past May. We specifically waited until 2 o'clock or so before going in an effort to avoid the big rush of the day. Before leaving the house, we went to the City's Chamber of Commerce website to find out where the handicapped parking was located. The map showed an ADA parking lot next to the City's Visitor Center, as well as an overflow ADA parking lot along the front of the Village Faire Shopping Mall. Please refer to the red highlighted areas on the attached map. When we got there, the ADA lot next to the visitor center was blocked off and a large, low sided, dumpster was taking up the majority of the parking spaces on the right side of the lot. As a result we went to the ADA overflow lot. Again, part of the access/entry point was closed off and when we went to the second driveway, not only were there no ADA spaces, but there was nobody there to guide and/or direct traffic. It was a cluster. As a result, we ended up parking blocks away, much to my wife's inconvenience. I would like an explanation as to why the areas were not made available to ADA customers and why there was nobody there to assist or direct traffic. In addition, there was a large RV parked between Crackheads and the visitor center parking lot taking up valuable parking spaces. Please see blue highlighted area on the attached map. Allegedly, the RV was occupied by a parking attendant and his wife. So why is this person, allowed to take up so many valuable parking spaces. I'll concede these parking spaces aren't conducive to street faire attendees, but they are critical parking spaces for the employees of the local businesses in the area. I would like an explanation as to why this individual is allowed to do this, instead of parking elsewhere and walking just like everyone else. I look forward to hearing back from you and will be providing a copy of this email to the Chamber of Commerce. read more

Truly the best place to wander and share eats! Amazing variety and fun music make it worth the effort to find parking(recommend you go early). read more

Dog friendly!! There were so many dogs and it was kind of hot so I had to pick my dog up half the time. It was really crowded and we went about 2 pm. It was on May 7, 2023 and they come twice a year. Most of the smalls shops don't have online stores or anywhere else to purchase. That was sad. There was a lot of the same booths but different management, I guess. We walked so much and I felt like it was at least 100 booths maybe more. They have a section just for food and no dogs allowed in there. So make sure you come with someone so you can wait outside the gate with your dog. I really enjoyed it and it was fun experience. I did buy beef jerky and it was so good and the lady seemed like she was ready to go home. Poor thing. So many options for jewelry but one place definitely caught my eye, got a opal ring and opal earrings. They are both sterling silver and one was $ 18K gold plated. Really cute top that was made in India and definitely smells like it was made in India. Overall great street fair, just a lot of 5 of the same stores(or so it looks like). read more

Why should you go to the Carlsbad street fair with its epic parking issues? Just take the free shuttle bus and bypass all the frustration! Good stuff - So many vendors selling everything from gadgets to homemade items. Bathrooms readily available. Food vendors are all grouped together in one convenient area. Inappropriately dressed women. Bad stuff - Jerky Hut. About as reputable as a game of three-card monte. There are no prices posted here. Just the two sour owners selling 3for$30 Jerky. They hide from you the fact that not all the Jerky qualifies for the 3X30, in fact the stuff you want to buy is strangely "higher in price" when you go pay for it so they try to add in a few extra bucks to the total. They give you major attitude when you put something back and don't buy. The Shuttle pick up area at the "The Shoppes at Carlsbad" mall is not clearly marked. However, just look for the "Sun Diego" charter bus and follow it to the staging area. Hint, it's not in the bus loading area as you might think. Tip Start your visit in the afternoon around 1:30 - 2PM with the shuttle ( no wait, walk right onto bus). End your day at 5PM at the fair and get back on the bus (no wait).. It's about three hours to see everything unless you enjoy gabbing with the vendors. Also figure about 2.5 miles of walking. read more

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Awesome bi-annual giant village street fair. Thousand of venders, tons of food, drinks, desserts, clothing, snacks, fruit, nuts, and home decor items. This is the biggest street fair that I've been to within 60 miles. Many streets are closed off, and it runs along Grand Ave from Jefferson to PCH. I love purchasing the gourmet bunt cakes, flavored pistachios, unique jewelry, specialty drinks, and handmade items. Parking is all street. You'll need to park a ways to find something, but the walk is worth it. It can get warm walking in the sun for a couple hours, so be prepared. It's a great time out here and so close to SD...so it's a great stop before heading downtown. read more

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So many varieties of artists. Our daughter brought 5 paintings. We also found a great place to eat.

