I've been coming to the Willow Glen Holiday lights for almost 10 years now, and it is pure…read moremagic...minus the crowds. It's amazing to see how all-out so many of the houses go, just about every single one has some sort of Christmas or Hanukkah display, light, or decoration. It's also amazing how much more crowded it gets every year. I used to drive it, but now I don't dare try. I'll typically park near one of the main streets and get out and walk. This is usually much more enjoyable since you aren't having to fight nonstop car and foot traffic. This year I went a little late in the season and even walking it wasn't all that enjoyable because of the groups of 15+ people together and the people running around doing a scavenger hunt, so lesson learned. This past year we parked a bit further and got to see some displays that I either haven't seen in the past or are newer, but it was nice to stroll the less crowded streets and still enjoy the holiday magic. Unlike in years past, there were even street dog vendors out this time around. Felt like I was leaving a concert or a sporting event!

We visited the Willow Glen Christmas lights after dinner to walk off our meal, and it quickly…read morebecame more than just a walk. What we thought would be a short stroll turned into a full holiday experience, one of those nights where Christmas feels alive. We have seen many decorated streets and cul de sacs before, but Willow Glen surprised us. Multiple neighborhoods followed shared themes, with streets labeled things like Candy Cane Lane and Santa's Sleigh and Reindeer. It felt like walking through a storybook, where each street had its own chapter. The decorations were beautiful and thoughtful. Some areas felt like a small festival, with trains, horse carriages, brews on bicycles, and families everywhere enjoying the moment. Vendors selling churros, hot chocolate, hot dogs, and light up toys added to the fun. These streets truly embody Christmas, warm, joyful, and full of wonder. The highlight of the night was meeting Mrs. Santa Claus of Willow Glen. She was kind, welcoming, and full of heart. She hosted the churro truck and clearly gives so much back to the community. She felt like the soul of the neighborhood, a reminder that Christmas magic often comes from people, not just lights. Bring your family and friends and take your time walking around, or enjoy it from your car. There is so much to see and feel here. This is the kind of place that turns a simple evening into a memory, and it will definitely be an annual Christmas tradition for us.

It was a BIG event with many vendors and food trucks. People seemed happy and most tables had many…read morecustomers so I assume the merchandise was good. For a middle aged, Middle Eastern. Woman like me, I felt out of place... Really out of place. The little things they were selling didn't have any meaning for me, the thousands of stickers left me wondering: what did I miss!!! So I would say the even was great for younger people who are knowledgeable of Asian anime industry. After all, it was a lovely stroll followed by a dinner on Murphy Street.

nice event wine festival and musical performances…read moreEnjoyed a lot with friends and colleagues

Took my niece and nephew here and my nephew kept screaming "best day ever" while running around, so…read moreI'd say this place is a resounding success! We went at around 9 pm on July 4th and there was still a lot of people but not enough to dampen the experience thankfully. Tickets are easy to grab online and there is ample parking available because it's in the great mall. When we first walked in we were greeted with lots and lots of foam. Foam in the air like its snowing, and foam on the ground. My nephew was so excited and kept running through it excitedly which was cute. We were also told the last show of the day was about to start so we luckily caught it. Loved watching all 3 performers - aerial, juggling, and hoops. From there we just walked around and saw as much as we could. The little rooms they have with different decorations and aesthetics are great for pictures and selfies. There are so many good photo ops that I basically spent an hour being the munchkins personal photographer :) was a great time

Saw this event on my feed on Facebook and brought my daughters over. They both absolutely love it!…read more There is so much magic on this exhibit! It was just beautiful! It is so fun to see them laughing and skipping and jumping around. It really melts my heart. Yeah. Lots of photo ops for all of us. The exhibit also had a small acrobatic performance and a show that a transformer changed into the robot from the car. This was not communicated. We figured out when it was too late. Wish these timeline were either on their website for informed when people checked in. The flowers are beautiful to look at but it had the plastic smell. Also there are some rooms that we just can't breathe with so much chemicals..: hence one star off

