What a nice event for Orlando. We went on the last day of the 2020 event and arrived around 2p…read more We were lucky enough to find a close parking spot so we started off great. We had free tix courtesy of a local radio station contest. I can still hear the busy signals in my ear from dialing in. This year, the event was "cashless", which doesn't mean you can't bring cash, but it means you pre-load your bracelet with money that you can use to purchase items from various vendors. It sounds like a good idea, but you have to guess as to how much to load, then do math all day and remember how much you have. When you purchase something, you can ask the person what your balance is. It's nice to not have to get out your wallet every time, but also a pain if you want something that's $7 and you have $6 left. You can't combine "bracelets" either so if someone had $1 left, they'd either have to reload or lose it. There was also a $1 service charge for the privilege of using the bracelet. As far as food options, there were plenty. Various restaurants from around town were there serving up some of their favorites. Gringos Locos, Dixie Dharma, Kaizen Something or other, American Social, Jeremiahs Italian Ice, Jimmy Hula's, and many others were there. It's a great way to try things without driving all over. Many places also had vegan and vegetarian options. There were plenty of wine vendors as well, and those lines were the shortest (or non existent). There was something you could buy that was a sampling of wines for $20. I think they punched or scanned something with each vendor. Most wineries were charging $7 for a glass (plastic cup) of wine. I would think if you want people to try your wines, you'd have it at a lower price point. Are they there to make money or get people to love their wine? (Gringos Locos got it with their $2 Double Decker Tacos, the line was nuts). The event ran till 7 but around 4p, some vendors were already closing up shop. That would be disappointing to me if I was arriving later in the day. There was also Mixed Drinks, Bloody Mary Bars, Beer, Hard Seltzer, and water/soda if you weren't there to get Lit. Prices were good for these options. There were plenty of porta-johns and hand washing stations which is nice. There was a stage with rotating bands. Lots of security as well. I'd recommend going as a nice day out. I wish they'd improve the cashless payment method though. At least let people combine. I'd give it 4 stars if it wasn't for that.

An A OK event that has some ups and downs. This is an annual event that takes place in the heart of…read moredowntown. There are tons of parking garages and lots in the local area that are within walking distance, most are around $5-7 dollars, so it's not too bad. It's about $20 for entry into the event, which seems a bit steep to me, since you have to pay for tickets for the food and drinks on top of that. Each ticket is $2 and most drinks and food are between 3-4 tickets ($6-8). It's a pretty expensive event overall once you tally up parking, entry and tickets. There are a lot of vendors, especially local vendors, which is great, cause I love to support local. There were about 40 tents, about half drinks and half food. There is a menu of options when you arrive, so you can know what to expect. Overall: B- A good locals event, but a pretty steep price tag on it once you add it all up.

Cool and creative…read morecrafts The spring art festival at Lake Lily park is a whole bunch of very creative arts, crafts and displays placed in a the very lovely setting of a large and wonderful park. Dozens of booths containing lots of very original and cool stuff ranging from paintings, photots, carvings, clothes, jewelry, lawn sculptures and of courses lots of food. Most of the items on display were very distinctive and included a whole bunch of stuff I've never seen before in an arts and craft fair. The food was pretty much what you would expect from a fair but the Kettle Korn was really good. You get to walk around lovely Lake Lily Park as you wander around the fair and get to see some very inquisitive ducks, turtles and other critters.. They seemed as interested in me as I was in them. The prices of the items varied tremendously, from the very cheap to the quite expensive. Quite literally something for everyone. Cool and creative arts and crafts in a beautiful park filled with friendly critters. A great way to spend some time and money.

Good food, family friendly atmosphere. Lots of beer... lol…read moreSuper nice crowd. Great deserts... Parking is a little high for this kind of event but the cometary lot is a low income cometary and the money helps them so whatever... They run out of the good stuff so get there early...

