This was my first year attending. One of the main reasons for the unpleasant experience was the weather. The venue has no control over that. However, they do have control over the misting truck that was smack dab in the middle of the place. In my opinion, since there was few areas with shade on 100F+ day, there should have been a couple more. I stopped for a little bit to try and watch the pig races. Again, no shade to watch them from. The spectator stands were out in the sun. Sidenote, an umbrella vendor would've made a killing this year. I did see a couple people who were prepared and toted around their umbrellas...but the cheapest one I found when I was there was $15, which I couldn't justify buying. It's a nice little event with carnival games and rides. I just think Mother Nature put a damper on this year's shindig. I won free admission tickets in a raffle, so I just had to pay for parking (and the over priced food). If I had to pay parking plus admission, I think I'd pass. I also know that I cannot survive an outdoor event like this when it is super hot outside. I would've liked to have stayed for the Commodores but they weren't scheduled to take stage til 9pm, which makes it a bit late for me since I still had about an hour drive home. read more

In 2025, I wanted to attend Ostrich Festival for the first time, but my schedule wouldn't allow it. I'm glad I was able to check it out in 2026. I was there for the second weekend, to see The Commodores on Saturday and Baby Bash on Sunday. Some of the other main acts over the course of this two-weekend festival were Kansas and Vanilla Ice. This is the first year the festival has been held at Rawhide. There are some things I really enjoyed about the festival, and some things that I didn't enjoy very much. On the plus side, ticket prices were quite reasonable. That isn't always the case when it comes to festivals. On the other end, you have to pay for parking to attend unless you're using ride share. There's nowhere to park for free that would take you less than a 30 minute walk to get to the entrance. Parking is $15 if you pay at the gate and $13 if you pre-pay online. Take that into account so you have a gauge of the full price of the event. On the plus side, Rawhide is a spacious venue. Beyond the main stage, there was a smaller stage, a ton of food options, carnival games, amusement park rides, and more. I was surprised that the Festival reminded me of a rodeo or state fair more so than a music-centric festival. Given the games and rides, you'll see a lot of kids and families there. On the downside, since it's a "Western town," for the most part, it's dirt, gravel, and grass. Meaning you'll probably be leaving the festival with some dusty shoes. Let's go back to the food. A lot of fair food. Which is going to be overpriced. I had two crepes from AZ Crepe, a pretzel from Wetzel's Pretzels, and a smoothie from Fruitilandia. I wasn't a fan of the smoothie, but the rest met my expectations for the venue. If you'd like to save a little bit on the cost, you can bring in an unopened bottle of water. Next up, the music itself. The stage is pretty solid and it was easy to get right in the center of the action. It's standing room only, unless you get VIP tickets, but you can also bring your own lawn chairs or use some of the chairs that are already there if you can snag one. Festivals are typically pretty consistent when it comes to set times. Baby Bash was scheduled to perform at 8:30. He came on at 9:45. They did share on Instagram that the set times had been pushed back, but I unfortunately didn't see the post in time. My mistake, though from attending a bunch of festivals, it is unusual for the set times to change last minute. While I've been to festivals in other states, the only other ones I've been to in Phoenix are Innings Festival and Extra Innings Festival. I like those festivals more in terms of the overall experience, but I still had a good time at Ostrich Festival. I didn't spot any ostriches, but I hear you can interact with them somewhere at the venue. read more

The review is for the drop off and pick up situation. This is a safety issue. I was not able to drive to the front to pick up my daughters from the gate. I had to park far away, then walk to them. They had to walk through a dark parking lot, alone. Think about it, two teenage girls walking alone, at night, through a parking lot. As a father, I find this unacceptable. read more

Always a pleasure! Lots of fun ! Definitely visit to see all the activities.id just advise go after the sun goes down this year was really hot . The concerts line up was really good this year too . read more

Ostrich Festival - The spiritual spot psychic Maryanne - Festivals Near Me - Chandler, Arizona