My friend Darc looked up the Carlsbad Street Fair and apparently it is one of the biggest in the NATION! Go Carlsbad! Darcy and I found a business that had paid parking (couldn't get near State Street!) and then we walked for breakfast to Senor Grubby's, and then checked out the fair. It started to rain just as we got there at 10.30 am!!! Ducked into Fairen Del and bought an umbrella and then continued on our path. This fair is about three blocks square, with lots of the shops that aren't in the fair putting out stuff in front of their stores. Lots of people were in the stores, too, because of the rain. Really fun crowd and some fun stuff. Darc and I both got 1500 thread Egyptian Cotton sheets for $34.95/set. And then we both found some artwork. A French guy had giclee's (transfers onto either paper or canvas). Darc got a famous 1898 painting on paper for $75. I got a large, beautiful 1920s scene of the Southern Italy coast on canvas for $110. There was food everywhere and lots of cheerful people in spite of the rain. Next time I'll be sure to bring a great big shopping bag, 'cause my fingers were breaking by the time I got back to the car. Great way to spend a Sunday morning in C'bad. read more

Carlsbad Street Fair - It was raining so probably not as crowded as it would have been. - Festivals Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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omygosh! It's back just before the holidays Nov 7 2021 and just in time to save everyone during this shipping container and Covid crisis. Lots of things we're looking forward to buying gifts and items for us. Let alone eat and drink!! The caramel booth, the ceramics, the beauty bar where men get their noses waxed!! Hats, clothing...OH that handmade totebag lady from OShop for the Arts. we got lots of cross body pockets from her last time because she has a gazillion themes. There are so many booths to shop from. read more

Carlsbad Street Fair - Festivals Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Next Fairs: Sunday 5/7/17; Sunday 11/5/17 The bi-annual Carlsbad Street Faire is said to be the largest one-day street fair in the nation, with 80,000 attendees and 900+ vendors, to say nothing of the businesses that are in the Village year-round. There are always plenty of food, art and clothes vendors, and while there are the usual junk vendors that can be found at any street fair, there are also plenty of good quality local and area vendors selling everything under the sun. If you can find it at another street fair then you can probably find it here: honey, shells, pet beds, tiki masks, homeopathic remedies, termite extermination services, you name it. The November 6th, 2016 fair also had its first Cigar Box Guitar Showcase at the northern end of the fair on Roosevelt Street. FunGuy Mojo cigar box acoustic electric guitars, ukuleles and banjos are handmade in California. There were short performances throughout the latter half of the fair. This is expected to be a regular event at both the May and November fairs. For best results, plan on parking at the Carlsbad Coaster Station at Poinsettia (not the Coaster Station that is in the Village). From there the shuttle will take you right to the fair. Plan on wearing your best walking shoes, because if you plan on seeing the entire fair you are going to be doing a lot of it. Don't forget that there are lots of businesses located behind the street vendors, and always multiple sit-down restaurant options within a block of wherever you are. You may want to plan on eating early to avoid a wait at a sit down restaurant, or enjoy one of the many food vendors in the food truck area which also has limited seating. read more

Fun way to spend the day, best is to go when it opens as by late morning it gets way too full and takes some of the enjoyment away. Hours are 8-5 and trying to find parking at 10 when we arrived already proved to be quite a challenge. Lots of circling the area, it's pure luck really. About 900 vendors make for a few hours of exploring, plenty of food, art and decor items, there is really something for everyone. Prices are all over the place, depending on what you are looking for. While I am a dog owner and lover, there are a ton of them here which makes it even more difficult to navigate the crowds, as you have to look down constantly not to trip over them. Best bet is to go at 8 and be out of there before noon, it's a madhouse, but fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon. read more

Carlsbad Street Faire is considered the biggest street fair in SD. I've gone every year, and it seems as though it just gets busier and crazier. From all the street fairs that I've gone to in North County, Carlsbad is the most diversified with many booths of food, trinkets, vendors and "junk". It's fun to roam the many streets in the Village. Luckily, they have the CB Street Faire twice a year, just in case you miss it in the Spring. Traffic and parking is horrendous, and it could get pretty bad around 10-11a - so try to go right in the morning or the tail end of the faire. Sure, it's free, but a headache if you're not into crowds. It's great to experience at least once if you live in SD, and you can always drive down a block or 2 to get to the 101 to cruise the coastline ;) Absolutely gorgeous!!! read more

