I am pleased that the city of Raleigh has a family friendly, alcohol free event on New Year's Eve…read more Over the years of the event, they have excelled in making it an interactive event with a great variety of arts and entertainment. The kids event start in the mid afternoon, and include the full New Year;s Eve countdown treatment at 7pm (12 midnight on Greenwich Mean Time) with the acorn drop and fireworks display. Ever wanted to be in a parade? You have your chance with the people's procession. Lots of paper mache animal heads and shapes are made available for use in the parade, or be one of the many walking the huge puppet named Rhea down the parade route. New for this year was a phone app that made it much easier to see what activities where happening at any particular time. Do be aware this is a popular event and can get VERY crowded, especially at the main stage for both the 7pm and midnight acorn drops. Traffic and parking can be quite difficult, especially for those not used to downtown parking. I have been many times since this event started iver 25 years ago. I have always found it to be an enjoyable way to bring in the new year.

This place is hot, on a whole new level though. It's a bit off the beaten path from the usual…read moreRaleigh nightlife spots, but it's worth it. It's the best karaoke bar Raleigh has. Cheap drinks Diverse crowd Laid back Cheap eats Fun

the people working are incredibly rude. I am waiting on my license to come in so I tried to use my…read moretemporary license to get in and the lady in the front says I can't use my temporary so I pull out my old license and then she says "oh I can't take it because it's expired" like what?? I already paid for this event how am I going to get in if I can't use my temporary id nor my old id not to mention the lady was incredibly rude about it! seems like she loved taking out her frustration on all the people coming into the event not just me.

The bathroom situation is the worst iv'e ever been in. Midtown seems very underprepared with the…read moreamount of traction they get. I waited in the line for the bathrooms for an hour and the next time I had to go I tried the portapotties because the line was shorter... still waited 30 minutes... and there was no toilet paper. Ladies had to "drip and dry" because no one comes to maintain them. Next is the lines for drinks: They are about as long as the bathroom lines. You might as well get 2 drinks for yourself and hop back in line to get 2 more and you would finish the 2 you previously got while waiting. The music and atmosphere is fun overall but when you add drinks into the mix.. people got to go. We spend more time in lines than actually enjoying the music with our friends. Overall, midtown needs to add more bathrooms and porta potties overall.. it would be more enjoyable for everyone.

The Clayton Harvest Festival is the most fun you can have in Clayton. Tons of vendors representing…read moreall sorts of food and trades; even a car show. I enter the car show every year and it is so much fun talking to the different folks about cars and getting to know them. It gets real busy in the streets, but eve is so nice and respectful. I'll continue to visit every year!

We came here on the last day, a Sunday, with our 2-year-old granddaughter. According to the…read morewebsite, there was the midway with the rides, an area with some dancing, and an area with some crafts booths. We parked about 2 blocks away on the street so the walk wasn't bad at all. The rides take various amounts of tickets. We ended up spending about $25 for 20 tickets. There were lots of "OMG I'm gonna toss my lunch" rides, a Ferris wheel, a kiddie roller coaster, and I think a small fun house (we didn't go up to it). There were only 2 places to get something to eat or drink, and they were right beside each other. The selection, though, was pretty sad. They didn't even carry corndogs. Basically just cotton candy, ice cream, and funnel cake. By the time we walked around a little after the ride, we decided to leave and get something to eat. We gave the tickets we had to some kids who were happy to get them. I'm not sure if we would go back or not, to be honest. If there was something else going on, we wouldn't. If we were bored and wanted to get out with our granddaughter, we might.

"I keep drinking because I don't quit. Quitters are losers."…read more Woah! World Beer Festival. Where to start?! Well, for me, it's the corner of Person St and Martin St. I am a stickler of order and rules, so I started out at table #1 and trek my way across the all the brewery. While everyone flipping through their big book of Beer Guide, generously produced and provided by ALL ABOUT BEER MAGAZINE for this year's festivity, I however had done my study. Days before I have compiled and made a checklist of all the confirmed breweries, in Evernote, for easy checking in later in UNTAPPD app. I enjoyed all the national and international breweries, and even though the NC brewery tent was packed from beginning to end, I somehow made it through twice, when there was literally no moving foot traffic. Half way through the evening, feeling the waves of lethargy overcoming me, I wisely hopped over to the food tents, and got myself some stomach padding. The Sloppy Goats with Tots was quite interesting. Helping out at the Yelp booth also gave me some new perspectives, had I kept drinking, how much of a blabbering fool would I look to others. In the end it was a tremendously fun event, which I would most likely return in the coming years. (UPDATE: the final count was 96 check-ins in Untappd)

This was the first year I got a ticket and went to the World Beer Festival in Moore Square. All in…read moreall, I enjoyed it. I didn't stay the whole 6p-10p second session of the day but got to enjoy a lot of the flavor, both festival and beer, in what I did stay. Beer, beer, beer...it's a lot of beer. Greeted with your little clear plastic cup as you walk in, you get to have 2 oz. pours of whatever beers you choose to taste all during your session. And there had to be hundreds. Ciders as well, and actually they surprised me, I had a few I liked! Again, it cemented that I am just not an IPA kinda guy, but at least I got to try and see what I may like if any (just didn't happen with IPAs). From the serious beer tasters to those that were out to enjoy a downtown event to the sloppy drunken frat boy/wannabe frat boys and screeching drunk girls, and all in between, all types were definitely represented at this event. Great people watching event, that was some of the best fun. It was a decent setup, pretty spaced out tents but a bit (no, sometimes a lot) crowded in the actual tents where the beers were. I have low tolerance for claustrophobic situations but in the wide open space of Moore Square, you can get quick relief. The food is more along fair food type of stuff, I had the corn dogs and they were awesome actually! The live music was a good touch as well. I even ran into some fellow Yelpers and even old buds I haven't seen in years...good times. Bottom line: Will I go back again if I have the chance? Probably so. It was fun, and a welcome event to get everyone out and about in the downtown Raleigh area.

