Such a beautiful day in Arizona we came to the Festival of Lights! You have to park behind it and…read morewalk a bit to get there, 20$ get you an all day pass for kids for the bounce houses. There's two sides of vendors with food and cute things to buy, I do wish that they had signs saying their form of payment because everyone had different forms and you don't find out until you are buying something and the lines are long sometimes and the sun was super bright today. Make sure you put on sunscreen and wear sunglasses. FOOD: there was pita jungle, dumplings, hot dogs, dominos pizza (cash only), pop corn, cotton candy, ice cream and cakes. DRINKS: coffee Goat, a few stands of lemonade and sodas and on the center of the park there was a couple of breweries you have to pay to enter that part. Big stage with entertainment, kids dancing, bands sponsored by BIG O TIRES AHWATUKEE! They also had a Santa stand starting at noon where you can take pictures with him and tell h what you want for Christmas. The line was long all day.

A little disappointed in this year's event. Despite still being free to get in, the booth rental…read moreprices were $400 which led to $9.00 hot dogs $15 funnel cakes and $8.00 cokes. Not to mention that there were nowhere near the amount of places to eat as advertised. I'm assuming the space rental price kept many people away as the marketplace had only two thirds of the vendors as in past years. All in all, a very expensive day for a family outing that didn't live up to the events, concessions and fun as in past years.

3.20.26 - Was excited for this event! Purchased the early bird tickets for $13 each so that wasn't…read morebad at all. I attended this event last year and the lines weren't too bad that time. Place seemed brighter and livelier last year. It was also a bit more busy too. This year, it was pretty empty. Lines were short though so that was a good thing. It was hot out on this particular weekend. Wish they would plan these outdoor events during the cooler months. I just had to come back again for a few specific items. Unfortunately, the oysters from Nola Oysteria were a bit overcooked and dry this year. Chili wontons from Zindrew were also better last time. They were also hot (spicy) last time. This time, it was just mild (1 friend can't handle hot). I ended up buying a jar of Zindrew's hot chili oil to take home. Sooo good! Pho soup dumplings were delicious!! I wanted 2 more trays of it! My friend liked the bone marrow. They liked the katsu chicken sando too. My lychee tea was refreshing. My friend got a giant mango drink in the animal jugs but it came with little to no ice!! Was not worth $25 for it. My only regret was not purchasing any dessert to eat or take home this time.

So this past Sunday was the Thriftapalooza…read more.. This is a must try attraction for the ones that didn't make it this year, but a must for next year. Easy parking. Easy entrance. Friendly customer service from all the workers..but most importantly. It was a fun function. Walking down and looking at all the booths and bringing me back to when I was kid. The things I'd collect and wear. This was an awesome event. Glad I was able to take part in it. Thank you Thriftapalooza! And thank you AE & State Fair for a great event...until again yelpers...

At this Mexican dominated festival, the tamales are hit and miss. I would not recommend eating the…read moresamples from most stands as they were mostly cold and unappetizing, plus some folks were wandering around with cold samples too. We did have a few good tamales including the ones from Food City and one that was wrapped in a banana leaf, but like I said, its random luck from the 10 or so stands. The festival is only two blocks long, but alot of booths had wheels to spin to get free stuff and alot of free samples of other products too were available. Everything is mostly conducted in Spanish, including the music. Spent about 90 minutes at the festival, but it could be better if bigger and if the tamale booths were labeled better.

We had a great time at this event and there is some great food. You can spend as little or as much…read moremoney as you want - admission is free. A family and pet friendly event, it is equally welcoming to the physically challenged, I noted. We had an awesome plate of food consisting of two tamales of our choice, damn good refried beans, and rice for $7, which benefited a church. It was so good, we purchased a dozen for $18, which is the set take-home price for all vendors here ($10 for a half dozen). An ample amount of security staff was a reassuring presence here. A large stage featured talented Latino groups and mariachi bands. The hit was one featuring a young boy, child prodigy, on an acordian with his family. They serve alcohol, which requires a free wristband received after presentation of an ID staing that you are over 21 (required for any age). This is a great event. Period. My husband and I have this on next year's calendar for sure.

The festival was fun, two day event over the weekend. I was told that Saturday sold out and I went…read moreon Sunday around noon. It was located at Margaret T Hance Park. Parking seemed to be where ever nearby. I got lucky and parked at the park entrance. When I got to the entrance you were told to purchase tickets online if you had an already $16, plus taxes made about 20 bucks. Security and all vendors were very nice. Make sure to bring cash for drink, tickets and some vendors. Some vendors accepted only cash and cashapp. All others took card. There were different bands and a schedule that was on the website for the event. Lots of families had blankets to enjoy the pizza and crowd. There were games, vendors selling clothes, a psychic reading, and even two ice cream trucks. I think everyone could enjoy the chill vibes, the pizza, and great way that the bands engaged with the audience. The cost for the different trucks was disappointing. I think all vendors should sell slices for the same cost, $5 per slice to make the cash amount consistent. Some vendors were only selling whole pies and you wouldn't know if it didn't look like you were cutting the line to see the menu. There was a great variety, but some didn't put in much effort. I got frozen type pizza (super greasy) , margarita styles, and Woodfire. My favorite was Copper State Pizza Truck! Overall, I enjoyed myself will be back next year.

