I went to the 2019 Dish It Out on High Street in Phoenix. This festival benefits boys and girls…read moreclubs of Phoenix. General admission tickets ran around $70.00 and VIP admission ran around $200.00. They had 29 general admission restaurants, 22 beer vendors and 24 general admission wine and spirit stops. and 7 VIP restaurants and 10 VIP wine and spirit stops. They also had a live band performing. I've experienced several problems with this festival. The biggest problem was that after an hour the place was so packed with people you couldn't breath. The lines disappeared and it was just a packed crowd. You were trapped and at that point it became hazardous. Also many people just started dropping plates of food and drinks and the ground became hazardous and slippery. That pizza that hit my husbands leg became like a banana peel on the ground. I tried to hit the food spots as quick as possible and then try some wine. I could only get two glasses of wine. I was planning on spending most of my wine at one certain spot but within an hour they ran out of red wine (BAH!) It was just too crazy to fight the crowd to try to get another glass somewhere so we just left. The other thing I really hated was that on the dish it out website they listed participating vendors without separating them into general admission and VIP. It wasn't until around the day of the event that you actually knew the separation. Some of the food really was very good but I didn't feel like I got my money's worth. It was too uncomfortable and hazardous walking around. I will not attend Dish It Out at this location again.

2017. Wow. Classy event with every course covered! Flemings, Tea2Go, The Vig, Chino Bandido, Red…read moreBull, Wine, Beer, The Halal Guys, Kona Grill, Venezias. The lines were long and there were areas where you couldn't move, but that's part of the excitement of a good festival. Making friends and enjoying the libations. Cool ambience with VIP lounges and good signage. Well organized and laid out. So much to choose from that I didn't sample all the restaurants!

The Scottsdale Family ArtsFest is a free festival that runs for two days in the Scottsdale Civic…read moreCenter. It features performing arts by K-12 so it's actually more catered to kids. There's performances and various booths. What I found very lacking was their food choices. The theater's first floor features a variety of art done by kids which I thought was neat. Otherwise, this isn't all that special unless you're a kid.

Went for the first time this year and such a blast with a huge group of friends. So many good salsa…read moreand the margaritas were amazing. There was a pomegranate salsa that was my favorite. Will be going again next year! Defiantly recommend buying the tray, makes its so easy to carry the chips and multiple salsas.

I go to the salsa festival almost every year (and have even flown in for it when I have lived out…read moreof state). I started going back when it was in Scottsdale and I have seen it grow from a small festival to the behemoth it is today. This year I was a little disappointed for a couple reasons: 1.) Participants were only given a very small bag of chips (though we were able to charm a couple extra bags out for our group); in previous years, an unlimited number of chips were provided. 2.) Only ONE of the hot salsas was hot enough to make me wish I ate dairy. I wish I knew which it was, but I suspect it was the booth NEXT to the avocado salsa that had a bit of a kick to it... because I took one bite and my throat was ON FIRE. Now, I LOVE hot salsa. I have gone in previous years and have just about had a bleeding tongue. That is not the goal for me, though. Taste is. Unfortunately, this year I only tasted two or three salsas that I liked. One was a milder red salsa that would be a nice topping for fish. I also liked the hot avocado salsa and one other red salsa that was spicy, but not too hot. Still, the lack of hot salsas at the festival was apparent. I wonder what happened to them this year? Did all these companies go out of business? Is the festival just too cost prohibitive for them to participate now? What was good about the festival? Cheap margaritas. $6 for a pretty strong drink at a festival is always appreciated. Walgreens was there, as usual, handing out Tums and selling bottled water for 2/$1. Thank you Walgreen's! I always start off with two Tums before eating the salsa and get more as needed. This year I only needed two. :( The bottled water was necessary! Friends and food always make for a good time. Thanks to my three best buds for a nice time. :) Will I go again? Of course! It benefits a hemophiliac charity... and it is still my favorite food festival in town.

we bought tickets for the premier food event in AZ, Crave Arizona, back way long ago. But then they…read morechanged the date, so in an effort to placate early ticket buyers from getting too ornery we assume, they threw together a Crave Pre-Party that took place last night. being the punctual couple we are, luckily we didn't have to pay for this event, all though, tickets were selling for 20 bucks. actually, what a huge waste! a food event that served tiny blocks of cheddar and pepperjack cheese that could be bought at frye's, brushetta with hummus or goat cheese, and little sticks of meat. that's it. that was the only food. supposedly the food was provided by 5th and Wine...we hope not because if that's indicative of their food, well...people who dine their are getting shafted. then there was supposed to be live music. they must be the late crowd because we were there 2 hours and no attempts were made for any kind of band to start. wine and beer was provided in very teeny, tiny samples so basically you hung out near the bar, downed your sample with one swallow, and asked for more. The Crave event is awesome, but do away with the sad attempt of a Pre-Party. or step it up a notch.

Travis, thanks for the honest feedback about the Pre-Party on Saturday evening. We truly…read moreappreciate you coming out for the event! While the party did start at 7 p.m., we wanted to allow time for mingling before Dennis Rowland started his set at 8:30. The crowd enjoyed a little performance by Mark DeCarlo at 9:30, and then live music continued throughout the evening. Food, beer and wine were all donated and we appreciate the contributions of the venue, 5th & Wine, Marcellinos Ristorante, Southern Wine & Spirits and SanTan Brewery. Honestly, we know the pours were pretty standard at the beginning of the evening, but with the majority of the crowd showing up around 7:30 we had to adjust the amount poured so that we would have plenty for everyone throughout the evening. Please keep in mind, this event was planned in 3 weeks! Our intention was to give everyone a small taste of Crave, and build the excitement of the event for January. For our next party, we will shorten the time a bit, and start the band earlier. Thanks again for coming, and we look forward to seeing you in January!