I was very excited to go to the Freedom Balloon Festival for the first time this year! We wanted…read morethe tethered balloon experience so we woke up at 5:30 and drove 40 minutes to get to Fuquay by 6:30! We parked about a mile away to avoid paying for parking. People were charging $10!! (Come on, this isn't the state fair) When we almost got to the park, directions were a bit unclear. We decided to just follow the crowd and we somehow ended up inside. When we got inside, again, things were unclear. We went early for the tethered experience and we couldn't find any balloons. Finally, we found one and we walked over there. It seemed like they were having issues with getting just one up. After waiting around 20+ minutes, we asked someone and was told that due to the weather, no balloons are flying. But she saw there were people in line to get the tickets for tethered balloon ride. We walked to the direction she told us but no one and no balloons were there. No one at that early of an hour were able to help us. We ended up just walking around. Since it was early in the morning, 90% of the vendors were unavailable. We waited 1.5 hours for the Disc Connected K-9 Frisbee Dogs. We enjoyed the dogs catching frisbees and hearing about their stories. All dogs with them were rescued, adopted, or fostered. Great show and great dogs. I think I would've had more fun had went in the evening with more vendors open. The only reason why we went early was for the tethered balloon ride since they only scheduled to do it either at 6:30am or 6:40pm. It would've been nice for them to post something on their website or Facebook page. I was quite disappointed. To Be fair, it did state on the website, weather pending but they didn't say what the appropriate weather would be. Other than the frisbee dogs, there were absolutely no activity available for people who came early. Maybe next year, I'll have better luck.

Awesome! Put this small town patriotic festival on your bucket list. It's FREE! Thanks to the…read morededicated group of volunteers running the event all weekend. The balloons were an awesome sight, especially the night time glow. The pilots and crew were friendly and informative. Great selection of food trucks at decent prices without ridiculous long lines. Two local breweries were selling cold beers for $5 each. The Fainting Goat (who we met) and Bombshell Brewery. Bring your bag chairs and hang out by the stage and enjoy the bands. Visit the vendors and if you bring the kiddos, there are plenty of activities for them too. We paid to park in a person's front yard for $10 and we were right by the park. My advice is arrive early on Friday--we got there about 4pm and plenty to do staying through the evening glow. Just be warned--balloons in flight depend on the weather and not just what's happening on the ground, but higher up. So be prepared that there's no guarantee on times and activities of the balloons. We lucked out--hope you do too!

We had a blast both Friday & Saturday at the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival in Cary,NC at Koka Booth…read moreAmphitheater. It was a great two days of "beer sippin', bourbon tastin', music listenin', cigar smokin', and barbeque eatin'." That's what the website said they offered and it did not disappoint. Each guest received a souvenir glass to enjoy unlimited samples of beer and bourbon (plus there were a few wines and other spirits on hand to try). It was nice to discover some local distilleries and learn more about them inside the Tasting Theatre( where we opted to attend one of the seminars). We explored BBQ Food trucks galore but even if you don't eat it there were other options like Cousins Lobsters . I would say if I had to choose which day was best, Friday night VIP session included a Dinner Plate, where you can chose to get a sampler platter from the food trucks with that offer. All in all, we had us a ball! Feel free to see my full recap video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UsJYf37BPeU?si=Ua5gvkujWFA0ccEF

My friends and I bought a, cabana for a dads get away on May 17 2025. The lack of private or…read moreprivacy was a minimum. We waited in long lines to use the restroom, they had no chauffeuring to and from the food (long walks to it), and the only ones with a cabana. I should've stayed at home

Its a two day renaissance festival that is 15$ a day. You can get 1-day or 2-day tickets. It's rain…read moreor shine. Will go again next year!

Came in from VA for this event. Ample parking, many food options, staff and vendors very friendly…read more Kids and families welcome. Mix of plane clothes and awesome costumes. I got to hold a raven, sing sea shanty, dance, laugh, and and hear some really cool music. Knights battle, bag pipes, Ariel dancers, goblins with trinkets, fairy with bubbles for kids, all the vendors are super friendly and not pushy, plenty of bathrooms with hand wash stations. Getting bigger every year from what im told and we will be back. ​

Just an all out amazing time. There is so much to see....so many vendors. The vendors have…read moresamples and authentic products. The Carolina Pig Jig is held outside. There are over 20 Masonic lodges that are competing for a win for best bbq and sauce. The tickets are only $20 and you cannot eat as much bbq as your soul desires. I look at this festival as a prequel to the state fair that is held in October.

I love this festival…read more The fact there is an NC based festival that focuses on local vendors and creators is such a wonderful idea! I went to the sip and shop area where you can get an alcoholic drink and wander around. I got to sample so many amazing local foods, sauces, and sweets. I walked out of that place work so much stuff! Then the agriculture center has livestock and learning experiences for the little ones. This festival is definitely a must try if you've never been!