Great summer food option at Great America! We were very lucky that we got to come here when our day…read moreunder the sun with rollercoasters and the water park coincided with Taste of Orleans. Since everything here looked way more delicious than the regular food park (and we confirmed they're much better!), here's my review of each offering. We paid to get a badge with little tabs that you rip off for each dish that you take. They're small bites, and the nice thing is that between the 3 of us, we got to share and sample each dish. These were what they offered at each lettered station: A) Chicken & Sausage Gumbo over rice A) Cajun Brownie B) Crawfish Fritters with Creole dipping sauce B) Muffuletta Slider C) Fried Oyster Po' Boy C) Boudin Sausage with Peppers D) Creole Shrimp and Crab Cheesecake D) Crawfish Boil E) Blackened Chicken Pizza E) Peach Cobbler F) Beignets F) Praline Bread Pudding These were some standouts: 1) Boudin Sausage with peppers--this was the first one I ate, soooooo good! It consisted of sausage stuffed with rice and peppers. Wish there was more sausage. 2) Cajun brownie--it looked like an ordinary though tasty brownie. Once you bite into it, you realize there's a spicy kick! 3) Crawfish Fritters with Creole dipping sauce--fritters were small, and they give you waaayyyy too much sauce, more than you need. 4) Muffuletta sliders--I took a bite, sliders aren't my thing 5) Fried Oyster Po'Boy--not a whole lot of oysters, to be honest. I would have liked more of them. 6) Gumbo--nice and hearty 7) Creole shrimp and crab cheesecake--one of my faves! It's a savory cheesecake, very unique! Save the creole sauce from the crawfish fritters (if you get them), because the dipping sauce goes so well with this cheesecake! 8) Blackened chicken pizza--mmm, good pizza! It was funny to receive this and marvel over how much better than looked compared to the basic pizzas that were being served to those getting standard food 9) Peach Cobbler--it was fantastic to see my boyfriend enjoying this. So nice and sweet! 10) Beignets--sweet, with an explosion of powdered sugar everywhere. I looked like a cocaine addict Great America should definitely do more of these food events!

The Taste Of Orleans Festival premiered at California's Great America for the first time this year…read moreand I must say that I was very impressed. This seems to be the new thing with various amusement parks having food and wine festivals and I think it's a great idea because it allows the guests to try different foods and beverages outside of the normal amusement park fare. The festival took place in the Orleans Square section of the park and this are was really brought to life with various New Orleans style decorations, the huge Taste Of Orleans billboard/postcard and of course the zydeco music blasting throughout the area. This festival was held for two week on weekends only from 12-10. They had various creole/cajun food items that were available during this festival such as shrimp po'boys, Muffulettas, beignets, Crawfish Étouffée and so on. You could purchase the items seperately or purchase the tasting card. The tasting card listed 6 items to sample for $25 they included the beignets, creole meatballs, bourbon grilled chicken wings, Crawfish Étouffée, chicken and andouille gumbo and red beans & rice. I tried everything on the tasting card except the red beans & rice and I must say that I was really impressed with the food. The portion size was very generous and 2 people could probably split the tasting card and get full. The bourbon grilled chicken wings were really good they had a sweet and spicy flavor and were cooked to perfection. The creole meatballs came with three huge meatballs that were tender and not overcooked and topped with this unique sweet sauce (probably my favorite item). The crawfish etouffee was very good, it was my first time trying it and I was not disappointed. It was very spicy and full of flavor and served over rice. The gumbo I was skeptical to try because I don't eat gumbo, actually haven't had it in over 10 years but it was pretty good it had nice chunks of chicken and spicy andouille sausage but I wish it was served with rice or at least a piece of french bread. And lastly the beignets, these I was not too impressed with because I felt they were too heavy and tasted too much like a donut. I've had real beignets and while these were a step in the right direction they didn't really make the mark for me. I wanted to try the special bananas foster funnel cake but was too full. They also had a beer & wine tasting room and you could purchase a tasting card for that as well and from what I was told the pourings were very generous as well. Aside from the food there was lots to see and lots of entertainment throughout the area. There were two stages where a couple different bands played the traditional Zydeco music and they were good bands might I add. It really added to the festival and it was nice to see everyone dancing and enjoying themselves. There were about 6-7 artists making chalk art and it was amazing, they endured that heat and messed up concrete to draw this lovely artwork. Then every hour or so there was another band and singer that had the little second line thing going on, they would come from the middle of the park playing music all the way to Orleans Place. All of the staff working the festival had their nice Mardi Gras colors and outfits on, the girls on stilts were a hit with everybody. They would be dancing and throwing beads to the crowds of people while the band played. Then to end the night after the festival they had Cajun themed fireworks, these were by far the best fireworks I've ever seen at Great America although they were a bit on the short side. I see they have taken a page out of Disneyland's book because this was just amazing, when it starts all of the lights go out and the Zydeco music starts playing but the fireworks are timed to the music. They had fireworks and fire shooting from the buildings and everything. They really outdid themselves and I was very impressed. I absolutely loved the festival and was told that it will be back next year but bigger and better and I think it's definitely work checking out!

