This was my first official Taste of Wheaton, which took place in Marian Fryer Town Plaza in the…read moreArts District of Wheaton. The event featured a combination of 40 restaurants, food vendors, representatives from local businesses, family activities (e.g., face painting, soccer, and dance exhibitions). I dunno, I thought there could have been more restaurants that participated in this year's event. From what I heard, previous years had more participating restaurant/food vendors. However, I understand that maybe some restaurants in the area probably did not think it was in their best interests to participate due to increased costs and uncertainty that it would generate new business. In terms of tasting, perhaps, it was not anything too special to me since I have dined at about 90% of the restaurants that participated in this year's festival. So, it was not like I had the opportunity to try out any new restaurants. I guess it was nice to have several of my regular restaurants together in the same couple of blocks. While I get that the vendors want to make a profit or make enough money to make it worth their while, I thought some of food prices were a bit high relative to the experience. If I'm going to pay close to $20 for tree tacos from a restaurant, I'd much rather just go to and eat at the restaurant...especially if when super hot outside with limited amount of shade. Although I (as a childless 40-yr old) probably will not block off my calendar to check out next year's event. I'll be more than willing to check it out if I'm in the area and/or have plans to hit up one of my local, nearby bars.

I've gone to the taste of Wheaton every year for the past several. This year's (2026) seems to…read morehave taken a sharp nosedive. Everything still seemed well organised and such, but the number of stalls, and the quality of the existing stalls, was noticeable less than previous years. Not only were they fewer, but a higher proportion of non "taste" ones, with random arts and crafts, dentists, someone selling compost kits.... No more wine bar area, either. It just seemed half hearted.

My family and I enjoyed this festival this year (2025). We also attended it the previous year in…read more2024, and it was a pretty dismal showing. The weather in 2024 was brutally hot and only a handful of vendors showed up. The festival in 2025 was better though the location along Pennsylvania Ave is so large that this street festival can feel a little empty/tame compared to some others we visited. There is a wide range of vendors from food to shops and community centers. We ordered some dumplings, which were eatable. And an "asian hamburger" from a stand that was seasoned pork on a bao bun. This was actually completely uneatable. Not only did the parents think it was pretty awful, our kids spit it out. The food here is really hit or miss. But the positive of this place is the variety of activities and entertainment. There were craft stations, dragon demos and other events that our kids just loved. My son in particular loved the cosplay competition, which involved people wearing costumes they made at home. I wasn't really into it, but he just loved the spectacle. Overall, this festival is a good one to check out and spend an afternoon. Is it amazing? Not really. But overall a nice festival to mix up the weekend plans.

This was my first time at Fiesta Asia. I was really excited to see & explore the various…read moreperformances, food vendors, and crafts showcasing Asian culture. This year's festival started at 11a and ended at 7p on Pennsylvania Ave. between 3rd and 6th Street and overlooking the National Gallery of Art. I got there around mid afternoon. There were a number of food vendors, so much it was difficult to choose which ones to try first. It was a very hot day, a little too hot for walking around. The lines for most vendors were long. I stood online for about 1/2 hour for sugarcane juice ($8), which I really really wanted. It was a worth the wait, the sugarcane was freshly pressed (not too sweet), cold and refreshing. The lines for food were also very long, there were many things I wanted to try (the thangulu, Ube doughnut, bao buns), but just didn't have the energy to wait on line for a long time in the heat. Each line was over 15 mins. wait. I can only say that is probably a testament to how good the food was. For the food I did get to try, the fried pork belly which was just okay, could have been more crispy and needed more seasoning. The teriyaki chicken wasn't great. It didn't taste like anything special and the chicken was too chewy. I did enjoy the Tiger show dance, and I would have like to try other things, like the henna. Next time I would prepare better and come earlier to hopefully avoid the crowds. Overall, this was a nice experience of Asian heritage and culture through dance, demonstrations, arts & food.

This two day event is jam packed with food, swag, prizes, drinks and all things BBQ. Follow the…read moresocial media to plan your day. Be prepared to stand in lines. Enter from 7th Street. There is a free bike valet. Archives metro is close by. Get a brochure from Giant and read about all the guests & vendors. Stay hydrated. The shopping bags that Giant handed out were appreciated and filled quickly with swag. Some guests brought wagons to hold all of their items. There were so many drink & food give a ways. The prizes were varied and fun. IKEA medium sized bags or Costco bags are perfect for hauling items. Bring a sweat towel. Wear comfy shoes. Have fun!

Freeeebies, freeebies, and well...more freeeeebies!!!…read more What a time to be had at the bbq battle!!!! Only thing I didn't sample was the bbq....sheeesh!! I really didn't want to BUT of all the freebies and samples, one would think bbq would be at the top of the list but only stubbs had bbq samples. I was surprised that there were healthy options at the battle - non dairy, gluten free, cauliflower pizza, salad....What a time I had! I couldn't carry all my freebies - and live music - yessssss!! DJ Jazzy Jeff - ok DC! I am not a native DC'er but I was happy Backyard Band and the Chuck Brown Band was in the building (dare I say I am getting acclimated to go-go music). For $20ish bucks a ticket, I felt it was well worth it. As others have said - more seating would be better, I had to exit for a bit to have a sit down (I got a stamp and was let back in with no issue).

