We all have gone to a block party here and there in our times. You haven't done a block party like a Philly one where they block off 4 blocks. This will make for some good times. Does your block party have a live band? Maybe some do, but not like this one. Does your block party have multiple food stations where you can go into a food coma? Again I'll go with maybe, but I will bet Barclay , Butcher , Alma De Cuba, Rouge, Oyster House, and so forth aren't catering to it. The food I could go on with the countless racks of ribs being layed out by different places, the burgers from Rouge or Lobster Rolls from Oyster House that was a taste of perfection. Lamb Burgers, and Underdogs doing their thing. Everyone trying to be better than the rest. I love a healthy, stuff your face with this mouthwatering dish kinda competition. Drinks you say? Every block had a section designated so you could enjoy a libation or two , or three in honor of Spring coming into full swing. I'm sure you've been to a block party with a keg or two, but this one simply blew out whatever you experienced. A great flow of people(more like an endless sea of people) becoming one giant, over fed , well hydrated, party going family. Besides the endless amounts of food to be consumed, or drinks to satisfy your thirst, ice cream to cool you down, there is more. Vendors selling house things, trinkets, cloths, you name it they sold it. A great day in the city of Brotherly Love to be enjoyed. Plus the after party to keep things going are at the bars and restaurants right at your feet. Can't wait for next years festivities and another Mojito ! read more

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I'm what you would call a festival connoisseur. This weekend alone I was at the Night Market, the Rittenhouse Row Festival AND the Italian Market Festival. I'm addicted. PROS This festival had A LOT of freebies/spin the wheel/enter this raffle/cornhole/beer pong: My friends and I came home with beach balls, hand sanitizer, tote bags, pens, a bag of hamburger rolls, a measuring cup, hand cream, Helium comedy club passes, yogurt, mints, etc. Let's just say I'm going to have to unsubscribe from a few hundred emails next week. All the fancy Rittenhouse restaurants were out-Le Bec Fin, Oyster House, Butcher and Singer, and some of the not so fancy ones-Dunkin Donuts, 500 Degrees, etc. CONS Some of the food was kind of pricey for small samples coming out of a tent (Il Pitorre, no one wants to pay $7 for 1 shrimp). Lines for alcohol were lonnngg (but hey some of the drink samples were free). I'm a big street jewelry/craft fair display person-there was a lack of that here. VERY crowded at some parts. Overall great festival, but it did conflict with the Italian Market Festival, and I am aggressive and did both (we stuck to a strict schedule), but if I had to choose I'd go for the Italian Market Festival. read more

This was a spring paradise! Oh boy! This was the winning ticket to sample Rittenhouse's tastiest food. With more than 40 restaurants and shops offering gourmet bites, and the latest fashion trends over six blocks, there was great entertainment. Few bands and DJs playing throughout the afternoon. That was a five start festival. City Festival = Scrumptious food + blasting fun City Festival = No strollers, no dogs!! Philadelphia is a FUN city, but so much fun in one day could be exhausting. There was at least there fairs happening, AT THE SAME TIME! Darn it, I wished I could be at the three festivals. And poof, a star was gone. Personally, I dont think strollers and pets should be allowed. Yes parents and pet owners have all the right to enjoy as anyone else, but do you know how hard it was to maneuver around those double strollers. Extremely difficult, and that when my second star vanished. Three sold Yelps read more

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To be perfectly honest, my expectations of the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival were very low. I pictured Night Market type scenarios where the entire event was line after line. A friend of mine had even posted about the lines on Facebook earlier in the day. While walking over I was doubting why I was even going. So the Rittenhouse Row Festival totally exceeded my expectations and then some. Sure, there were lines. However, I never encountered anything too dreadful or waited more than a few minutes for anything. The restaurants at the festival brought their A game. It was a very pork and slider heavy event, but each vendor had their own twist to these mini sandwiches. I really enjoyed the pork sandwich I tried from Lacroix. Some of the drink lines were longer than others. So I moved to the others that weren't as long. The non-food/beverage vendor booths were fun to stop at too. From the fitness vendors to arts and crafts, I was entertained the length of the closed blocks of Walnut. I'll no longer fear this festival and will embrace it next year. read more

