Was not as big or as good as last year. But the new stage was great and the volunteers and staff…read morewere excellent. Looking forward to returning again next year. Thanks again Chester for this very nice free event.

This is the second time that we have come to this event. It is a great time. Family friendly and…read moreplenty to drink. Held at the Pocahontas State Park amphitheater. There are about 20 different craft beer breweries present. As well as a bud light truck. There is only 1 place to eat this year. Last time there were 3 different places. I guess food trucks didn't want to come. There has been a jump house both times we came. Bring a chair if you want to have a seat. If not there is seating real close to the band. It can get loud down there.

To quote the song, "I love a parade" and even better, a parade of boats on the water all decked out…read morein Christmas lights. This is one of my favorite holiday activities, although I have to admit, sometimes when our winter weather is foul, I wish I was doing it in Florida. Boat owners go all out to create holiday themes with lights, props, costumed riders, music...you name it and it's probably been done. A yacht pulled by reindeer, a speedboat turned into a moving Christmas tree, elves, and snowmen glide down the river. At Libby HIll Park (my home watching turf), they have a bonfire with marshmallow roasting and serve hot chocolate and hot cider, but you can watch from several locations throughout the city and surrounding counties. This is an annual event run by the James River Advisory Council, who also sponsor the river clean up day, and there's a list on their website of where to watch.

We finally got to visit the red barn! I've been wanting to take the kids since they always have so…read moremany events there. It was $15 a person, pretty steep like any other Christmas event during this time of the year. It was a nice setup, lots of opportunities for Christmas photos/props. There was an area to sit and eat and write letters to Santa, a table to decorate gingerbread cookies (I thought the one table should be expanded to at least two), the big barn had Santa and at the back of the barn were tons of animals to interact with! There were lots of playground equipment but it was definitely too cold to do that for too long. The cookies and hot chocolate came with the admission fee and there were other options for food. Overall my kids had a lot of fun!

I fell in the Middle of the Night on the 15th... Getting up from the recliner (that's how I sleep…read morenow) I had to ... My L knee just Gave Out... Still Sore today 09/17/2023... But who Cares about Kristie ~ as not 1 Individual has ever reached out (even as I was Laying on the MUDDY GROUND At their Establishment)... A Lady with a BABY on her HIP bend to help but I couldn't MOVE... I MOANED to this Sweet Lady that she couldn't Help Me... A Wonderful Older Gentleman Leaned Down and told me "It's okay, Just Relax"... Ever so Calmly... Many times... I didn't want to disappoint my Little's so Him & I managed to get me up... I Leaned on stalls to get around to feed those Animals... but couldn't stand in line for the Horse's... I'm Truly DisHeartened by this... That's Life though ~ Right...??? My PCP Flat REFUSED to do ANY Imagery on my Knee or Shoulder... Just a VERY DEEP SHOT that he told me out His Lips "Will only relieve your pain till the SUN GOES DOWN"... This Happened December 4, 2021... Almost 2 years ago...

It is so hot today and they have no free water stations! Also its much smaller than in prior years…read more They also have less quality venders this years. No gelati celecti, no savory grain, no alchemy coffee. BUT I was excited to get the bacon batter gator bites but they didn't taste like bacon and they only give you 3 bites. Dont get me wrong they were delicious i just thought i should get a 4th piece. Also they open at noon. Why? I want them to open at 11am when its slightly cooler.

If bacon is your preferred meat of choice well this is the festival for you. There was no shortage…read moreof pork embellished dishes at this event. From traditional dishes of bacon cheeseburgers and ribs to unique treats of bacon infused drinks and desserts, there was something for everyone. The set up of the event could have been better. All the popular stands and dishes were all on a narrow hill towards the back of the festival. If you wanted a funnel cake garnished in bacon or a mountain of butterfly fries drenched in cheese and bacon the wait was as long as P. Diddy's child support payments but it was worth the wait and the calories. There was an open field which could have been utilized more. This more than likely avoided though due to the temperature being on fleek, reaching almost 100 degrees that day. Most stands were attempting to be under some sort of shade or trees, which caused the congestion of people in some areas of the event. Despite the heat and crowd the festival was filled with delightful sounds and smells. From the bands jamming and covering recent radio favorites to the decadent bacon creations, the festival was highly enjoyable. A stylish hat and cool spot in the shade is a must to attend this fatty festival. I will definitely attend this event again next year. Let's just pray for cooler temperatures to go alongside our bacon!