3 years in a row been coming to the Ostrich Fest! It's such an awesome event that is so historic for the Chandler, Arizona Community. It's a big land space with at least 40 food vendors, must be 50 carnival rides and the music venue carries some big name which is definitely the main reason we go. It's a well run ritual with tons of decadent fried food options you have to indulge in, fun filled rides, games and various vendors to shop around. Note-Prices can be a little crazy on some things , so be prepared!! Also, bring cash 'cause if you use your debit card for anything there is a $ fee. *Carnival rides, best to buy the wrist bands as it's a better option for the price. Police presence is a great security and keeps the large crowds at bay. Musicians- the last few years we've seen the headliners of such fantastic performers such as Train and The Fray. Looking forward to what this next year brings to town. It's gonna be another epic night! read more

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March 2026 - Have been going to the festival (at Tumbleweed) for almost a decade. Think of it as a family tradition. And with the change of location, I was curious how it would go this year. We (family of four) went Sunday the 15th and were extremely disappointed. Paying $160 bucks for entry and unlimited rides wristband (for my 2 teens) ended up being a waste of money. Number of rides were a third of what was traditionally seen at Tumbleweed. And those rides were lame. Very dusty. Poor service. Bad food that was expensive. For example, $18 for a couple of sliders and fries! Expensive tickets to play games (that required many tickets just to play). Meaning we went through 97 tickets playing just 4 games! $15 to park? Outrageous. Conclusion? Complete failure. A no-go for the future. The State Fair it is. read more

We were so excited to finally go to the Ostrich Festival. My friend and I rode a few crazy rides, shared a big hot dog and some pretzels. We also had a few drinks. We were impressed how clean the grounds were and we watched them collect the trash. We thought the games were a Little expensive but if you win the gifts were ok. read more

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Waste of money. Tried baked potato, corn dog, pretzels, and more. High price gouging and rough grounds walking. Just not good prices and poor services. Parking over priced and no water as stated in services. Poorly ran system! read more

Waaaaay overpriced - entry was $35 per ticket, parking $15 (and 0.5 miles) away, and food was criminally expensive - $20 hotdog on a bun, $15 corn dog, no free water anywhere). Combine this with walking on dirt, no grass and very dusty and you feel like you realize you were duped. The ostrich's were a side note. It felt shallow compared to the yesteryears, and simply like a Chandler City of Commerce money grab. Will not attend this with my family if it remains at Rawhide. It simply had no soul. The one redeeming value was the Commodores put on a great show. read more

Q: Why couldn't the ostrich fit in with the rest of the chickens? A: It was ostrich-cized from the chicken coop! The 33rd Annual Ostrich Festival returns March 16-19, 2023. Experience rides, live music, attractions, food, and much more at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler, AZ. Entrance for children is $20 and adult tickets are $35. All four days have a VIP ticket offering for $150. Parking on Thursday was $10 so remember to bring your card (no cash allowed). Clear bags are required and I recommend bringing some water with you and some quarters to get some duck feed for the ducks! Tickets for games and rides are a $1 per ticket with most attractions ranging from three to seven tickets. So if you want to do something fun with your friends and family this weekend, come by and see the ostriches and don't forget to bring your appetite. read more

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Such fun seeing all the animals and being able to feed them. We got a lot of laughs out of the ostriches, the kissing goats, and the lorikeets. A very good value! read more

Ostrich Festival - Festivals Near Me - Chandler, Arizona

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I feel that the ostrich festival is similar to the state fair. Mostly geared towards young kids and teenagers. They have a wide variety of rides for older kids, as well as younger kids. They offer a plethora of food to eat. Both food and rides are an additional cost. The cost to get into the ostrich festival in 2024 was $35 for adults and $20 for kids. They also have live entertainment at night. Some of the artists that preformed this year were Wynonna Judd, young Gravy, Big and Rich, shaggy and many more. They have lots of entertainment, like pig racing, acrobat, and the ostrich experience. Here's there website for more info https://ostrichfestival.com/main-stage-lineup/ read more

Ostrich Festival - Festivals Near Me - Chandler, Arizona

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My family went to the Ostrich festival Friday night we enjoyed some fun rides we love seeing the ostriches we got to have some good food the employees seem to give us some good customer service We love seeing the rides lit up at night time There were a few different good bands they sounded good read more

Small crowd and very overpriced food. Ostriches were only at one small location. The best thing there was the pig race.