First time here. There is paid parking $15-20. Place was pretty busy during my visit. Quite a few…read morevendors, saw art but didnt really see where the wine stalls were.

Went for a run at Central Park this past weekend and ended up staying a while to appreciate the…read morescenery and entertainment at the Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival, which included live music, games for kids, art and merchandise booths, and beer and wine for sale. Everyone was in good spirits, a carefree and joyous atmosphere. Not to mention the good eats being offered in the Food Alley, much of it being run by high schoolers. After working up an appetite, I grabbed a funnel cake at the event, but it wasn't like your typical fair food offerings. These funnel cakes were mini-sized, covered in cocoa powdered sugar (optional), and cost only three bucks. Nothing too fancy and not the best quality, but good enough for a snack. Didn't stay long, but I had a good time soaking up the sun and enjoying the musical performances on stage even though the sound quality wasn't ideal. By the way, I don't think the on-site parking is worth the $10 fee. Skip it and park in the neighborhood for free (if you don't mind walking).

There was no parking at or near the festival, but it was a nice day for a walk (and my running day)…read moreanyway, so I was fine with this. They accepted both cash and credit cards for the $5 admission fee at the entrance. Taking place at the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, there was plenty of outdoor space for food, drink, and merchandise vendor booths. So many delicious bites sold throughout, from grilled meats to classic greek desserts, I was overwhelmed with choices, but having too much good stuff to choose from is not a bad thing. I ended up grabbing a few delectable specialty dishes, including some to take home, like tiropita, spanakopita, pastitsio, and moussaka. That greek lasagna was especially yummy! Greek beer and wine, and cocktails, as well as frappes/coffee, were available on site too. Church tours were scheduled throughout the day, and of course live entertainment. Music and dance performances full of energy and smiles, embracing the culture, and keeping the crowd in good spirits with lovely sounds. This included live music by Mythos, with open public dancing. A unique song selection played, beyond just classic fast-paced greek tunes. Think a mashup of greek melodies and Wipe Out, yup those musicians definitely kept it interesting. I was captivated by the footwork as guests engaged in chain dancing in front of the stage. The mayor of San Jose joining in the fun as well, putting on his best moves on the dance floor. Also, a greek dance performance by Ethnos on Sunday afternoon (and multiple times throughout the 3-day event), a group of middle school kids dressed in costume showcasing their talents for the crowd. There were plenty of tables and seating throughout, including an air-conditioned indoor hall, and even the entire entertainment stage area outside was shaded for the comfort of guests. Wow, amazing! The festival was organized incredibly well, and a detailed event program and map was available online, which was ideal for attendees to plan ahead of time while learning a little bit of history about the food, traditions, and more. A joyful atmosphere and great sense of community, altogether.

This was a fun Sunday activity to do with friends :)…read more The vendor options are plentiful, and I love that they have multiple booths of the same vendor type (meats, mezze, drinks, dessert, etc.) so you don't have to wait in a long line for one thing. We tried lots of items - lamb chops, saganaki, greek wine, gyro, dips, Souvlaki, desserts. The food is really good. My favorites were the Saganaki, Baklava ice cream, and the Souvlaki. Everything is grilled fresh and the proteins are so juicy and flavorful! $5 for entree and then you have to spend more money on food and the prices are on the expensive side, but fair. The festival is well organized and the free parking is nice too :)

Cute event and opportunity to launch water lanterns and reflect. Check in is smooth and there are a…read moregood number of food vendors for the event. Things that can be improved are: More guidance towards timing of when to decorate your lantern and a provided template. They bring people on stage to share, but maybe there should be an anonymous reading as well. I personally think the event is better in fall because the crowds in summer were too noisy for the performances and meditation. Bring your own picnic blanket and water!