Zombietoberfest was a nice evening out in the cool weather that Saturday brought us. There was a…read morebounce house and a big open field for the kids to run around and play, Ghostbusters was playing on a big screen in an open grassy area, there was a zombie walk, people doing zombie makeup-which was fun, vendors, and food trucks. It was all nice but I personally would have liked to see more vendors and more activities. I was surprised to find there was plenty of free parking in area businesses and along the streets; it made that part of the fest all the better. We purchased a few cupcakes from Bluebird and unfortunately they were rather dry; you could tell they had been sitting out quite a while. I've heard rave reviews about Bluebird so I won't fault them entirely since they did have to bake ahead of time and store them at their outside booth. I love this time of year and Zombietoberfest was an enjoyable time out, doing something different. If you are big into Halloween and/or zombies, I would definitely recommend a visit next year.

Great event! So much fun! Really enjoyed the salsa and the salsa music…read more I enjoyed the margaritas, they were very good. The only negative thing is that it was super hot. But that's can't be control. Everyone was having fun and dancing. There were some tents selling food also. I'm even considering competing if there is another event. Hahaha Hopefully, they will be able to delay this event with more space, more vendors, more salsa and last longer.

This year was my 2nd Salsa Fest. I do enjoy trying the different salsas, but I do not enjoy having…read moreto purchase drink tickets and having to redeem them. They should have cash bars and/or beer tubs. When we went to the Corona booth to 'spin the wheel' for prizes, you had to have a corona in your hand to participate. Understandable. But when I have to go to one of two tents on opposite sides of the festival for tickets and a corona, not so accommodating. I do like the live music and the various bands and space for dancing if you choose to do so. They definitely need more standing tables or sitting space.

Went to the art festival and it was amazing!! an activity to repeat, nice setup and organized…read more Can't wait to go back!! All the art was very nice. The ambiance was perfect for a Sunday afternoon

I had a good time here at the park in Apopka. The vibe was nice but wish the music could be better…read more The burger I had was good but the wait has to improve. I will return to try other vendors.

What a great time! This annual event, sponsored by Crisco, is reminiscent of a small town's fair…read more Friendly people abound here, and Pie Pride oozes from every single booth. There are markets, bakeries, and restaurants galore here, all keen to have you taste either their take on a traditional, or point you with special glee towards their own creations. The weather cooperated, the band was great, people struck up conversations with strangers, and everyone got a little sun. I'm awfully glad that Yelp made this a Yelp Event. I didn't see any other Yelpistas, but then again, my eyes were looking at all that deliciousness..... So, come tomorrow- or next year. And, keep you eyes on the pies!!!

