This is a great park when you're looking for a little escape for an hour or more. My family and I…read morevisited during the holidays, and we were able to walk through a magical world of lighted trees. It was a stunning sight to see. The lake really enhanced the experience. There are shops to grab a bite to eat near the water-walk as well, which is nice if you want to make the most of your visit. I highly recommend you check it out for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

These holiday lights are nothing short of spectacular and it's free! Free parking as well. Lights…read moreare on from 5pm to 11pm(maybe 12am) Definitely a must visit!

The Wildflower Arts & Music Festival is a 3 day celebration of local art as well as national and…read morelocal musicians. It's always held on the third weekend in May, rain or shine. The location can't be beat - centrally located right around the Eisemann Center at US 75 and Galatyn Parkway. Plenty of parking - free at surrounding businesses and paid at the Eisemann. Richardson residents can buy advance tickets at a lower rate. This year, tickets were on sale for Friday and Saturday and admission was free for Sunday. This year I happened to win free admission tickets! I always find several bands I'm interested in seeing. For almost the past 20 years, I have attended Wildflower, except for starting the year or two before Covid. About 7-8 years ago, I was at one of the main headliners and it was so crowded, that I did not feel safe. There were way too many people crammed in to the outdoor space and I thought if there was a true emergency, it would be really hard to get out safely. So this year, I checked the band line up and decided Friday night looked good. We met up with some friends and had a great time! I went to the country stage to see Jackson Dean and Justin Moore, visiting Blues Traveler at the main stage in between their showtimes. It's great to be able to have so many choices and genres available. Some singers are inside the Eisemann, so when it's really hot outside, it's so refreshing to go into the air conditioning and sit in nice comfy seats. For the outdoor shows, you can bring a blanket or lightweight outdoor chairs. There is a wide range of food and beverage options and lots of porta potties set up all around. You can shop at the various vendor tents sprinkled throughout. I always enjoy seeing the decorated guitars that are up for auction that are displayed in the Eisemann lobby. Thank you City of Richardson for putting together such a wonderful event every year! I know it must take A LOT of people and planning to pull off an event of this magnitude. There was a huge police, SWAT and volunteer presence and I am happy to report that I felt very safe at this year's event!

The cheapest, fun filled weekend in Richardson is at the Wildflower Arts & Music Festival. It's…read morethree days in May and includes live music on six different stages. Music genre varies, but there is usually a headliner or two that everyone knows. If you are a Richardson resident you can buy a ticket online in advance for $15 for the day. The headliner in 2026 was George Thoroughgood and the Destroyers, and the opening act was Blues Traveler. They performed on Friday night starting at 8:30 pm until nearly midnight. There were other musicians that performed throughout the day and evening on the various stages. Lots of vendors setup tents and sold or exhibited their items. There were local businesses, artisans, and food & drink vendors. You can easily spend the entire day and night here and be entertained, but if you only have an hour, you are still sure to have fun. Parking is free in the Blue Cross Blue Shield parking garages north of Lookout off Greenville. The street and festival have a lot of volunteers and police directing people. Signage was easy to follow. There is a bag security check at the entrance. Also, there are rules about what is and isn't permitted into the venue. You can bring a foldable lawn chair, blanket, one manufactured sealed water bottle with you. I recommend wearing a good pair of shoes because there is a lot of walking and standing around. The event is rain or shine, so your shoes might get muddy and wet in f there is inclement weather. There are paved sidewalks in a lot of areas, but there are also grassy areas that you might walk through. Most vendors take credit cards. There are activities for both adults and children. If you get really hot, you can seek shelter in the Eismann Center and enjoy the A/C. They have activities inside, too. I bought tickets for all three days because at the time of my advanced purchase, I didn't know who the bands were or what my availability would be that weekend. I only ended up going on Friday night. I was told that the event was free on Sunday, which surprised me since I had purchased tickets in advance for that day as well. I won't make that mistake again! If you volunteer, they give you a t-shirt for working the event and free admission on Sunday so that you can enjoy the event because you won't have time on the day you volunteer. I've only been to this festival about three times in the 9 years I have lived here, but I have enjoyed it each time. I especially love that I can enjoy inexpensive, live music in the city where I live. I've seen some great bands each time and always look forward to returning.

Great start for this inaugural event! My family had a blast and all for charity! They had jumped…read moreand rad hatter for the kids, swag bags for the kidgits VIP program, and great representation of food in the area. Avocado California Roll & Sushi, Cristina"s, Edible Arrangements, Fuzzy's Taco Shop, Hyatt Place Garland, I Heart Yogurt, Nothing Bundt Cakes, OPA! Greek Taverna, Pete's, and The Flying Fish were some of our favorites! They also had a band playing hits from yesterday which even my kids were dancing to! Great job Simon Mall for a great food festival! Can't wait until next year! #amyrocks

I'm not gonna lie--the State Fair feels like it's pricing out the average family. I've been going…read moresince I was a kid (back when schools gave out free tickets), and going back recently, the midway feels smaller but you're paying the same--if not more--for fewer rides. The food is still the main draw, but it adds up fast. Most things are $12-$20 (and you have to use coupons), so your money goes quick. Go with friends and split everything if you actually want to try stuff. If you're coming for rides, you'll be disappointed. It's better to go on a day with a concert or the rodeo so it feels more worth it. Parking is ass and expensive. Take the train--it drops you right in front and saves you the headache.