This was my first year to attend. There were so many people that I must have been the only one…read morethat didn't know about this event before!! We got there later in the evening and the place was packed, couldn't find a place to park and had to walk a bit of a distance. We found the place to check in and got a small package with everything we needed to make our water lantern. All the grassy areas were full, so we found a place to sit and draw on the embankment in front of the fence that lines the water. We loved the games that were in the kit, my partner was called as he was a winner of the scavenger hunt! We joined everyone to put our lantern into the water. We were one of the first. When we returned to our vantage point, we could view a current of people and lights heading to the water, melodic music was playing in the background, and the beauty of the night sky created the perfect setting. It was a lovely event for couples, families, friends and groups to enjoy a delightful evening in a very large community. Things to note: ~Get there early for easy parking and a good seat on the grass ~Bring a blanket to sit on ~Bring extra markers as they only give you one color in your kit ~Meet your neighbors and enter the scavenger hunt! You may win a fun prize

Finally decided to attend Enchant with some friends. For the price, it was mediocre especially when…read moreyou add on parking and any snacks/ ice skating/treats. We've attended some other holiday light events and this was probably the least exciting and most expensive of them all. The parking attendants were not very friendly nor were they directing traffic very well. One told me to keep pulling forward and not block the crosswalk until I was almost touching the car in front of me and then when that car moved one person said keep going and the other said stop. Very disorganized. The maze was a cute idea and finding the different statues was fun. If you complete the maze or scratch off all the boxes you get one piece of chocolate at the end. The lights were ok, they're all white and gold so nothing too exciting. Colored lights with move able statues were better at previous light/lantern events we've been to. It was crowded and if you wanted any pictures you had to wait in line. If you want to buy drinks go to one in the back, the one in front was so slow just to make a hot cider. Ice skating is extra and it's a small rink. The market is cute with different local vendors but paying to go inside to shop is not an ideal place to have a Christmas market. This was definitely a once and done kind of event. Luckily it was close by and I didn't drive far to attend.

I've been seeing so many ads for Enchant on Facebook and we saw the display last year but didn't…read moreget to go. This year I checked it out and told my husband we should go this year. The pictures looked so cool. The prices of admission are pretty expensive but we figured we would just try it. The parking was kind of insane. If you wanted to get a close parking space, you could've paid online for $60 for a VIP kind of stall. Not sure how far the parking was from the exhibit but it was a totally different entrance. There weren't any signs for parking for those non VIP people so all of us went down that one street. There was one guy out there telling us to turn around and go down to the next street to the next lot. Parking in that lot was still $35 which was insane. And you had to pay to a person as soon as you entered. $35 wasn't even that close to the exhibit but it was way better than paying $60 for parking. Along the way there were a lot of vendors selling all kinds of street foods so it made it a quick walk because we were observing and smelling all the yummy treats. Enchant is in the PayPal arena when the Quakes soccer team plays. It was nicely decorated and the whole arena was decorated in a whole wintry theme. They had bars and snack items and they even had a skating rink. My daughter wanted to go skating but I just couldn't. I don't think the enchant ticket covers the expense of the skating. I think it's an extra fee. Soon we reach the exhibit. It's beautiful inside. The lights and colors make it so magical. They hand out these scratch cards. If you want to participate, you have to locate all the winter animals listed on the card. Once you find them, you scratch off that portion of the card. We had fun taking pictures and doing our scavenger hunt for the animals. It was a great time. It was kind of pricey but it was definitely a memorable experience for all of us.

Review for the 2025 version. Compared to christmas in the park's version of the drive thru lights,…read morethis was 100x better. Well organized with signs directing you where to go. The lights were much longer to drive thru so it just felt more worth it to check out. Compared to previous years, it looks like there are some newer sections. Always a classic

Although we have been to this park numerous times, it took having a three year old spirited kid to…read moreget us to plan a visit. This light show requires purchasing tickets online and choosing a date and time slot so this is not for the spontaneous! The confirmation email was very clear about instructions, how to arrive, etc. And yet, we still saw several cars with headlights on (you turn them off after driving in). We picked the first time slot of 6 pm so there wasn't any traffic and all the staff make it very easy and clear to enter safely. It took us about 30 minutes to drive through all the light displays and it was magical. There are themed neighborhoods of lights like elves, north pole animals, dinosaurs, garden flowers, and several beautiful arches of lights. It was nice to see so many families with young adults enjoy it, so I think it is for all ages. If the weather isn't bad, you can have your kids stick them selves out of moon roof and windows. There are open restrooms at entrance and at the end. Very family friendly and affordable ($30 per vehicle). Cozy pajamas and blankets optional!