One of the best events we have each year is the Great American Pie Festival over at Celebration! I…read morehave gone to this even for the past 4 years in a row and it always is worth the drive. This year, I was lucky enough to get free entry into the never ending pie buffet from our friends at Yelp! Thanks Colleen for the pie! Since parking can be a nightmare even without events at Celebration, we always park by a friends house over by the high school and walk over. It only takes about 10 min to walk over and besides, it is a nice walk back to the car to walk off some of the pie we just inhaled. We arrived on Saturday around 1 pm and found the crowds this year to be a bit lighter than in the past. After checking in with the info booth and getting our wrist bands, we enjoyed checking out all the vendors and seeing if their was any arts and crafts we might want. There is a large booth that sells t-shirts, cookbooks and of course pies! This year, there were also a larger amount of food vendors selling the normal fair type foods. We did not indulge since we were saving room for pie. They also had a zip line contraption that looked like fun. We made our way over to the pie buffet entry. You must have a wrist band or you cant get in! The pie police are watching you. Once inside, we armed ourselves with plastic forks ( I suggest bringing your own metal one if you like) and then started to check out all the booths. There seemed to be less vendors than in the past. Publix and Winn Dixie were there as well as Kroger's and the Village inn. All make great pies but the ones I enjoy most are from some of the more independent pie companies that make unusual combinations of flavors. Bakers Square, Bonerts, Legendary Baking, and Wicks pies are these types of vendors. Yet this year, they only seemed to have a few flavors to try while in the past, they might have 10 or more types. My favorite of all time was a chocolate coated frozen cheesecake on a stick.... but alas, it was not there this year. Sniff Sniff... All in all, it was still a great feast! I will say that most people can eat about 5 or 6 slices before they are done but one friend of mine ate 10 slices! Oink! Some people like to eat one slice at a time while others stop at each booth, grab the ones they want, and then find a place to spread them all out and eat them one by one. After our pig out, we continued to check out many of the other booths that circle the stage. Crisco is the main sponsor but there are also booths for Duncan Hines, Smuckers, and Dunkin Donuts. Duncan was having a bit of a scavenger hunt with their new stir in flavors of frosting. You had to collect all 12 of the flavors and then visit their booth to be in a drawing for prizes. I collected them all, got my ticket for the hourly drawing but never got back to see if I won... oh well... There was also the appearance of Poppin Fresh! and Pie man! Always popular and sometimes a line to get a photo with them. The main stage had an assortment of entertainment including comedian Kirk Marsh, singer Dean Daniels and guest chefs David Sloan and Brian Ehrenholm. If you want something fun to do and love pie, I do recommend checking out the pie festival. The normal entry for adults is $10 and if you eat enough pie, it pays for itself. Our best tip would be go in... eat pie... walk around and enjoy the booths and sights... then go back again for more pie! (Then take a really long walk back to your car!) Enjoy!

The Seminole County South Rotary Club hosts a two-day Art, Craft & Wine Festival event at the…read moreCranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs and it serves as a fundraiser for them with events like a Wine Stroll (For 2016, Tickets: $25 in advanced, $30 day of ) and a Chili Cook-off It's a free event, and while I didn't participate in either the Wine Stroll or the Chili Cook-off, I did have a lovely leisurely 2.5+ hr stroll checking out the over 150+ artists and crafters who were showcasing unique items, crafts, decorative products and arts. Some stalls were standouts - there was a local woodworker with really lovely and affordable furniture pieces, a stall which had antique spoons turned into functional jewelry pieces like rings, etc and another stall with artworks made from flip-flops. For the last one, it was so artfully done, I didn't realize the material used for the artworks were flip-flops at first! The amphitheater had live music, and it was a nice variety and lovely to hear in the background while wandering thru the stalls. Food vendor wise, there were only a couple of option and I couldn't help thinking they should have partnered with the Daily City Food Trucks events so a better variety of options could have been available. Also at night, not all vendors had access to electricity and so some of them were open, but I couldn't really check out what they were selling all that well. I had tons of fun browsing thru the stalls and so would definitely come and check this festival again next year, if in the area. Note: #377 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016

Had a good time at this festival with tons of great artists and vendors. The most difficult portion…read morewas finding a place to park our car, and then walking quite a ways to get to the main festival area. If you know Mount Dora well you will know that they have limited street parking, and only a few public parking lots, so when things get busy, the parking is the first thing to go. We did enjoy the excuse to go to the area, get some food, visit some new shops and see some great local vendors. I always appreciate a chance to see handmade and homemade artisans. Overall: A- Parking situation is always a challenge in this area when things get busy, but the art show itself was a good time and I'm sure we'd go again in future years.

I am impressed. I don't remember being in such a big arts festival in a while. I don't travel to…read moreartsy events anymore, but as far as my previous travels remind me, this is one of the biggest ones in Florida. And I also have to say that the setting is just majestic, you can come and walk around, grab lunch, and keep walking. Of course, I hope you pick up some art, but if you don't, I hope you have fun. Besides all the nice restaurants to visit (please don't settle for pizza), you can also visit other galleries around the area. At the same time, talk to some people, many travel far to visit and to showcase their art. It is a great atmosphere, kids and small dogs may not appreciate it because it is crowded, but with a little bit of patience everything is smoothed out. There's plenty of free and paid parking also.