Total Rip Off!!! Do not waste your money!! Went on Saturday 03/14/2026. We purchased tickets at Food City in advance and it came out to $65 per person, which didn't seem too bad until we got there! The advertisement on Google was nowhere near accurate of what the place is really like once you get inside. I kept thinking "where are all the rides that we paid to ride with an unlimited wristband"?? The video they show is nothing like the actual rides they have!! Literally a giant "Zipper" ride, a Ferris wheel, a freefall drop ride that lasts 30 seconds and a giant swings ride!! The rest of the rides are for little toddlers and small children. Our wristbands didn't even work and we had to keep going back to the box office over and over!, which is outside of the entrance so we had to stand in line to re- enter SIX TIMES!! Most of our time was spent repeating this process!!!! There is a pen of ostriches that you have to pay extra to feed and some guys riding bicycles on ramps..Also, some guys "high diving" into an above ground pool. There were many over priced food and drink stands selling $8 Coca Cola for one 20oz. bottle. Very disappointed because we were really looking forward to the Ostrich Festival they used to have at Tumbleweed Park.. "1 out of 10" read more

Don't ever let Gila River Casino host this ever again or own whatever they did. Bring the old ostrich festival to its original location. This year absolutely SUCKED!!! You're telling me it's $30 per person to get in, on top of that $40 for an unlimited wrist band! With 6 or 8 rides?!! Mostly it was games which required more money! It was so small this year! Just absolutely horrible! There were barely any rides! Just a waste of time and money. How is a casino gonna host this and come up with crappiest hosting ever! With how much money this casino makes I would've expected a lot more. I can't put down a zero so I'm gonna give this a 1. read more

Did the VIP tickets. The food setup was not good. more like the military just slamming everything onto one plate. No paper dishes for any of the side salads, no cups to hold salsa in. The indoor setup did not provide enough tables or chairs for such a large, temporarily closed-off building. There are only 2 bartenders. No separate line for just getting a can of beer handed to you. LITTLE KIDS AT THE BAR! Pretty sure the kids did not pay the 100$ price to get into the bar. read more

I always love the looks on people's faces when you mention you are going to the Ostrich Festival. If they have not ever heard of it, they look puzzled and are unsure if you're pranking them or being serious. Totally serious and it's been going on every year (minus the pandemic, of course) since 1989. There used to be actual ostrich races. The last ones I remember happened before the pandemic and they likely were halted for health concerns. They still have plenty of ostriches brought in by the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch from Picacho, AZ (near Picacho Peak). They have what is called the Ostrich Experience where you can see ostriches and take pictures. You can also look at info about them and buy actual ostrich eggs (for decoration or to eat). There are a plethora of cool vendors selling merchandise or promoting brands and services. There is also no shortage of food booths selling everything from fry bread to actual ostrich burgers. The carnival rides are really fun, and they have them for all ages. There are also animal experiences with birds, snakes, etc. The entertainment is always top notch with circuses, science shows, pig races, duck races, jugglers, trapezists, magicians, wood carvers, etc. There are also some really cool strolling acts like Mango and Dango - colorful, musical, on stilts or in a customized umbrella-covered vehicle. We have seen so many cool concerts over the years including Starship, Andy Grammer, Eddie Money, Rock Lobster, and most recently Train. Not going to lie - it can be expensive, but it's worth it, IMHO, for the all-day experience. The entertainment (including the bands/concerts) is all included in your ticket price. You must use clear bags and can only bring in a sealed water bottle per person, but many vendors - especially city or local groups - offer water or other drinks at a reasonable price inside. The parking is really well organized and the multitude of volunteers they have working there are friendly and doing their best to help make your day a great one. Definitely worth checking out when it rolls around again. read more

This was my very first time attending the Ostrich Festival and I had a lot of fun people watching, seeing the games and rides, checking out things being sold at booths, seeing what fun foods were available, and most of all, attending a concert. I finally fulfilled a music bucket list item when I saw one of my longtime favorite bands, Train. Pat Monahan, the gorgeous lead singer, is constantly dancing and having fun as he entertains the crowd. He even got on the drums during their rendition ofThe Eagles' "Hotel California"! He threw two sets of drumsticks into the crowd and I almost caught one! During the show he also threw out tshirts! Very entertaining and enjoyable night at the Ostrich Festival. I intend to return again next year. read more