Wow! While I heard that this was a large street fair, I was still shocked by how large it truly was. It was like a never ending sea of people and booths. In addition to the main stretch of five or six blocks, it also runs a block in each direction along several side streets. We arrived in the early afternoon and panicked that we wouldn't be able to finish looking at everything before it closed. Thankfully, it didn't take as long as it initially looked but we still spent over two hours and I think we made it to every booth. We ended up finding new bedsheets, some dip mixes, dog treats, a wooden sign for a friend's birthday and some artwork. It was quite the eclectic mix of shops! All the booth attendants that we stopped to talk with were friendly and informative. There's a beer garden, which we stopped to have a drink at and I was pleased to see that they had cider too. It seemed like there was a decent food court but we decided to skip the high calorie fair food and grab a bite after the street fair. Loved that they have complimentary parking at the Poinsettia Coaster Station and a free shuttle to the street fair. Not only did it knock a few miles off our drive from Del Mar, but it was nice to not have to fight the traffic around the street fair or look for a parking spot! read more

The C-bad Street Fair is held twice a year, and it's considered to be the biggest one-day fair (Sunday) in California. The food is very delicious & is actually very reasonable! I've been to other street fairs (including the Del Mar Fair & ones in norcal) and some food vendors charge preposterous amounts for very little food! There's a Beer Garden, and the fair is right in the center of downtown Carlsbad...so if you want to eat at a sit-down restaurant instead of eating messy fair food, there are plenty that are open just to serve the crowd on this day! As for the actual contents of booths, I think there is something for everyone in the family here - young, old, male, female, pets, etc.! Our family has been to the fair very religiously for years now...why? It's a good family outing event! The location of the booths don't change all that much, but occasionally you can find new vendors here and there. And surprising, even though we go twice a year & look at almost the same thing time after time, we don't ever get bored! read more

Love this event! Family has been coming for decades twice a year. Yet this year the jerky hut vendors were disrespectful, liars and abusive. Do not support this vendor. The counsel should have them removed for their toxic and unprofessional behavior. Physically threatening customers, cursing at customers while children are present. For beef jerky??? Very rude and selfish people. When stating I was a veteran and I didn't appreciate their attitude to my son they informed me they don't care about veterans or what they did or how they should be treated. Shameful. Along with the Carlsbad representative that was a liar and cursing as well. Really? THEY HAVE OTHER REVIEWS ON YELP OF BEING RACIST My son asked to buy a bag of jerky and as he pointer to it the woman grabbed it and through it several feet away. We asked if we could buy it again and she said "no" it was in the wrong bin. I was confused and didn't understand why we couldn't buy it just because it was in the wrong bin. The male person then told us to piss off that we weren't really going to buy jerky anyway. I guess we didn't fit the demographics of their customers. Interestingly my son loves and buys their jerky twice a year when they are in town. When I came back without my children and asked for an apology I was physically threatened by a pair of scissors and verbally threatened. I defused the situation after being called many Obscenities! I never once cursed or raised my voice. read more

They have a lot of small stores, but most were closed on a weekend outing with the family. Very little to do or see here.

I finally went this May for the 1st time ever. I had wanted to go for mos. It's so incredibly crowded, you just can't really enjoy it. Everywhere you go, you're taking baby steps w/ the flow of the crowd. I was surprised to see how many people brought their dogs. I'm a dog person & I have one too...in fact, it was almost more fun looking at all the dogs there than the vendors. Plus, there's several vendors selling the same kind of items. After my BF & I walked through it, it didn't feel like 900+ vendors. It felt like a lot less. We didn't buy a thing, except food to eat & the food I had didn't taste great. I should have skipped eating altogether & would have lost a couple of pounds. If you've never gone, you're not missing anything. I'm probably never going again, unless it's in 10 years or so to see if they've changed. Thank God it wasn't too hot that day & thank God I went w/ a group on a tour bus otherwise, it would have been absolutely miserable! read more

My family has been attending the Carlsbad Street Fair for 28+ years which might sound a little crazy if you've never been, but the fair offers so much: - Location Location Location: smack in the middle of Carlsbad which means if you don't want fair food, you have PLENTY of walkable options. You can also bar hop your way through the fair (the best way to go in my opinion) enjoying drinks at Coyote, Hennessy's, the Cantina, etc. - A Cheap Day for Families: attending the fair itself is free. Vendors are always selling toys for under $10 you can pick up for the kiddos while you walk around enjoying a day in the sun (almost a guarantee at the May event outside of 2017), people watching and even hitting the beach afterwards for a picnic. - Affordable Crafts: I didn't realize how spoiled I was growing up with this fair. I lived in Tennessee for a few years and their craft fairs are SO expensive. Most of the vendors only sell expensive art. I had no idea it wasn't normal to sell affordable holiday decor, sunglasses, clothing, jewelry, and cooking gadgets at every fair. If you've never been, I suggest checking it out. I don't tend to buy much outside of food and alcohol, but I always have a wonderful day. - read more

