We hadn't been to a festival in many years, so we decided to check this out. Everything from…read moreparking to ticket sales was very organized. Port o johns were relatively clean and never a massive line to get a stall. The festival was packed! Sooo many people. Lots of vendors set up selling everything from trinkits to roofing shingles... Honeslty, alot of junk. We did however find one vendor selling wine slushie bags, which we grabbed. The food... Well, lets just say its all a crapshoot. We split an order of clamcakes and chowder from the Kenyons booth. Clamcakes were delicious, chowder was lousy, tasting just like canned snows chowder. We then split an order of fried clams from J&J's and the clams were a great size, tasted fresh but I didnt care for the flavor of the batter that they used. Next we moved on to lobster rolls from The Breachway Grill. Eh. They were just OK at best, lobster meat was very wet and it was served on a massive amount of bread. I had several pieces of shell in mine (in fact one piece jabbed my gum and it hurts like hell today). Basically out of all the vendors we tried, I would never look to go to their restaurants. There were not enough places for people to sit and eat and then you have the ignorant people just sitting and chatting at their tables with no food or drink just taking up space while you are standing next to them trying to juggle your meals and beverage and they give zero F's. All in all, I am a sit down dinner type of girl, this type of event is not for me or my husband. Glad we checked it out, but won't ever return.

Five stars for the organization of this massive event! Kudos to all that were involved in pulling…read moreit together and making it run so smoothly. For the event itself. We have no children, and rides aren't our thing at all. So we came for the food and the vendors. The live music was nice to hear while walking around as well. The vendors were primarily trinkets and home improvement stalls. I don't need any junk and I rent... So there goes 99% of all the vendors. We did find a company from Ohio that sold wine slushee mixes and picked up a bag to go (I wish they sold some to drink at the event). The food vendors were plentiful; pretty much anything you could want to try was there. We tried to stick to Rhode Island seafood, since we were at the Rhode Island Seafood Festival after all... Kenyons was there, they make the best mix for Johnny cakes. Their clam cakes were probably the best I have ever had; however their chowder was probably the worst I had ever had... My wife went to J&J's for some fried clams. I personally am not a fan of clam bellies, so I wasn't too excited about this stop. Lastly we went to Breachway Grill for lobster rolls. As usual I got the hot and my wife got the cold. I personally enjoyed both of them. Especially the cold, which I am normally not a fan of. I loved the toasted rolls, but they were a little on the thick side. Not being a fan of crowds, I can't say that I really enjoyed myself at the festival. For the amount spent to get in and try a few bits of food (which a fair amount ends up in the trash), I would have much rather have gone to a really nice restaurant and truly enjoyed my meal. Probably will not be in a jury to go back to this event in the future.

A very Rhode island…read morefestival Johnny Cakes have been around for a while, in fact most historians say they have been around in one form or another for centuries. Even though many places on the east coast have Johnny Cakes, Rhode island is traditionally given as the place where they originated or at least became popular. So what better place than Rhode Island to have a Johnny Cake Festival Just fried corn meal with some salt, hot water and perhaps some sugar, it is amazing how many different types have showed up. Lots of subtle differences and of course everyone claims theirs are the best. Actually the festival was a lot more than just Johnny Cakes and in the whole festival I only saw one vendor actually selling Johnny Cakes. The lines were so long that we didn't even bother and stuck with the lobster rolls, clam chowdah, clam cakes and kettle corn. So much food around that there was no way you were going hungry even without the Johnny Cakes. Some cool critters like sheep, goats and alpacas were around and lots of skillful artists spinning, carving, wefting, blacksmithing, weaving, and painting. A whole bunch of very talented and fascinating folks still knowledgeable about some anachronistic arts. Some great music and several environmental groups were around to entertain and of course lots of traditional and cool food and crafts. The location was lovely with a pleasant pond and several canals and waterfalls. The parking wasn't bad because they wasn't any. Everyone parked at the old fairground three miles away and were shuttled in by old school buses. Actually made it less chaotic. A cool festival and place to learn about New England arts, crafts, history and of course food. It was kind of curious that there weren't more Johnny Cakes. This review is dedicated to Cathy S.and Shiro. I wish they could have been there with us.

As a non-native Rhode Islander I was definitely impressed with this past weekend's Johnny Cake…read moreFestival. It was great to sample some food & wares that aren't available in my part of RI. Lots of cool & eclectic vendors mostly skewered towards the uniquness of the Ocean State. Lots of food & Johnny Cakes too but I didn't have any. Two of my local favorites had a presence there: Grey Sail & Dave's Coffee. There was also live music. I got to sample some pumpkin flavored whiskey from Sons of Libtery that made me want more. I'd drink whiskey but my wife says I turn into a different person so I'll wait for them to release their Dave's Coffee syrup flavored vodka! The only drawback is that transportation to get to the actual festival. Even though you have to take a cramped school bus to get there it's definitely worth & I'll be taking my family for years to come.