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It had been a couple of years since attending this festival. We had fun ridding on rides and being big kids so we decided to back. It's definitely a different vibe during the day with little kids and younger teens. It was less crowded and easier to walk around which was nice. The rides are fun but the food was just ok. We hit up the BBQ place and ordered a pulled pork sandwich, zucchini fries, and lemonade. The food was like warm and pretty bland. The kettle corn was the highlight for food. Most options were fair type options so the variety was lacking. The prices are high for everything but that is true of most festivals and food so that wasn't a big issue. Elevate the food and it would be a good local place to blend being a kid with the great food we expect at Chandler events. read more

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Admission tickets to the festival delivered online. Once you get to the entrance, you'll receive a wrist band that is scannable. Walk through security doors. Clear bags only. Parking is $10. Good organization on parking. Arrived to the Train concert around 930. The show started right on time. Mix of lawn seating and standing. Great jumbo screens on both sides of stages. Didn't get a chance to check the rest of the fair booths/rides/ food but everything looked organized. I can imagine it being busier during the day though. Overall, decent fair vibes all around. read more

Ostrich Festival - Festivals Near Me - Chandler, Arizona

As my cousin and I have realized... we are becoming our parents. We found ourselves griping about the prices of things like our parents would when we were kids. We both were shocked that it costs $35 just to enter, then have additional costs for rides, food, beverages, etc. Additionally, we aren't as young so the rides and attractions aren't as appealing. I'm sure if we were young again, this would be an amazing event. Personally, it is a pass for me but the Flareon bucket hat I purchased saved the experience; hence a 3-star rating. read more

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An absolutely awful experience from start to finish. This place is a total ripoff. Tickets to even ENTER are $48 per person, and then there's an additional fee of $48 per person just to do the rides. 48 x 4 = $196 for two people trying to just get in and ride some rides. The staff is TERRIBLE. The staff did not speak an ounce of English. It was like pulling teeth to even ask a question. The people running the games were so annoying. It took everything in me not to scream at them. They yelled at us "play this game play that game", "wow you guys suck for not playing our game". It felt like we were being harassed by solicitors. Half of the rides were broken down. The ones we took were nothing remotely special. The food was terrible and such a ripoff. A churro and 2 lemonades cost us $56 (once again, not included in the price.) To make everything worse, we were screamed at by "security" when leaving. Apparently you cannot leave the Ostrich Ranch with drinks you purchased inside. We asked to speak to the manager and she said they would call the police if we left with the drinks. Which was SO confusing because we had already purchased them. When we left, our car door was banged on twice by separate people asking if we had registered for voting. Who pays $200 to be harassed by every single employee? Not me, ever again. State Fair is cheaper has much more to do. read more

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First time at the Ostrich Festival and it was so much fun! Definitely didn't know what to expect, it was definitely giving fair vibes and I loved it. Parking: $10-$20 Admission: kids under 5 free, under 18 $20 something, adults $40+ this is W/O tickets for the rides Food prices: always higher at the fair/festival so be prepared. Pig race, ostrich chilling, lots of food, great music throughout the park. If you have kids, bring a wagon and a blanket. Clear bag policy!! read more

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Decided to come here for my birthday celebration to rack up the steps, and boy, did I hit my goal... An easy 12k steps day! It has grown incredibly big compared to back in the day (I believe it was downtown chandler, instead of the park). There are tons of expensive carnival games, so be prepared to wait in line and spend a lot. Especially with $10 per game and $4 per ride. It was fun to also get to see Osterich up close and personal, and even a fun dog show. It's definitely great for kids, heavy on the bank, and lots of see and do. As far as the parking site... even if you get ADA parking, it will get full, and you'll just need to park in general parking and walk a bit further. They seemed a bit unorganized. Folk...get your parking paid in advance! It will go faster for everyone. Almost everyone in front of us paid on site with their credit card, which could have been done online, along with where you purchased your tickets. read more