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Hubs and I lucked out (or so we thought) that this festival was going on while we were in Philly. We LOVE a food truck rodeo and it was described as something similar to us from several locals. Like some of the other reviews, the place was absolutely packed, which I can normally appreciate, however, the trucks and vendors had to be under tents so their signs were not as visible unless you are 10 feet tall. I spent most of the time peaking in between people to try to see what it was we were passing. We were able to score some free tchotchkes which were pretty much useless after our trip, but we tasted some local brew and were able to score some coupons to some local restaurants, so that was nice. Otherwise, if it were going on again and we were in the area, we may walk through, but it wasn't anything special or something I would rush to visit again. read more

Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival - Festivals Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The festival was fun, but also PACKED. Some of the larger food/drink vendors had the forethought to cordon off areas so that people could eat and drink comfortably without being knocked into, but this also had the effect of limiting walking space and causing bigger human traffic jams. There was one point when it was literally too crowded to move at all, which was frustrating and a little bit terrifying, because that is exactly the type of situation when the villain makes his bid for world domination and the superhero has a heck of a time trying to minimize the collateral damage. But I digress. There were a lot of great vendors represented, including Premier Dentistry, Hip City Veg, and South Moon Under. It seemed primarily food-focused, where I had been expecting more crafts, jewelry, etc. The lines were all very long so we didn't have any of the food, but there were plenty of delicious smells wafting through the air. My favorite part was a display with cardboard cutouts where you could get your picture taken with Ron Burgundy, the sisters from Frozen, or another character that is slipping my mind right now. All in all it was a good experience, but definitely not the type of street fair where you can stroll and chat with friends while browsing the booths. read more

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I didn't stay here all too-too long this year, but for an event that had a focus on food, I wasn't that impressed. While I am a picky eater, I'm not over-the-top nuts when it comes to making a selection. Still, I had trouble deciding here since nothing sounded all that exciting. Some creativity or an overall theme for the food would be a good idea for the future. If there was a theme this year, I absolutely missed it. I just noticed a bunch of pork sandwiches being sold, and sometimes you just don't want a pork sandwich. Out of all the festivals I've been to in the last year or so, this ranks near the bottom. I'm a much bigger fan of the Midtown Fall Fest, South Street's Spring Festival or Bloktoberfest. read more

This was a very neat event! Walnut Street was filled with great vendors selling food, drinks, and services (like ING). My girlfriend, a number of our friends, and I managed to snag a lobster roll from Sansom Oyster House, a French hoagie & macarons from Parc, a braised pork belly roll from Square 1618, and a pulled pork sandwich & mojito from Alma de Cuba. The food was pretty amazing, but some vendors couldn't get their act together- at least two were burning some part of their food sending billows of smoke into the street- just awful. The stage and music I didn't care for too much. There was also a live dance lesson/performance that wasn't very exciting either, though it did draw a crowd. We stationed ourselves outside of Wok for their affordable beer selection and spent plenty of time there. Overall, I think this was an excellent event, but there are some things that could be improved. I would definitely go again. read more