I love festival fete!!! So much fun as a customer or a vendor! Can't wait until the next festivals!!read more

So this is a spot that I was asked to come to to meet and decorate cars for a birthday parade for a…read morelittle girl. Her grandmother had put something on Facebook asking people if they would join the parade because their family is from other states. So I was happy to do it. Next week is my grandson's birthday parade and I know that he will have a lot of friends and family in the parade so it really hit home. I can't imagine being in this pandemic away from family almost completely. I have family in different parts of the country and some that I haven't seen in over a year and it's very hard so I was sympathetic. But this is also the place that has the Portuguese festival in August which is wonderful. They have a carnival with rides and games. Portuguese food that is homemade is served and it is wonderful. They also sell drinks and beer and have entertainment. Parking for the feast can be kind of tricky but there are back roads here that you can go and park on and walk down. They also have the traditional parade down Main Street and it's just a very nice old fashion traditional religious feast. Of course this past summer we did not attend because of the pandemic there was no feast. It was really disappointing but there were still people out with their Portuguese flags in front of their homes. They had their homes decorated and they really did their best to keep the spirit of the feast. I hope that we will be able to celebrate with them next year.

West Warwick boasts a large Portuguese community, with several social clubs. Over Labor Day…read moreWeekend, they hold a four-day extravaganza, led by the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society. I've heard or read many different names for this celebration - which includes a feast, carnival, concerts and parades - but for the sake of brevity, many locals simply call it the "Portuguese Lala" (I'm not Portuguese, so I have no idea what that means). The focal point of activity is the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society's complex, which, beginning Friday, Aug. 31, was the site of carnival rides, concerts and food concessions. Admission to the festival grounds and concert was free and open to the general public. On Saturday, my wife and I saw Dirty Deeds, an AC/DC tribute band, and they were awesome, both looking and sounding like the original band. My wife remarked that it was entertaining to see people of our generation acting like they were in their early 20s again. In order to buy food or beer, you purchase tickets, and then redeem them. Sunday's events included a parade (procession) in the morning, followed by an auction later in the day, and the Parade of Lights at night, with participants throwing candy from floats. My family watched the parade on East Main Street, near Providence Street, as Town Councilman Jay Messier recorded the event and pumped up the crowd. We later watched fireworks from a parking lot near the town's public works garage. All in all, it's a lot of entertainment for little or no money, and also an opportunity to sample some Portuguese food.

I think the lesson learned here is: go early. Jamie and I trailed our way down to Wareham to…read morepartake in the quintessential "fall in New England" experience that is a cranberry festival. Unfortunately, arriving at just before 3:30PM is far too late to enjoy nearly any part of what A.D. Makepeace put together for the 2016 Cranberry Harvest Celebration. Admission was $10 a piece for adults, with the option to pay either with cash or debit/credit card. With no map or guide to show you what to do or where to go, you may end up wandering around quite awhile. Upon entrance, we happened to see a sign that said "last bus to the bog 3:30". Since we weren't quite sure what else was going on, we walked briskly to the bus location, hopped on, and took a short ride to the bogs. The scenery upon arrival was exactly what you'd picture: a flooded bog with cranberries floating aloft, fall colors highlighting the trees, people in waders running their hands through this year's harvest. I saw several festival-goers in said waders, tromping through a sectioned off part of the bog, and got super excited. Could this be my next profile photo?? (trying to be hip, here). We disembarked the school bus and were abruptly greeted with a sign, pricing activities. The cost of a stereotypical "basic" girl's new FB photo? $25 per person. Groups of 4 or more get in for $90, which I guess is a nod towards families. Outrageous. You're provided with waders; for $25 you get to play in bog water and snap your own photos on your iPhone. We decided to skip it, which ended up being a moot point, as they stopped this activity at 3:30PM. If they decided to offer this for $10, I think that'd be a fair price. You'd have a line the entire time. We walked around, snapping photos of the bog, before spotting a couple of food stands and treating ourselves to $3 corn dogs. Everything appeared to be packing up. I stopped by a beer stand (which had been giving out free samples), only to be told they were out of cups, and then, that they were no longer giving samples as it was after their cut off time. We did get to enjoy one fun activity: bog in a cup! Ocean Spray provides a little hands-on experience for festival goers to start their own cranberry bog (in a plastic cup), which they get to take home. It was a cute, somewhat kitschy doing, but at least we got to participate in something. Since everything was shuttering its doors out on the bogs, we got in line to head back to the main festival, hoping there would still be things to do and see there. Nope. Once again, everything was closing down: food vendors, crafts booths, historical/educational opportunities, recreational activities. This was around 4:15PM or thereabouts. Apparently, according to their FB site, the event is done around 4PM. If we arrived at a few minutes before 3:30, don't you think someone would mention that they're wrapping things up? I drowned my disappointment in a sticky, chewy caramel apple, and we walked down the road back to the truck. I'm sure that, had we gone at 10:00AM when the gates were opened, we would have been inundated with a surging crowd of New Englanders, all jockeying to get the best position to watch a bog's harvest, or queuing up to pick through cranberries, or any number of other fun, interesting, and educational activities that were offered here. So, the moral of the story is: go early, enjoy all the offerings, but expect crowds (apparently, "tens of thousands of people" descended upon Tihonet Pond this weekend).