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Parking is $10 (card only + no receipt). General admission was $58 for 2 adults (card only + receipt texted). Once in you have to load your wristband with money to buy anything. At first they were card only but half way through the day they said they can load cash on to it. There are only porta potties here. They didn't have a water pump and soap station at most, just sanitizer. Gross. :( We specifically came because "ostrich" was in the name. We found the ostriches hang out in a pen in the back. There were no educational informative presenters, no feed to provide them, no guidance either about how to interact with them. There was only one food vendor that provided ostrich. They had ostrich jerky, ostrich burgers, ostrich chili, and ostrich eggs. The guys working the booth were really nice and said they do this every year. The rest of the festival is much like the state fair, just on a smaller scale. If you're here for the ostriches like me, just go to the Ostrich Ranch in Picacho, AZ instead. I looked at the photos of previous years on Yelp, and they used to have camels (!!), ostrich races (!), an exotic animal petting zoo - amazing. They should bring the whole farm to this event and it should be animal focused and centered. Hopefully, they will bring cash back for everything and more animals in the future - here's hoping! I didn't come for live music and amusement rides, that's what the state fair is for. And no one wants the cashless system. Please Chandler Chamber of Commerce listen to your people. read more

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No bueno. Do better We are all working hard for our money and trying to make a break so that we can do our families a happy time. This is not an okay practice do better. read more

Ostrich Festival - $160 for unlimited rides-Bashas-- kids stood on line 4/2hourson.they were informed, wristbands are not valid. bait and switch beware!!! - Festivals Near Me - Chandler, Arizona

Experience was great and kids had fun. Highly recommend fast pass. As for parking, VERY disappointed that for handicap we had to pay $5 more than regular parking! read more

Nelly at the Ostrich Festival was super fun! I really have no words other than, it was nice to get out and to attend a concert after not having attended one in years!!! I can't remember the last time I stayed out so late. Being in the VIP section was also awesome as we could see Nelly up close and personal rather then needing binoculars to see him. He put on a great performance!!! He was "GREAT EYE CANDY" in person, as much as, he is on television also I'd go again if he comes next year Perfect Concert for outdoor season read more

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First time attending the Ostrich festival and had a great time. I took my toddler, so we went at opening on a Saturday, and it wasn't super packed, so it was nice to walk around and check things out. I liked that they had the kiddie carnival area, and the food vendors section was in the middle with a designated area with tables and chairs. The food vendor selection was legit with Mac and cheese, curly fries, tacos, Thai food etc. and all rhe desserts! cookies, ice cream, fried oreos! I liked that it was a cashless event and the ride tickets were all loaded on a band. Diaper bags were allowed (thank goodness!) or a clear bag. If you're going early getting a parking pass isn't required but it can save time if you go later. Definitely a fun activity for the family and will be visiting again next year! read more

To expensive, I just want to go walk around, spend time time with my wife. Now I gotta pay $ 39.00 senior price. No thank you read more

Let me start by saying that this is an absolute ripoff. We are a family of 6. Between tickets and rides we spent around $400. I could go to an actual theme park for what this cost. Each toddler ride is about 3-5 tickets. So for $20 you can do about 4 rides. Food - a small hotdog is $8, to give some perspective. They say no big purses. My purse is just a normal size, I have a little one so I need a bag to carry her stuff. I could not take it in. They told me to carry everything! Then I see people walking around with full backpacks!! This was an absolute waste of money. It is disgusting that they charge people this much. read more

God...this is one of the worst (and expensive) festivals I have ever been to. Thought we'd give it a try due to the hype of Fox 10 news. What a mistake that was. Save your money and time and go have a picnic at a nearby lake..then spending time in a dusty field with concession stands. Ugh. read more

ImWent here to see some live music on the last Sunday of the festival. That night Sublime with Rome was playing. The festival was huge and looked like a lot of fun. They had the typical fair food which was delicious but the point of the trip was the music. The band was great but the sound system was terrible. It wasn't loud enough and when the crowd got loud you couldn't hear. I'd probably go again but they should figure out the sound . read more