Super fun, month-long event in the heart of Dallas. Easy to reach by public transit or parking. The…read moreorganizers truly have this down to a T. A lot of fun, local wares to shop for...to be honest, my friends and I hit it for the food and drinks (and people watching). Been the last three years and will definitely keep it up.

We had an amazing time at the Oktoberfest celebrations 2025 today…read more We Uber'ed our short trip from home to Downtown and saved ourselves the hassle of parking. At the fest, the air was electric and filled with excitement - both young ones and from their seniors! There was loud music being played live at different stages strewn across the entire downtown , people were swaying to it and really enjoying themselves between loud shouts of PROST !l before taking their next gulp of beer from their ginormous glasses! The food too being served at every corner - we're all the faire associated with Oktoberfest - bratwurst, Latkas, dogs, both corn and beef, and the bird - a solid leg of turkey along with 7 different types of beers! We immersed ourselves into the experience and came back home very happy and full. The best part was we felt right at home and plan to make attending this an annual tradition! Well done , McKinney !

Excellent time with the kids. They definitely enjoyed themselves. I will definitely return next…read moreyear.

Lots of fun, and all things considered priced about as you'd expect. It's not super huge so it's…read moreeasily doable and all the food you'd expect to be at a fair is here and is spot on. There is a $5 entry fee per person starting this year which is reasonable imo. Parking is expensive if you pay on site so book ahead to save 1/2 on that front. You'll probably want to get that a day ahead though as you want to be able to snag it for your preferred time. That said there is. Rides are mostly 5 per with the occasional 6 to mess up your spending balance;) most games are 5 for one shot and 10 for 3. $tandard fare for a fair but wait! What's nice is you can add single credits though so yay! No extra fees for using the card other than buying a card initially for 3 bucks. Daytime is easier to visit of course but you don't get the lights. Nighttime you get more crowds but lights so choose ;)

It was not welcoming to anyone outside this ethnic group. They were rude and disrespectful. If…read morethat's how they want to treat others that are different than them they should really think about where they are. No one needs to be rude or disrespectful no matter your ethnic background. Do better and make sure your vendors respect all people.

Tons of fun and lots of activities for everyone…read more Live music all over the area. Tons of food trucks, from bbq, hot dogs and burgers, Popcorn, funnel cakes, desserts, to pastries oh goodness. Alcohol tasting, horse and carriage rides. I love seeing all the vendors show casing their arts. homemade candles, honey, bracelets, hats, u name it.

This was a delightful art festival for a small town community. It was well organized with…read moreactivities for all. The weather was cool and comfortable Friday night for walking around downtown Plano and checking out the numerous vendors. Since this event takes place in the spring the weather can be somewhat unpredictable, but it was lovely the evening we went. The main street in downtown Plano is closed for pedestrian traffic only. vendors line the center of the street. Stores and restaurants are open late too trying to take advantage of the increased foot traffic. Parking was free in nearby surface lots. If you get there early enough, you might find street parking. In addition to the main street, there is also a kid zone and a food truck area setup in a street lot. More artists and vendors can be found as you wander around Haggard Park. Let's talk about the art: -Artistic - real photographers, painters and crafts people had their wares on display. I enjoyed the dog silhouettes out of license plates, the lights made from car hub caps, chains and metal bits, and the digital light show put on by UT Dallas students at a warehouse on the main strip. -Unusual - artists spray painting large banners of what appeared to be plastic saran wrap strung between trees. The local maker space advertising some of the cool things that can be done at there 24-hour facility. One guy was making leather jewelry and giving it away to those who stopped by to chat. -Educational - attendees were invited to pick colored caps from a bucket and arrange them into a canvas with sectioned off walls to define the piece. It was visually interesting and educational as it was encouraging the reuse of plastic. Interactive - Invite your dog to have its paws dipped in paint and then run across a white festival shirt as your keepsake. -Dangerous - There was a blacksmith on site welding and shaping iron pieces. There was also a wood worker who was carving his sculptures with a chainsaw. The Usual - face painting, henna hand designs, jewelry vendors, the latest health massage technique hocus-pocus vendors, and size-zero, tie-died, flour sac type dresses, scarves, and bags for the rare young person with the money to buy it and body type that can wear it. This was a fun, free event for an evening out. It went on all weekend, so you could pick the day that worked best for you and your family. My hubby and I made it our Friday date night, and it was a success.

Maybe I am biased, since the crafts and festivals in San Francisco actually sell things you want to…read morebuy, but this wasn't that. It was lots of junky crafts and a few (non-crowded) food stalls - All packed together in an alley for only about 4 blocks. I went with 2 friends, the only thing one of us actually purchased was a sticker. I suppose the good news is that parking was pretty easy and it is only 1x per year. Hard pass.

Great venue, great weather, great people watching and some great artist out there…read more Not many mask wearer's if that is a concern but we got there early so it was not a problem. Hope things continue to get better because we miss these type of events. Great job Deep Ellum