This was my first time attending the Oyster Festival in Oyster Bay (and first time in Long Island)!…read moreIt's nice that there aren't any tickets required for entry, though it is a long haul from NYC. We came on a beautiful Saturday and were super excited to get fresh oysters and (or so we thought) for cheap! It's a nice venue by a school and park right by the bay, and it gets very very crowded, especially in the afternoon. There are some nice craft vendors, but my partner and I were really excited for the food. The seafood options were good, but much more limited than I thought. There was only one vendor selling oysters, and the only mode of preparation was raw (nothing grilled or otherwise more creative). I was pretty surprised by how steep the pricing was, though I'm glad the proceeds go back to the community in some form (6 oysters for $20). I was a bit disappointed by the quality of some of the oysters we got for that pricing, as there were some that were pretty small, flat and not as high quality. The other seafood options were good, and I really enjoyed a fried coconut shrimp kebab that was $25. Overall, it's a nice festival vibe and well managed, just pricey and some of the food quality around the star oyster was not quite up to expectations! I am giving it an extra star because it's by the water and the town was super quaint and beautiful!

Every year for the past 7 years, minus 1 pandemic, my family and I will go to the Oyster Fest. It's…read morebecome a nice tradition. We always start with a lobster roll, which unfortunately go up by about $5 per year (they're now at $30 apiece, so not sure if we'll be keeping that part of our tradition). Then we go through the tents to see if there's anything worth buying, and off to the beer tent for a few, and then we gorge ourselves on other delicacies. There's always a woman selling fudge there who I always hit up for a few chunks to take home with me. This year I had a foot long hot dog for $6 from a German place. It was excellent. We'll definitely be back next year, just maybe not eating anymore lobster rolls, as $30 each for 5 people gets a bit steep very quickly.

Not an ADA complaint event. Walkways covered with electronical cords, unlevel dirt paths, and tons…read moreof holes. Would never pay full price admission for this event. Zero effort to be Strawberry themed. Planning committee needs to complete more research before hosting this event again.

It's not really a strawberry festival, it's a carnival, a fun carnival complete with rides,…read morecarnival eats (funnel cakes, fried oreos, Turkey legs e.t.c). They're is a strawberry section. It's really a fundraiser for the Bellmore Lions Club, a local school team. This section has strawberries, strawberry cake, and strawberry daiquiris on sale. This carnival gets crowded the later it gets, so I recommend getting there mid-afternoon. It is a lot of fun for what it is, especially for kids. Make sure you bring lots of cash for your food and other things you might want to purchase. I did see one ATM available but don't take any chances.

I love the vibe. The music the food was awesome I am back today to enjoy the music....read more

If you really want to know the whole story, it's all laid out on their website but reading a bunch…read moreof bullet points on a screen about some big neighborhood spectacle is about the most depressing thing you can do, so I'll explain. ​Basically, the Giglio Feast is a historic 12-day Italian-American festival that happens every July at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It's been going on since 1887 when immigrants brought it over from Nola, Italy, to honor Saint Paulinus commemorating when he returned from captivity after sacrificing himself for his people and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. That part actually sounds pretty decent, if you want to know the truth, but the way spectators in attendance make a huge circus out of it just drives me crazy. Then participants are amazing. ​The main event is this thing called the "Dancing of the Giglio," where they take a giant 70-foot tower made of wood and steel weighing four whole tons and covered in lilies, angels, and religious figures and hoist it up. They've got a live brass band and a singer literally sitting right on top of the timber frame while roughly 120 guys lift, spin, and "dance" this enormous four-ton thing down North 8th Street on their bare shoulders. ​Guys in matching outfits blowing saxophones and yelling on the platform, and crowds of people crammed together in the street taking photos and cheering. There's even a statue of a saint perched at the very top against the blue sky, looking down at all these phonies sweating and carrying on in the heat. It's supposed to be this grand, sacred tradition, but looking at a hundred guys breaking their backs to carry a four-ton tower with a band riding on it just makes you feel sort of tired and thirsty. It really does.

7-12-25. Great fireworks show…read more Family friendly and plenty of restaurants in the area to enjoy a meal and/or drink before or after the show.

Every year they have the Italian festival at the old Deal Test Site. I believe the Italian American…read moreclub runs it from Ocean Township. It's an event that started on Wednesday and finishes up on Sunday. There are many rides lots of food and a lot of fun to be had. Entertainment was provided by various bands and local gymnasts. There's plenty of police presence due to the large crowds. There are plenty of Porta Johns and this is the largest I have seen this festival since I last attended 15-20 years ago. Prices from the vendors are a tad high due to the fact that their income is very variable. I had a sausage sandwich with peppers and onions which set me back $8. Water at most stands were $1. Sandwich was tasty after putting on some "heat". Afterwards I indulged in a kiddie ice cream cone $4, much needed to cool me off. What I did not see at this festival was a hands-on section for all. Tickets for the rides were $25 for 24 tix or $50 for 54 tix. The average ride was 3 to 4 tickets. There was plenty of parking though you were urged to donate $1 to the police explorers ( who are they?) The only major problem at this festival were the exits. There were no signs saying how to exit the site, so that took a some time to explore. Maybe that $1 donation will ease the problem next summer. 3 & one half stars.

It is now located at the USDAN Summer Camp for the Arts at 185 Colonial Springs Road, Wheatly…read moreHeights, NY. It was pretty cool to see all the Jack O Lanterns. The trail is about a mile long with up and down hills. It was a big plus to have real restooms ( not portable potties) located in a building at the beginning of the trail and also another one in the middle of the trail. It took about 1 hour and a half to complete it. I will definitly come back next year.

We have gone in the past at westbury. This year it is in Wheatley Heights on the USDAN site. It's…read morethe largest pumpkin trail in the world. Intricate carvings and yes, a very long trail. From the parking lot you negotiate a steep hill downward on arrival and upward when exiting. The rest is relatively level ground. Many, many carvings and guest appearances by witches, Jack Skellington and others. They are noted for sports figures, musicians and recently deceased stars. Plenty for the whole family and highly recommended.

This is an unspoken festival, that has been going on in the Bronx for over 15 years, this past…read moreweekend, was my fist time , there. I have to say it reminded me of the St Gennaro. with good food and many different vendor's, they also had so many rides for the kids and teens. but what I loved the most was the music, with the people walking and dancing the night away. for a Festival, that only stretched a few blocks and the cost of the rides where only 3 dollars and the food was just right, with sausage and peppers and more, we had Lot's of fun. cant wait for next year. I

I didn't expect much from a Bronx festival. But Lo n behold this was a jamming fest. There were…read moresome decent rides for the kiddies and your teens will love it and want to come back again the next day. The food was delish..you had your typical sausage n peppers, zeppoles, funnel cake, shish kebobs, chocolate covered everything and my fav, deep fried oreos! Well organized and cops were chillin too. Music was off the meat rack! It's a fun place to visit, eat, drink and chill. But hurry! I think it ends this weekend! It was my first time but I will def be back next year!