I feel bad for those pizza companies who spend hours preparing for an even like this just to have…read morecustomers frustrated that the entire event probably partially sponsored by Sedona water was the only water available at the entire event. Not even free tap water as we were forced to dump ours prior to entry. This review is not reflective of the pizza but the event itself. Pizza is a delicious family food that is usually relatively inexpensive but coupled with a $4 water in the Arizona sun does not help you enjoy your time. And keep in mind the food venders we're forced to buy the Sedona water @$50 a case and sell it at a set price. Just frustrating. Good news though is those slinging pizza helped make the day still a good time. Won't do it again unless they figure out better water options

My family booked us tickets while I was home visiting. I'd never heard of the Lantern Festival…read morebefore, so I really didn't know what to expect. I'm so glad I went. It was wonderful being outdoors with lots of great people and fun music. I was really impressed at how well behaved everyone was. This is 100% a family friendly event that I would suggest any parents looking for an event for the clan to attend. The day was really relaxing, attendees were given a platform to express the issues that have weighed heavy on their hearts, and messages were written on lanterns that were cast off into the water. It was really beautiful and I hope to be doing it again with my family in the future.

I went to Food City to get discount tickets, per the websites request. Well....it was a less than…read moredesirable experience and waste of time...only to find out that it was a .30 cent savings not a $4 savings per ticket. $18 a ticket plus $10 to park on the fair grounds. It wasn't very well put together and there were random fair rides all over. I think this is worth more like $5 and free parking. I went to this same event 3 years ago in Chandler and it wasn't nearly as expensive and no parking fees. I wouldn't go again.

This is a free and large festival that happens in the heart of downtown Tempe twice a year; once in…read morespring and once in winter. The only thing that costs money is the parking which can be up to $20. However, one tip I can give you guys is to find a public place a bit further out to park for free. For instance, the Tempe Westside Multi-Generational Center is a public park/facility that you can park at and it's only a 9 minute walk from the festival. As the name implies, there are a ton of art vendors. If you're not from Tempe, there's even more choices because some of downtown Tempe businesses are open during the event. Also, they've got a great selection of food vendors, snacks, and downtown restaurants to choose from. They even have a free water station to fill up your water. I always suggest bringing a small cooler with water bottles and napkins/wet wipes. So even if you're not a fan of the art, it's still a great place to go to if you're a foodie or want to browse other miscellaneous products. For instance, I got a free massage at a physical therapist booth and SugarBee was giving away free apples at one of the events. It's a great place to go if you want to support local.

A nice day for a Festival of the Arts strolling. The street is closed off to vehicles making it…read moresafe for the public. There are several blocks of artists and vendors selling their items. Live music permeates the air. The shops along Mill Avenue ,where the festival is held, are also open. You can spend more than a few hours, walking the streets and looking at art. Plenty of restaurants to choose from. Port-a-potties every few streets. Street and lot parking available.

I went to the Tequila Festival with the BF and 2 friends and, honestly, it was pretty fantastic. We…read moregot our tickets through groupon, so it was not terribly expensive. With the ticket, you get 10 drink samples. I tried drinks from Canteen, Cruz tequila, and many others. We got enough alcohol to have a very good time. We also got to try food from the Sandbar (spicy mac and cheese...surprisingly delicious), El Reye de la Torta (always delish), Si Senor (Really good green chile...strong jalapeno flavor, but yummy), and America's Taco Shop (delish pork tacos). I had the added bonus of getting some Yelp sunglasses....fabulous! Overall, we had several hours of fun and entertainment and didn't have to stand in line for crazy amounts of time to do so. We also got to meet Xhibit...so that was....weird. I would go again next year.

SO MUCH FUN! Went with friends for this event and enjoyed the whole day!…read more The different types of tequila were interesting (Cocoa Patron, nuff said) but the lines were a little long as the day wore on. Just glad that we went early and got done early because as we were winding down, some people were just starting to get crazy! I'll totally go back next year if friends want to go!

We really enjoyed walking the Phoenix festival at the Arts this Saturday morning. Parking is…read moreavailable on lots or side streets near the festival. Entry to the festival is free. The festival is on a large grass lot with white tents housing a variety of artists, jewelers, vintners, chocolatiers, weavers, woodworkers, ceramicists, and other artisans. There are food trucks along the street. A large blowup grinch snow globe play dome is available for kids in an open grassy area and there is live music in an outdoor stadium adjoining the grassy field with the festival. There are several picnic tables and pop-up tables at which to rest or eat food. Public restrooms are available as part of the park facility.

This was my first time attending the event and I gotta say it wasn't anything special. My many…read morevendors and food choices. Parking was horrible. A lot of homeless around as well. Overall it was ok but nothing like the Tempe Festival of the Arts. I would say go to this if you have nothing to do but wouldn't go out of my way to go again.

First time at M3F and I loved it. I like how spread out the venue is at the park. And we did both…read moredays- one cold rainy day and other perfect AZ spring weather. Both were great! Highlights: cleanest porta potties, good choice of food vendors, I got a tattoo!!, I really loved the shows I saw and danced to. Justice, LCD soundsystem, badbadnotgood, leisure, mind chatter, girl talk, LP Giobbi, hippie sabotage, orions belte, polar bears, & ward andrews. I would definitely come back next year since this festival is so dance-y! Lots of EDM and great bands.

I've gone to this festival for many years. It is grown quite a bit. It now has three live music…read morestages and an off to the side a DJ dance stage. Unfortunately this year I went on Friday and it was rainy all day long. I still had fun, but I would have appreciated a bit more rain/shade protected areas in the VIP. I prefer previous years where the VIP had a snack area, a lunch and dinner included in addition to drinks. This was more like the VIP experience areas at the WM Phoenix Open. M3F has changed VIP to a $100 credit on your wristband. This doesn't buy very much at a 10-hour festival. Drinks were $12 to $16 plus tax and tip. Three street tacos cost $15 plus tax and fees. Like I said, $100 credit doesn't go very far.