This is a great time to be out and about in Philly. A few weekends back, the GF and I went to the South Street Festival and had a blast. So we were looking forward to the Rittenhouse Row Festival, which had even more vendors, including popular restaurants that we tend to frequent. So we started on the eastern boundary of Broad Street, and made our way west along Walnut Street. On an overcast day, there were still loads of people out to enjoy the festivities. Numerous vendors were out, including 500 degrees, which unfortunately was offering just hamburgers and cheeseburgers, no specialty burgers. Still, even Beefy the Bulldog was out on his skateboard! But in terms of our first pit stop for food, it was Stephen Starr's Butcher and Singer. Crab Cake Sandwich ($6) The crab cake itself was decent enough - crisply fried with mostly crab meat that seemed a bit encumbered by filler. The slaw offered a nice contrast, but really, the brioche was a let down. It seemed a bit stale, as if it had been out for hours. I appreciated the fact that Top Chef Kevin Sbraga was out supporting the festival. There was a sound stage, with a band, and a frontman sporting an Eagle's Jersey. There were numerous lobster rolls being offered, including one from Oyster House. Typically priced at $26 (with fries), these were comparable with Luke's Lobster's prices. Is a price reduction in the works? Even cotton candy / candy floss was on hand for festival goers. The GF and my second stop for food was at the Happy Rooster, a Rittenhouse watering hole we've never been to. So we decided to give both offerings a shot. Maine Lobster Roll ($7) Speaking of lobster rolls, the Happy Rooster offered one as well. These were mini-sized, overcooked, and chewy. Especially so soon after tasting Luke's Lobster's goodies, these were disappointing. Dry Aged Beef Slider ($4) Blue cheese, sauteed onion, morel mushroom This slider fared better. The dry aged beef shined and partnered well with the funky blue, though the morel mushrooms did not come through. Honeygrow was offering slightly healthier eats. The festival also offered banquet seating throughout - a nice break from the walking, tasting, and perusing. But on with the tasting! We stopped by Cavanaugh's, which has three locations, including the one at Rittenhouse. Think pub/tavern grub. House Baked Mac & Cheese ($5) The real reason we stopped here was for the Mac n Cheese. Unfortunately, this was was all butter and barely any cheese. The accompanying hot sauce had a nice piquancy to it, but unfortunately couldn't salvage the roux-laden mac. Pulled Chicken Sliders ($6) This duo of chicken sliders had a nice heat to them, courtesy of the house hot sauce. Decent, but something I could easily make at home. Shake Shack was offering delicious bites, no doubt. As was Vernick, though most of their skewers were sold out within about an hour or two! In fact, by the time we got there, only grilled asparagus skewers were left. By the time we got to Rittenhouse square, we realized just how much Stephen Starr has invested in Philly. In fact, at this corner, all the vendors were pretty much Stephen Starr-affiliated. But before we continued on to the food, we took a break in the center of the park and saw a familiar sight from the south South Street Festival - the Sonny Holliday Magic Show! But moving onward, we noticed a huge stage where culinary demonstrations have been going on all day. We chanced upon Barclay Prime's pastry chef, Christina Christina Diekewicz, who showed the audience how to make s'mores bars. Unfortunately, tastings weren't a part of these demonstrations, to the disappointment of quite a few viewers. Still, it was nice of Starr Restaurant's efforts to support Philabundance, through both a raffle and auction of their dining silverware. And of course, an abundance of Starr Restaurant's desserts were for sale, including macarons from Parc. Starr's The Dandelion offers British gastropub fare, so we knew we had to try the Cornish pasties. Cornish Pasties ($5) Beef short-rib These were crisply fried, without being greasy. Buttery, flaky, delicious. The innards had a nice depth of flavor, with stewed carrots, onions, and short-rib. Finally, moving north of 19th street, we chanced upon the Koru yogurt truck, which often offers samples on 16th and Market Street. Their offerings are incredibly creamy and taste like a dessert custard. For the sweet tooth's out there - this is a good bet. Overall, the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival was a success. A large number and variety of vendors offered delicious bites for Philadelphians to sample. Hopefully this will drive even more people to support the incredible food scene is offered by this great city. read more

Good festival. Why it is held on the same day at the Italian Market Festival I will never know. Maybe to burn off the calories running between the two of them? The Rittenhouse Row Festival seems to be getting better food-wise evey year. This year Steven Starr provided much of our lunch including yummy shrimp from Il Pittore, tacos from El Rey, and Macarons from Parc. We also had really good octopus from a.Kitchen. Of course all of this food is essentially dessert for me having already feasted at the Italian Market Festival an hour or so earlier. Note to festival planners: Next year if you want a really big turnout, make sure the festivals are on different days! read more