When we made plans to do a week in New England, this was the main thing we wanted to do (besides…read moreeat lots of seafood). The festival is so well organized with tons of volunteers & helpers to guide you around. They have buses to take folks from the parking lot to the entrance, and buses to take you out to the cranberry bogs. Everything runs timely & smoothly. There were lots of vendors giving out samples & tastes, so that everyone who wants some freebies can get some. They also have food trucks, crafts, baked goods, and more booths than we could visit. We donned waders & got in the cranberry bog. It costs $25, but I figure how many chances will I ever have to be in a cranberry bog?! It's a weird sensation & you can feel the vines under your feet. Warning: if you do the bog, be careful of your footing. It's slippery & we saw three people fall over so that their waders filled with water. But it's still quite a sensation & a unique photo op. Tip: get the lobster rolls & chips-- a tasty lunch & a pretty good deal! Friendly staff makes this festival all the more fun.

It's that time of year and the fair is in town within 30 minutes it's about to open Gates top down…read moreand what a man best time of the year oh yeah

I am writing to talk about their Spring Food Festival. I am…read morewriting to tell you to go, even though it is over, and you'll have to wait until next year. This year's festival was 5/12-14, "A Taste of Greece." I am writing to say that the lamb was succulent, the gyro perfect, the baklava just the right touch of honey and crisp, the spanikopita generous, the avgolemono soup ("Greek penicillin") just the thing I needed to help conquer my stomach flu. The dessert selection huge. The little Greek ladies strong and proud. They even had a take-out window for those who wouldn't have time to eat in. It's a great cause, not a new idea, but a wonderful one, nonetheless. This area doesn't have so many Greek restaurants, but it is wonderful to have a festival like this to enrich the cultural expanse of the area and to introduce folks to Greek food -- not just Greek food but wonderful Greek food -- and double as a fundraiser for the local Greek orthodox community, who I can only imagine as similarly vibrant. I will be back next year! And I will bring friends!

Yesterday the Spring 2012 Festival Started. The Shrimp Scampi Santorini was delicious served with…read moreGreek-Style Green Beans... I'm going back to have more from their menu before the festival ends this Friday!

Pros: cute animals, nice little general store, a few friendly staff, feed for animals, a few ride…read moreon toys , trikes and slides, little train,House for future santa visit, yummy things to buy. Cons: muddy area where ride on toys are, not cleaned off after rain, big sign saying kids shouldn't run or yell?? (Kids do that if they are small and having fun!) general store had overwhelming cigarette smell when you walk in when we were expecting cookie or donut scents. No one manning train or not running? I'm sure in spring through fall it's better but December you need to bundle up! Wear boots or old shoes for mud. We will try maybe again in spring and hopefully the smoky smell issue will be resolved because that is inappropriate for the public and a turn off.

Visited after snow fall the curates went out of his way to make sure we met all the animals even…read morecalling the emu out into the cold for us he was a gentleman waiting for us to finish oohing and awwing. all and all a great wholesome visit for the grandkids can not recommend festival farm enough

Small festival with several vendors, food trucks and live music…read more The highlight of the festival is placing your personalized water lantern on the water and see it drift away with hundred of other ones. Each one has something personal about love, peace, family, friendship, a lost soul, etc. We loved the peacefulness of the event and the vibe of all around. It's a nice relaxing way to spend the summer solstice.

What a beautiful water lantern festival! My first time participating, and I love the event guide…read morethey provided beforehand. One thing I didn't anticipate was that all parking lots were full, so we had to park on the street. I'd definitely suggest everyone brings a blanket or lawn chairs. Very limited benches to sit on. The event was very well organized, since they do this all over the country. One thing I wish they had was a clearer check-in table signage. I roughly followed the map, but wish it had a better signage indication. Looking forward to returning next year!