I should have listened to all those bad reviews. The employees were very rude and unhelpful. The price was not worth the poor service and experience. Moreover, the height chart measuring was inconsistent throughout the park, which led to confusion and disappointment. For instance, my son would be allowed to go on a ride at one point, but later, when we returned to the same ride, suddenly he was deemed too short. This lack of consistency was frustrating and made for a disappointing visit. read more

A cashless system is not what people want. I stood in line 45 minutes to get a wrist band and their system is down so i had to go to another gate to get admittance. Then i get in and i have to load my wristband with money or debit card. You have you have a funded wristband for everything. And the vendors are in a bad mood because the system doest work . People are leaving because its horrible. Too much money to park. Rude staff. They want too much information on the wristband so they probably sell it to telemarketers. Its not worth the hassle. read more

This year was a shit show. 1. Purchased Admissions online and stood in a line for 45 min waiting for doors to open and check in. Turns out they did not have the wristbands that was needed to enter. They also turned away a lot of people and said they ran out of wristbands. 2. The wrist bands needed to be synced to your debit or credit card to be used for purchases. (This was never told to us at the front for in the 45 min wait in line so I found out when I embarrassingly went to purchase food for 5 people but had to sync a wristband) 3. Once the wristbands were synced they did not work at some vendors. So some vendors electronically worked and some did not. The volunteers had no clue how to advise us on successfully syncing the wristbands. They are all Ignorant. They didn't even have anyone they answer to or a customer service area to get answers or even let them know the festival is having issues. They did not take cash or card, it was "Wristbands" only. Rides require separate wristbands. The entire process should just be Cash or card. Make it easy for people to enjoy. I'm betting a variety of individuals who are tech savvy were not able to enjoy. As a tech savvy person myself I still had a frustrating experience, since I did jump through hoops only to learn that it would work with some vendors and not others. read more

We have been going to the Ostrich Festival for years but this year will be the last. Just to get in the door with our 2 kids was almost $100.00, then another $120 for 3 turkey legs and 2 pieces of corn. $25 for weak margaritas. This used to be a nice family event but the organizers have become too greedy - these prices are highway robbery! We actually felt bad for some of the food vendors too as they were getting gouged with extra fees added to their prices. Oh, and this year's music line up was terrible - maybe promoters didn't want to fork over the money for decent groups! read more

I love the ostrich festival and come every year. EXCEPT for the carnival game section. We paid $60 to play a total of 3 games. Each dart for the balloon pop was $10!! The staff did not explain pricing very clearly so we were told our wrist bands were out of credits very quickly. I wish we got more play for less money so we could play longer. We would also be ok with it taking longer to win any prizes if it were cheaper. Very disheartening. We only spent 5 minutes on games with our $60. Will still come to the festival but will avoid the gaming section unfortunately. read more

OVERPRICED!!! OVERCROWDED!!! OVERRATED!!! Went on 2nd weekend Saturday around 2pm. Because Sunday was more expensive. × Paid online and spent $100 on entrance fee for 2 adults 1 child × They barley sold any Fast Pass wristbands that went for $90/ea. (Fast pass lines were SHORT), && Unlimited Rides wristband $50/ea. (Ginormous lines) w/ $15 games that were $5+. × $16 burgers JUST THE BURGER no drink, no sides. Nothing but a handful of eating tables. × Lines for rides were an 1hr wait for only 20 secs (Counted) × Dirty stuffed animals. Our poor panda looked like somebody's pen pal with purple ink all over ink, thought it was designed that way but no it was just filthy. (Official Dog Toy) × We were so turned off that we wasn't even thinking of going to look at the local vendors × Also, who still going to Nelly concerts!???? ONLY THING NICE WAS THE PORTA POTTIES & SEEING SYNGIN FROM 90 DAY FIANCE LMBO!! WE SPENT $350.00 FOR A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE, NEVER AGAIN!!! Just imagine how many families wanted to take their family out to a nice local event, BUT only to look because it wasn't affordable or organized. This year definitely wasn't consumer friendly!!! If could go back in time I would have taken my family to 3 other places and a dinner. read more