Executive summary: Huge street fair with a grungy feel. Lots of food--average $10-$15 per person (including drinks). Easily more. The good: Many vendors The bad: Huge crowd--parking is challenging but expected. If you take the shuttle expect a huge line! Although there are lots of food choices, it all seems greasy. Typical fair food--got dogs, gyros, thai, island BBQ, funnel cake, lemonade($3,$5-M,L), tamales/taco ($4 each), grilled corn($2-3), kettle corn($5s, $7m, $10l), pizza($10/mini) etc. The merchandise -- while cute and a lot are homemade, seems a bit "garage-saleish" Big kids play area but $3 per slide. Easy to drop $25-$30 here. Cheaper to get Disney annual pass. :) Lots of dogs--some in strollers (?)! I guess some dogs are challenged. Not sure if it's my kind of place but most people seem entertained. read more

Best street fair I've ever been to. I just Wish it was more advertised, the only reason I knew about it was because of a buddy at the bar talking about how he's going there in the morning instead of coming in to watch football. Maybe that's a sign I need more community involvement -_- I couldn't believe how big it was when I got there. It must have stretched like 4 blocks, all in the heart of downtown Carlsbad. Most of the stores, just left their doors open and put some merch on the street so you can browse their stuff as well. I have to tell you, I'm not the festival fanatic the fiancé is. I get anxious in crowds, most other people kind of drive me nuts, seems like no one pays attention to where they're actually going with their body these days. I convinced her we should go early (so I wouldn't miss the entire Charger's game...( Lost to the Skins anyway )The fair opens at 8 I believe. We got there at 9, it wasn't packed yet, and I could breathe comfortably. So much to see, and not all of it was worthless, like I've become accustomed to at fairs. When I think fairs, I think trinkets that you'll never use again, they'll just sit around. I have to say say this place had a little bit of everything. What we ended up getting. Hanging glass bulb that houses some succulent plants inside it. It's a very cool neat little plant for outside near our door, low maintenance supposedly, a spritz of water a week. Silicone lids for miscellaneous shaped containers without lids. I haven't tried them out yet, but seriously, I'm getting damn sick of using tinfoil or saran wrap to preserve things in the fridge, it always looks ghetto when I do it. The girl got kettle corn....she ALWAYS gets kettle corn... The damn festival addict. :-) She also got a long sleeve shirt from a vendor who was selling trendier shirts. Most importantly, we got hooked up with someone who makes pillow cases in so many different patterns and colors, for better prices and way more variety than you're going to find on Amazon.com. We were very happy to find this vendor as Jill has been looking for throw pillows for a while, which includes dragging me into stores that I want no business with. Marshall's **Cough** TJ Maxx **Cough Cough*** Home Goods.. ugh I hope it's over. The parking: IDK, brought my motorcycle, parked wherever I wanted :-P but I felt like it was a challenge for cars to find some, even that early. I hear this street fair happens every six months, in that case we'll have to be back. read more

This is a very large street fair with many vendors selling jewelry, clothes, signs, sunglasses, and standard fair goods. I met a friend at the Carlsbad mall because they have a free shuttle over to the fair. I'm guessing it would have been impossible to park had we taken ours cars. Luckily the wait to get on the shuttle wasn't long. The fair is in down town Carlsbad close to the beach and it was packed with people of all ages. It was a beautiful day for this popular annual weekend event. I would have given the fair 5 stars but they didn't have enough unique stuff except maybe the artwork. Also, not a lot of food and drink vendors because their trying to give the business to the local restaurant owners within the fairs area. All in all it's a great event to visit every year and I highly recommend it! read more

Expect delays and to walk much more than you're used to. My GF and I were able to snag a parking spot next to Al's Cafe on Carlsbad Village and were super stoked. This was my first time at the street fair, so God definitely looked out for me on the parking situation. If that spot hadn't opened up, it would have been a fiasco. The street fair itself is massive. Carlsbad is a sleepy beach town, but the place had the feel of a state fair. There were thousands of people walking everywhere. The booths seemed to overlap as far as goods are concerned. I was able to snag a new leather wallet and a pair of customized t-shirts for $30. I also carb'd up at L&L with some Chicken Katsu and a pair of vegetable lumpias. The katsu was good, but a little undersized when compared to what they offer at their restaurants. But you have to expect that at this event. The vegetable lumpia were plain jane. Food trucks would have been amazing. I saw a Johnsonville truck but that was it. There's definitely room to have a dozen or so trucks posted up and there is definitely enough consumers to keep those trucks busy. Maybe next year? I thought the Carlsbad Street Fair was very cool. It's rare that I buy anything at a street fair, even in NYC. But my GF has a thing for airbrushed clothing and I needed a new wallet. There were some good vendors here. My favorite was the vendor selling picnic equipment pre-packed in carrying cases. Ingenious... read more