Highly recommend We go every year and see the Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple in downtown Mesa.read more

"Merry and bright like Christmas lights in the night"…read more I have been wanting to visit massive displays of Christmas lights and be drowned by its dazzles and glitters. I was not disappointed to visit the impressive display at the Mesa Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The temple grounds is transformed into a festive brilliance, adorned with an enchanting display of Christmas lights that illuminated the surroundings with a warm and joyous glow. Trees were wrapped in glitters and lights took the shape of camels, adding a whimsical touch. Apart from the vibrant lights, one thing I really love is the display of the Nativity story, the poignant centerpiece which embodies the true meaning of Christmas. The statues are remarkably human-like and beautifully carved. They depicted the Holy Family in the manger beneath the brightest star. This artistic portrayal of the birth of Christ added a touch of reverence to the celebration, offering a unique blend of joy and reflection. With the many people that I have seen that evening, I can tell there are numerous visitors who flocked this place as kids, families, and people from all walks of life will surely love and enjoy walking, taking pictures, and reading the Bible verses exhibits. This is undoubtedly a must-visit during this holiday season. The temple grounds is open to the public, free of charge. We found a perfect spot to park on the roadside.

An exciting festival at a great value, Viva PHX should be a priority for music fans of almost any…read moregenre. Several roads, most notably Monroe, are closed off to showcase vendors, outdoor stages, and other entertainment. There's a lot going on without feeling the area is too crowded or chaotic. Many of the can't-miss acts have their own dedicated venues, and your wristband allows you to hop between them. While I mostly stayed in Crescent Ballroom, other noteworthy spots like Valley Bar, Last Exit Live, and even Comerica were prime destinations. With almost 100 bands performing in roughly 5 hours, you'll be sprinting across various roads in an effort to see them all! One criticism levied against this festival might be the quality and relevance of the acts. Although there were definitely solid indie and emo choices for the young, hip connoisseurs, some of the headliners were...dated. In the future, this will likely expand to include artists that have been mainstream within the last decade. Because it's only one night, it isn't aiming to be up there with the big spring music festivals, and it doesn't need to be. It's ours and it's fun and I can't wait to go next year.

If you're a local music fan, downtown Phoenix was your Mecca last night. When I say local, I don't…read moremean the band that fills a room with 5 people, but the bands that bring along a hundred or so doting fans. There were also a few anchors that brought people out like The Neighborhood and Sir Mix-A-Lot. Setup across 13 different venues in downtown Phoenix, such as Crescent Ballroom, City Scape, Hard Rock Cafe, and Last Exit Live - something like 60 bands rocked the night until 2am. Music from hip hop, rap, folk, rock, electronic, indie, dance, singer/songwriter could be heard in 30-60 minute sets. Make your choices, or don't and just wing it. It was a fun night of music, hanging with friends, strolling downtown, dancing, and chillaxing and I can't wait for the next one! FYI tickets sold out about 8pm ish. If this event happens again, buy your tickets early -- like I did. ;-) Happy Yelping Phoenix! Time to get your groove on.

What a nice small museum. It gives you a great prospective of early Mesa. It goes into RAF at…read morefalcon field to the earliest settlement. Takes about 2 hours to see it. Worth a visit

What a gem! I have lived here for 8 years and never visited the museum. Mesa has such a rich…read morehistory. The rooms were well organized by theme which change often, and right now there is a Falcon Field and the Royal Air Force display as well as Kachina dolls. Lots to learn about the Hohokam, the canals and Mesa origins. The gift shop is super cute too.

We had early entry tickets and boy! Am I glad we did .... Lots of people but also lots of wine…read more I got 'interviewed' by the lovely gals at the BMW tent, and got some awesome swag: tote, cap, and a great water bottle! The car I first drove was a burgundy BMW 2002, way back in 1971, and fell in love with it! It had been optimized by Romeo Ferraris, with extra HP performance, wider tires... Great start to our day out :) Back to the USAToday Wine Festival: tents were all lined up along both sides of the High Street, with wines and tequilas, whiskeys and bourbons, and lots of tasty foods to try out with the wines on offer. I tasted several rosé wines, since I recently went back to drinking rosé instead of mostly red, and found some very palate-pleasing bottles that I will have to put in rotation at home. My favorite food was the Risotto in the wheel of Parmigiano: I honest to goodness could've scarfed the whole thing down, then asked for more . I tried a fantastic-looking slider, with the tender meat very good: sadly, my problem with spices/chilis made mini blisters pop up in my mouth, so couldn't finish it. By now y'all know I'm extremely allergic to capsaicin and living in the Southwest...still, the aromas floating around us were hunger-inducing and making my tummy rumble. I really enjoyed an Uncut Bourbon, so just had to sneak back for another tasting! We had to taste the Whiskey too, and the Tequila, and of the quite a few tastes I had, I think I'll be drinking the tequila crema on ice ;) Although very crowded everyone was enjoying the beautiful day out: I chatted with several people along the ' tasting avenue' who were also enjoying the afternoon, and the whole event was a success. I particularly liked tasting a black sesame hummus: being so busy tasting everything I didn't pay attention to the vendor's names... forgive me for this lapse in judgment. Next time I'll take notes!

Updating my 7 year old review. We went again in 2020 on a Sunday and had a blast…read more Yesterday was our first time going since pre-pandemic. We did go on a Sunday again and I think I prefer Sunday over Saturday. It's not as 'popping' but it is a more mellow vibe with a lot less people. I can't get over how gorgeous Heritage Square is. Between the location, the wine vibe, the band, and of course our amazing AZ weather I love this festival. But like everything right now, the price has doubled and the pours are smaller. Unfortunately due to this we have to pick and choose which events we go to. I really hope we can go again next year.