This was a really nice event, much better than I expected. What more can I say?…read more Kim said it all.

***************************** 1369 ***************************…read more Bite Silicon Valley, Day 1, How Can We Shape The Future of Food, Health, and Technology to help our Growing Population, End Food Waste, Create Affordable Food for All, and GMOs Debate Conference, at Levi's® Stadium. The Bite Silicon Valley, the nation's first-ever FESTIVAL exploring the intersection of food + tech, at Levi's® Stadium June 5-7, 2015 has come to a close, marking the very first year of the best and the brightest in the worlds of culinary, chefs, innovators, pioneers, winemakers, and tech all got together in the heart of Silicon Valley. With over 60 chefs, 30 wineries, 20 speakers, and all for great cause, Bite SV Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties and the 49ers Foundation. Unlike other Food & Wine Festivals in Las Vegas, South Beach or Aspen, where celebrity sightings, fancy dinners, after-parties, and happy hours sponsored by many luxurious high end brands; Bite has been a successful food + wine + tech + innovation festival, like no other, where ideas, issues, awareness, and solutions were raised and together we will make this world a better place. I was humbled and truly honored to attend Bite SV and joined favorite chefs and Bite Silicon Valley to make a difference in our community. Day 1 with chefs: Jose Andres, Michael Chiarello, Roy Choy, Kerry Diamond, Editor in Chief, Yahoo Food., Dorothy Cann Hamilton CEO of International Culinary Institute, Hampton Creek, Josh Tetrick, CEO/Founder, Dr. Robert Fraley, EVP and CTO of Monsato, food waste activist Jordan Figueiredo, and more. It was an amazing day 1 of the festival. Bite Silicon Valley, Day 2 & 3, Grand Tasting, Cooking Demonstrations, Seminars, Plant Based Food, Clean Energy, and Wine Industry, at Levi's® Stadium. There was different chefs on each day, but you can always check the website, so you can meet your favorite celeb chefs and chat with them - Chefs: Roy Choi (LA), Jose Andres (ThinkFoodGroup, Bazaar Meat, e, Jaleo), Michael Voltaggio (Top CHef alum, Ink LA), Michael Mina, Peter Armellino (Pumed Horse), Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn), Dmitry Elperin (Village Pub), Richie Farina (chicago), Yu Min Lin (The Sea by Alexander's Steakhouse), Louis Maldonaldo (Top Chef Alum, and Spoonbar), Charles Phan (Slanted door), Parke Ulrich (waterBar) just to name a few. There was so much food and wines flowing all weekend long. There was NEVER a line to anything. This is probably 1 of my favorite food and wine festival of all, because of the imitative and goal to end food waste, how to feed the 9 billions people on this earth by the year 2050, fight GMO, and better way to end world hunger. No food went wasted this inauguration Bite Silicon Valley because company Feed Forward took the food and passed on the less fortunate each day. They were able to feed more than 500 homeless and low income families on each day of the festival. This is not only a festival but it's for a greater cause. BITE Silicon Valley is pleased to support two outstanding organizations: Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties (SHFB) is the trusted leader dedicated to ending local hunger in Silicon Valley. Since its inception in 1974, SHFB has become one of the largest food banks in the nation, and could literally fill Levi's Stadium three times over with the number of people that it serves every month. Second Harvest provides the equivalent of one million meals every week of the year. Through a network of more than 330 non-profit agencies, SHFB distributes healthy food to one out of every ten local residents. More than 90% of the food distributed is highly nutritious, and over half is fresh produce. The 49ers Foundation mission is to 'Keep Kids Safe, on Track and in School.' The Denise DeBartolo York Education Center, located inside The 49ers Museum at Levi's Stadium, provides learning platforms that connect, inspire, and engage students in grades K-8. The curriculum will feature content-rich lessons in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), ingrain invaluable life skills and encourage physical activity. Your $150 for the grand tasting is money well spent. Because you make a different in your community! P.S. Parking is FREE, the volunteers and staffs were amazing the whole 3 days of the festival.