The CBad Street Fair is the biggest in CA. Twice a year it takes over downtown. Funnel cakes, corn on the cob and every little crafty thing you can imagine. It is really fun- but I am giving it 2 stars because last night we left our car in public parking only to discover this morning that it had been towed because of the stinking street fair. We saw the no parking signs on the street but not in the parking lot. $210 bucks for our car to be towed 3 blocks and stored for 2.5 hours. Boo to the street fair and to us for not seeing the sign...if it was even there which I totally doubt. read more

Yeah, you can find yourself a SlapChop, a ShamWow, a Snuggie, and a SnugWow (yep, that'd be the Snuggie made with ShamWow material), and all that clutter you can also buy at any county fair. However, among all the QVC crap, I've found and brought home some great original artwork. And it's a fun social scene, usually with a few decent bands playing in the beer garden, the restaurants expanding onto their patios, and drink specials at all our favorite bars. The Carlsbad Street Fair prides itself on being the biggest street fair of some particular category in all the entire USofA. And true to form, each year the fair metastasizes its way down a new Carlsbad street. To you, good friends, this means more people and worse traffic every year. I walk there, and if I'm planning to make some major purchases, I stash my car in the train station parking lot the night before. You'll probably want to take the Coaster, one of the shuttle services, or park at my house. read more

Always a fun few hours and a tradition. Loads of peeps to look at. Tons of vendors and stuff to see. Love that people bring their dogs out too. They seem to have it controlled for as many people that are there each year. The kid section sucked. Overpriced blow up slides, bouncy things. Great kettle corn as usual. Lots of sampling of dips and sauces which is fun to find new treats. Parking sucks as usual but just follow someone leaving, be patient and all will be ok. read more

This was my first time. We got there, at which I consider a pretty reasonable time... 11am. Parking was horrendous and had to park very very far! Let me just say though, that this was super overwhelming... I didn't realize the magnitude of this fair. I was tripping over people and waiting in long lines trying to get freebies. ;) who doesn't love freebies?! But I'm happy I got some good exercise out of it. I usually avoided it and brushed it off as another farmers market with a few knick knacks in the past... but i think I'll make another trip as soon as I got some moolah and time. read more

This past Sunday May 4th, 2014 we headed out to the Carlsbad Street Fair. For us it was super convenient because they offered a free bus ride from Poinsettia Station in Carlsbad, so no parking or driving for us. The streets were packed, a lot of the same stuff from the Encinitas Street Fair last weekend, with a few hundred more vendors and food stops. What was cool was that all the stores that were open were also offering discounted merchandise and food specials too, so that was a great time to check out some of the local spots we don't see often. Overall packed, but fun. read more

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This place is awesome!! My boyfriend and I stumbled upon the Carlsbad Street Fair when we did a spontaneous trip to Carlsbad one weekend. Apparently this street fair only happens twice per year, and it only happens one day each time. This fair stretches out on multiple street blocks, with 900+ different vendors from food to drinks to clothes to home goods to just about anything you can think of. I walked out with some Holiday Decorations and a new Candle for the house. So awesome! I also tried some food as well; it was pretty tasty. I would plan on spending at least 2-3 hours here, possibly even more if you stop at every vendor. Most places will also take credit cards, but bring cash just in case as well. Cheers! read more

Stopped by here after a jog, and was this place packed last week. A FREE fair? The last one I went two was a few yours ago, so I was glad to finally make this one. While I did not stay long, it was fun for the hour so I was there. They have more than enough food vendors, and plenty of vendor/trinket booths to satisfy even the veteran fair-goer. Did I mention it was FREE? While you surely must bring at least a ten spot to get something, you can browse around aimlessly and take flyers/samples of whatever they give you and make a day out of it. I tried the tri-tip sandwich and lemonade (there went my workout), but it was deliciously good. Fun time...and FREE. Can't say anything about parking or traffic, as it did look kind of hectic, but they did have two shuttle stops going. read more

What is the closest place near this event to stay the night at? I live several hours away and will have to stay the night. Any hotel/motel recommendations? Thank you! I can't wait to go to this event. read more

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