2021 PhilFest was really a must for me - recommend attending it at least once in your life,…read moreespecially since they canceled it in 2020 - felt spoiled because we live close by! $10 to park (they used a third party affiliate) to manage the incoming and outgoing traffic or walk to the event if you live in one of the close neighborhoods. I recommend saving yourself $10 easily by parking at the nearby bank with access to sidewalks! It's $5/person for the entrance fee & free for Veterans. I think there were fewer people because it had rained the previous day and was a bit chilly (this is an all outdoor event, so dress properly and warm). We didn't get to the good parts, dancing or singing, because we left early. They had +5 food vendors and others who were selling trinkets and included face painting for kids. To eat, got Lechon Fried Pork from a stall and Halo Halo from Mata's Philippine. The Lechon was a small serving for the price, def. would get a larger portion at Mata's. I am a sucker for anything fried, so of course the crispy fried skin was the highlight of the dish coupled with the flavorful pork that has Hispanic influence + Asian spices...even found a sprig of rosemary in the pork (loved the spices used in this dish). You'll learn about Jose Rizal who liberated the Filipinos from the Spanish. They have a statue of his head in honor of his sacrifices!

This event is little overrated with $10 ticket entry. Food vendors are limited and the line was…read moresuper long to order the food. Compare this festival with other festivals around Tampa Bay. This could be the worst one to attend. I would not attend this festival again even it is free.

The festival using the Philippine Cultural Foundation ground. This is the Tet festival for the…read moreVietnamese people. We were there to observe the festival. It start at morning till 9 pm. It is year of Pig. We saw the festival is in the swing. Many singer performance. We were only there for one and half hour. We did not see the final beauty pageants and other performance. The festival is free for everyone. Parking also free. Traffic was flow better than other festival hold here. Games for the kid to play. I always like the food selection. Many of the local restaurants was there. Thinh An Tofu, Thuy Cafe, Quickly Boba, Boba Cup was there. I got some duck congie, Bah bun hue, shrimp on sugar cane. Love the food.

The venue is holding at the recreation building at Indian Culture Center. This area is at the edge…read moreof Carroll wood. The vender that was display at the Spirit of Carrollwood for the service, retail, food store, restaurant, fast food, sandwich shop, event planning, catering, classes and more. The venue fill up two auditoriums. I am here for the free food. The venders I have tried are Genghis Grill, Shell, PDQ, Trace Lounge, Whole Food, Cigar City Brewing, and Anthony Coal Fired Pizza. There are more food venders and I cannot remember all of them. The PDQ is very generous that they have given everyone a strip of 3 inches chicken strip. I can smell their food when I walk into the building since they fried their chicken at the back of the building. Shell restaurant give up the clam chowder with a lot clam in a small bowl. The feature of the day is the Tace Lounge. They serve the New Orleans Cuisine. I have checked their menu and I will visit them one day since they just open not long ago. I have tried their seafood gumbo while I have waiting their main chef prepares the pan fry Cajun Catfish Slider. The slider is YUMMY that is so good that I have forgot to take a picture. The food this good cannot be wait. Please try it on their restaurant. The event includes entailment from many performance art schools. The show includes ballet, modern dance, band, and singing. Love this event and it is free.

This our NEW favorite restaurant. It is kind of cafeteria-like,but fun experience. For$10, you go…read moreup to a line and choose all your protein,or not if you are vegetarian. Then you choose from a large selection of fresh vegetables. There is then an option to choose your own spices and sauces, depending how spicy you like. They thaen ask you to add a starch, such as: udon noodles,white or fried rice,etc. They cook your meal on a huge,round stone grill with long wooden sticks. The place is very sanitary. When cooked, they serve your food to you. You can go up as many times as you want. For $4 extra charge you can get a take home meal. Not bad on the waistband either. Food is combo of Mongolian, Asian Fusion, and now BBQ. Haven't tried that yet. WE LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!

This was a nice little fiesta to embrace the Filipino culture. Growing up in a Filipino family I…read morenever really knew about the history and culture of the Philippines. At this time, I want to know more about it. The folk dances are pretty interesting to me. It is definitely something to see at least once. The the singing can be overpowering for me. You can tell they love singing and dancing how could that not make you happy. My favorite was the pageant. It is nice to see all ages dress in colorful fancy dresses. My favorite were the seeing the children. In terms of food selection, this was definitely lacking. I wish there was more. There was only about 3 options and they were all pretty similar with offerings. It was nice and low key. It was so cool to see Jonathan and Ren dance. They also are local Yelpers.

This event was a nice way to spend a Sunday with my fam and Rachel and Fern, however I can't give…read moreit more than 3 stars because I expected the food selection to be much better. Growing up in a Filipino household, this event really felt more like one of my family birthday parties, sans the pageant...all we needed was better food and a karaoke machine. The most enjoyable part of this event was the Barrio-style performances. I liked the group dancing the most. Especially since some of our own Tampa Elites, Jonathan S. and Ren C. were dancers! They really did a great job. Sadly we left this event sort of hungry and my kids wanted to eat one of grandma's sio pao (that I have a stash of in the freezer) because they wanted to get rid of the subpar sio pao they had at the party. I didn't think the sio pao was so bad myself as I've had plenty of others that didn't come close to being good. I still need to try Filipiana Cafe, however it's tough to when I'm such a critic and I see that the reviews aren't that great. I think it's fantastic that the Tampa Pilipino community comes up with events like this, so I will continue to come and support the Barrio Fiesta in upcoming years and watch its growth.

After a family vacation in Clearwater Beach, FL the photographer I hired to do a family photo shoot…read morerecommended My Favorite Art Place for my canvas collage that I wanted. Jess was great to work with and set me up with a gorgeous collage with 9 total pieces. Fast forward a few months, one of the couples in the photos break-up, my son and his long time girlfriend. So, I reached out to order a new pic in the collage. To my surprise Jess mentioned that they may be able to edit this person out of the photos. We opted to replace one of the shots with my son's Golden Retriever. The work that Jess and her team did was nothing short of a miracle! I had no idea that this was even possible. I re-ordered 4 more canvas photos and have a revised family collage! If they can do this, they can do ANYTHING! See pics below

I am a professional artist & have been enjoying the professionalism of Scott Menaul & My Favorite…read moreArt Place for several years. Scott, his wife Jerrie & their staff have helped me select appropriate framing for my paintings from their vast selection. Their many other services included digital capturing of artwork for beautiful reproductions. Their spacious facility hosts many events, such as seminars & classes, & shows. My Favorite Art Place is also a source for some spectacular artwork!

I went to visit my brother in law in Florida and came across Florida center for capoeira. Tuba was…read moreso welcoming and friendly I had a really good time. He was kind, professional, and the class itself was fun! Highly recommend this place for anyone that wants to exercise and have fun with good music and a great company! Thanks Tuba! Hope to see you again soon! I'll definitely come back on my next visit

From the owner: Capoeira is a well-rounded Brazilian art form. it is an…read morealtogether unique combination of martial arts, dance, and music. In Capoeira there are no winners or losers. Performed by two people, it is called a "Game" that is played, not fought. Join us for a fun and energetic learning experience