If you didn't go to Virginia Tech, you may want to skip this wine festival. The Central Virginia…read moreWine Festival is hosted by the Richmond chapter of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association. 14 wineries are present at Innsbrook, and your ticket ($20 in advance, $25 at the door) gets you unlimited tasting. Here's what I wasn't a fan of. First off, it's a really hot, crowded day to be outside at Innsbrook. The wineries are under tents, but the tasters aren't really, so prepare to sweat. Also, because of the warm weather, most of the wines weren't cold enough to get a good taste. No one wants to drink warm wine, be it red or white. Second, along with wine, they were selling beer. This led to lots of non-wine-drinking Va Tech grads just hanging out getting drunk. Not my favorite atmosphere when I'm actually trying to taste wine. There were lots of the usual player wineries here: Grayhaven, James River Cellars, Cooper, Lake Anna, etc., which is nice if you don't drink much local wine, but if you do, you might prefer to sample these wines at the local wineries or at a festival at a nearby winery with nicer atmosphere. There were people selling food, but nothing looked too great. We stayed for about 2 hours and then were hot/bored/sick of the crowds and left. Go: if you want to get drunk with a bunch of hokies. Don't go: if you actually want to sample wine and find some you like.

This festival was a huge hit! I just adored the crowd and the people in charge. There was music,…read morefood, and, of course, tons of wine. Everything you could ever want in a wine festival was there and it was magical. I happened to be there working the Yelp table, but I did get a chance to walk around as a spectator and experience the festival in that way. This year the sun was beaming down with fury. Around midday you could tell that the heat was taking its toll on folks, but the VIP tent had tons of water so kudos to them for anticipating #TheThirst. My favorite winery in all of VA, Belle Mount Vineyards, was there which made me super happy. No other winery could have shown up and I would have been perfectly fine. But the fact that I could get pepper spray, my favorite sangria from Belle Mount, and clothes from various vendors at the same festival makes it a winner in my book. I also love how it's always very well-attended, but never so busy that you can't move like other festivals in RVA tend to be. Definitely check it out next year!

I'd give it 0 if I could. The Rotary and merchants abound be ashamed. Paid $200 for 2 VIP tickets…read more They had no VIP wrist bands or lanyards when we checked in. They had to go gwt us some. Never did find VIP reserved parking lot so we just parked on the street. One of the origanizers told me there was 1 sign on some street. Should have been a sign pointing to parking on every major street. They have no band, just a DJ playing crap like the cha cha slide. There is no bourbon or spirits except for one distillery and they give you little thimble tastings. 90 degrees, so sorry but I don't want to stand in the sun and drink bourbon shots. No ginger ale or ice available. Almost every beer offering is a damn IPA. 90 degrees and not one light crisp lager. The VIP food is a smattering of frozen gorcery store tub bbq on a bun with a spoonful of slaw and a spoonful of beans. The VIP tent is small with very limited seating, most of it in the sun. My group of 6 VIP ticket holders arrived at 1PM and left at 2PM. We all agreed it sucked. It was not well attended. Not surprising.

Definitely one of my favorite festivals! I love this place because its in beautiful downtown…read morePetersburg, VA and SO many vendors come out from all over. Also, you get to taste beer and wine... which is always a huge plus. I tasted so many I don't even remember them all but I know my favorite this year was one from Chesapeake, VA called Ingleside Vineyards. They had this wine with a blue crab label that was out of this world!! It was their Blue Crab Red... and it was phenomenal! I have to say, VA is starting to become a pretty large competitor in the wine community... this vineyard in my opinion is rated as one of the higher end ones that I've tasted. The food options were nice... I was a bit disappointed that Saucy's wasn't there but Wabi Sabi was and that was quite tasty. Over all, this was definitely a fantastic event and I can't wait to go again next year!