30th Annual Lunar New Year (TET) festival loudly celebrated decades of strong presence of hard…read moreworking and crafty Vietnamese community in Maryland. This was the second time I attended this festival and I saw no glaring differences. Lots of music, lion dance, even "adorable children contest" (I saw only adorable children) is a standard staple of celebrating New Year. Lot of flowers (apricot blossoms) that are traditional blooms for Viet New Year makes this event very colorful. And then there are drinks and food. Sweet Vietnamese coffee and bubble tea are everywhere. Women were busy making Banh Mi. Dozen other stands offered various Vietnamese food specialties but they all carried the spring rolls. This is not very diverse festival and I really stuck out (maybe because I am super tall). Yes, the spring rolls and meat balls were affordable and delicious but the best thing that I could have hoped for (something new and different) happened when I saw the stand serving CHAO LONG. The Cháo lòng is actually quite mild and surprisingly palatable. The consistency may be a turn off to some, but I completely embraced its subtle chewiness (slices of pork liver and heart and added blood sausage). Cháo lòng is certainly not the most aesthetically pleasing dish, but its flavors and textures more than make up for its lack of presentation. Fresh bean sprouts, scallions, rice, fresh ground pepper, lime wedges addition to the broth and meat create a really flavorful dish that I enjoyed very much. I was very happy to make a pilgrimage to TET Vietnamese New Year again and this was my second New Year this year while still expecting Chinese, Tao, Persian and Ethiopian New Year's celebration to follow.

14th Annual Ukrainian School Holiday Bazaar was a wonderful event. You get an ethnic festival…read morewithout crowds, hanging around with kind people. There was a food stand, market stands, musical program and the never ending table with the Ukrainian sweets. I have experienced before that the best desserts festival was the Ukrainian bazaar at their shrine so it is not surprising that this bazaar offered a huge quantity of delicious cakes. There were many layered cakes that somebody spent a lot of time making it from scratch. You can eat stuffed cabbage and enjoy home made tea or coffee before you get (inexpensive) deserts with the price range between $1 and $3. This bazaar could be an annual tradition for any non-Ukrainian who aspire to be an Ukrainian for 45 minutes. Hope to make it again next year. TIP: do not arrive at start (9:30AM) but more for lunch time (Noon). You will have everything available and ready for you.

Good for the Afghan community, good for all of us. My only exposure to Afghan culture and food was…read morefirst class Afghan restaurant in Baltimore (Helmand). It got me intrigued but did not quench my thirst for more of the cultural experience. This festival certainly did. I was so impressed with the national costumes and its vibrant colors. I loved the jackets and enjoyed very unique and inexpensive jewelry and I have never seen bigger choice of hand bracelet rings (I admit I have never looked for them either). Food could be improved and festival could start on time but that did not lower my satisfaction seeing how they did free hand henna (it was neat people watching). People (hosts) seemed proud and very much wanted us to enjoy and learn about them. I hope this festival will grow and have luck with weather (everything is outdoors). https://www.facebook.com/AfghanFestival/?ref=page_internal

The most delicious food at a very affordable price, all made from scratch! Very hospitable hosts!…read moreGood music and dancing. Come and see it all!

Serbian Festival is truly a European affair. There are no hot dogs, hamburgers or fries that are…read moremost familiar to the American kids. Instead of that, kids get mesmerized by watching the lambs or pigs turn on the spit. Their mouth and eyes open wide on the sight of that spectacle. The entertainment band , lead by an accordion, provides background Serbian music while patrons choose their meal between the filo dough pies, lamb or piglet meat from the spite. There is must-to-have soup as well - to start the meal and plenty of desserts to finish it. The alcohol variety is very rich - from ethnic hard liquor, to wine and beer. There is a little school of teaching kids how to write the Cyrillic alphabet and large outdoor tents provide pleasant respite from heat or rain. Parking is free and there is no entrance fee or tip. This is the festival that stays to the true tradition of a good restaurant - be consistent with your food. I did file in a funny complaint that the Serbian ladies did not offer a Torta (multi layered cake) that I know for sure they know how to make. People/servers were super kind and giving food samples to the kids who did not know have any expectations or knowledge.

Let's start off by just acknowledging that I am a blubbery mess. Yes, I go to the gym…read more(occasionally), but as I believe that Competative Eating is a legit sport, you can imagine the shock on my nearest and dearest when I signed my husband and I with the AquaNinja (sponsored by Asia Bank) Dragonboat. That's right. Not only is my blubbery butt going to exercise...but it's going to do it COMPETATIVELY. The DC Dragonboat festival has been going on for about 10+ years now. It's held every May and it's a Chinese festival held in honor of a Qu Yuan; a Chinese general that was much beloved by the people, but managed to piss off the Emperor. As the Emperor's guards chased Qu Yuan, he ran into the Mei Lo River. The townsfolk (who, I would point out, didn't lift a finger to hide him from the Emperor's men) took to the river in their boats to try to rescue him. He drowned. But every year, they have the Dragonboat Festival to honor him. So what makes this festival so great (besides the fact that I decided to do it)? Well, to start with, it doesn't clog up Pennsylvania Ave when you're trying to get somewhere in a rush. It's held at the Thompson Boat House, but most of the teams will have tents up by the Watergate. The competition itself is awesome! And I'm not just saying it because we won the Corporate Cup (woohoo Asia Bank!) nor the fact that we GOT THE GOLD for the 1000M. No, it's awesome, because it's not just a bunch of crazy Chinese kids trying to recreate a Chinese festival here in the US...the teams are filled with a whole mix of people - most of whom don't know the history of Dragonboat and the ill-fated General Qu Yuan, but love the crazy pagentry of it all. There is even a team that is all blind. That's right! They paddle by listening to the drum beats! CRAZY!!! Anyways, it's awesome. And if you see me paddling, you better be cheering for my team! Heh!