This is the best festival Richmond has to offer. Everything is down one street. There's TONS of…read morevendors and as much watermelon as you can eat.

I enjoyed myself at this year's watermelon festival. This was the first year I attended; previously…read moreI didn't bother being that I don't like watermelon. It turns out the festival actually is primarily just regular vendors with some random cut watermelon tents. Arrive early, as it's August in the South and thus can get toasty quickly.

I've finally made it to Arts in the Park after living in Richmond for nearly a decade. A friend and…read moreI met at City Stadium to take the shuttle. The line was long but it moved quickly. They had a few shuttles in rotation, and they were nice, luxury buses. The area surrounding the festival in Byrd Park looked pretty gnarly with traffic, so I definitely do not recommend driving. There were over 350 vendors at the 2026 event. A large directory and map greeted us upon arrival, which was a nice touch and helped guide us around the event efficiently. The weather was perfect -- early spring mild temps with plenty of sunshine. I found loads of gorgeous pottery for gifts at reasonable rates. We didn't eat on site, but there were plenty of food vendors. We attended on the second day and the porta pots weren't the best. The event was busy but not claustrophobic. The layout was quite nice for strolling, and the Carillon added extra scenery to the day. I will absolutely be back in future years!

This is one of the best Springtime events in Richmond. All different types of crafters, artists and…read moreartisans come to show their wares. You never know what you will find. There are food and drink vendors. I recommend carrying a bottle of water, you will be doing a lot of walking and lemonade was $8.00 this year. The food prices were okay. I got a well smoked BBQ sandwich with coleslaw for $8.00. The food was tasty. The art is fun and you will see all kinds of things like jewelry, artistic notecards, lotions, soaps, whirligigs, and what nots galore. It is a fun event for all ages. Dogs are welcome too.

Awesome fun event to do if you have small kids who enjoy lights my daughter is eight. She had a…read moreblast. Everything was mesmerizing.

It's the end of 2020, and I'd say most of us need some extra cheer in our lives right about now…read more Fortunately, Lewis Ginter didn't cancel their annual holiday lightfest, but this year was certainly different than years' past with lots of pandemic precautions in place. I had visited once prior in 2017 and enjoyed the experience, but what I recall from that visit was that the garden was mobbed and the parking lot was insane. We had to park in a subdivision across the street and run across the street/try not to get hit by cars on Lakeside Ave. that year. And last year, I tried to bring my mom so she could experience it too. But we were stuck in an hour+ line at the Lakeside Ave. to make a left, and then as we got close, the police wouldn't let us turn left randomly. I was pretty upset to say the least and actually had an exchange with someone at Lewis Ginter after I direct messaged them about the incident, and they offered free tickets. I never took them up on it, though. Just went to the Norfolk lights instead the next night. This year was much more limited in terms of how many tickets were sold, plus there were staggered entry times. We were able to park right in the front row near the entrance, which is off to the left side this year. There's one entrance and one exit. We arrived within our half-hour window and showed the tickets to a clerk behind glass. Masks are rightfully required to be worn at all times while on their grounds, which I appreciated as a rule (though of course some people didn't listen - eye roll). We arrived at twilight (5 pm) and that turned out well for photos. I was able to get some in both twilight and total darkness. And with less people at the garden, it was easier to snap photos of the displays without others walking into view (though that did happen a few times). This year is all outdoors (so no big tree inside). The treehouse is also blocked off. They offer hot drinks and some food items, but I didn't buy any. With an hour-limit for the visit, we just made it through in the allotted time. Surprisingly, the gift shop was open. I was actually surprised by that, but I guess they need to boost their sales. Hand sanitizer was available upon entry. The tickets themselves were also pretty pricy for nonmembers like myself. And I attended on a value night, so I'm glad I visited when I did. Hopefully by next year, the pandemic will be a thing of the past, but I do see it being helpful if they continue with the timed entries, online ticket purchases, and limiting the amount of visitors to what the parking lot can hold.