Had a great time at the 2026 Strawberry Festival despite the hot weather. For the first time we…read morebrought something to sit on, but I felt it may have limited our movement around the festival. We got there early even though the event started at 10am. Tickets were viewed on our devices and hands stamped with a red strawberry. I noticed they were still selling tickets at the admissions tent. A line had been created to enter the festival, and they allowed us in at 9:55am. Music, Food, Vendors, and all things Strawberry. I missed out on the Strawberry Shortcake this year - the line was very long, and I didn't want to wait. I'll have to catch it another time. I tried OG Tacos at the PhoWheels tent. It is listed as Vietnamese style tacos with one of 3 protein selections topped with cilantro, pickled carrots and daikon, siracha lime mayo and placed in a roti canai (Malaysian flatbread). The protein I selected was chicken thigh. I wanted to include an add-on per what was shown on their standing menu board, but they shared add-ons were not available. There was another item unavailable which I discovered on a later visit but that didn't stop me as these tacos were so delicious (it comes with two). I would go to their restaurant just to get it again. I also got their Thai Tea (also good). Others with us tried a different food tent that served Ghanaian food at Kuk's Tribute Cuisine tent. One got Jollof Rice Platter with Baked Chicken Leg Quarter, fried plantains, sauteed veggies, and tomato stew and enjoyed their dish, while another got Fried Rice Platter with Baked Chicken Leg Quarter and fried plantains only, but didn't enjoy their dish due to an aftertaste. Food vendors this year (that I saw) included: Amano Real Fruit; Black Horse Kettle Corn; Churros Inc; Dalat Deli; Halal Cousins Shawarma; Kuk's Tribute Cuisine; PhoWheels; Rice Around the World (they seemed to be the only tent that had no sign as to who they were); Rustic Route Coffee; San Valentino Pizza; Taco Dirty To Me; The Crepe Shoppe. There were also a Beer Garden and a Cocktail Garden as well. Music-wise there were dance performances and musicians playing on a stage. One of the highlights on the Main Stage was the Miyako Taiko drummers. It was cool to see them playing in rhythm. This event had something for everyone at this year's festival - you just had to be there. I'm glad the ground had lots of trees to shade us from the sun, and picnic tables were available if you knew where to look for them. Parking was at 3 spots this year including the high school across the street from the festival, and the others were down the street at the elementary school and a church across from it. Since those 2 satellite lots were not really within walking distance, they provided a shuttle to bus those patrons to and from the event and also offered them a $1 coupon off the Strawberry Shortcake (a bonus). It rained lightly for a very short time, but I saw it as a way of cooling down the heat in the air (somewhat). Overall, there was a great turnout again. I did not visit all the vendors this year, which was a first for me at this festival, but I still had fun throughout the time I attended it.

What a fun and deeply meaningful festival! Whether you are looking to attain more literacy in…read moreUkrainian culture or to connect with what you already know, this event offers that! There are musical and dance performances -- with the singers, dancers, and presenters being decked out in Ukrainian-style clothes -- savoury and sweet foods, and vendors selling clothing, paintings, and all kinds of arts and little souvenirs ... not to mention an indoor exhibit about the war and several areas for photo-taking with beautifully arranged fabrics, flowers, wheat, and other traditional Ukrainian garments and objects. Not only that, but everyone is friendly and caring, making for a real community feel. I went all three days! It was not boring for one second. It's also a nice open space in which to walk around, to wander and browse, see cute kids and dogs, and sit at a blue tablecloth-covered table and eat while gazing at the fresh yellow flowers in the centre .... If you happen to attend wearing the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag, you will be in great company! Looking for some vyshyvanka? There are shirts for women, men, and children plus dresses and vests .... Plush of Mriya, ducks with little vests, keychains, bracelets, and so much more is available! So many of the arts and crafts were made by people who are at the festival themselves so you can meet the artists, and sometimes the wares are being sold by the crafter's family members. It's a real family event! Hairbands with flowers (vinok), hand-painted wooden hair clips, dolls, socks, tie-on pockets -- so many things it's a stretch to remember, let alone list them all! One might say this is a festival filled with much 'eye candy!' A feast for the eyes! A feast, in fact, for ALL of the senses! Many of the vendors are raising money for non-profits, too -- and the festival itself is a fundraiser, an awareness-raiser, and I'd say it's an aesthetic sense-raiser, too!

Welcome back! This festival was sorely missed last year as many states from as far as Connecticut…read moreattend and perform. First - the dancing is unsurpassed and never ending. Every troupe is on point and the costumes amazing!! Now the marketplace- a plethora of authentic goods, hand made art, clothing, and jewelry. Come enjoy and shop. Bring empty stomach. Cards and cash.

Got two tickets for District Oktoberfest and had a great time. It was my first time going, so I had…read moreno clue what to expect. It's essentially like a pub crawl on your own pace. You definitely want to go with a great wingman. We met some interesting people along the way asking us why we had a lanyard with a big punch card attached to it. So we explained we get to go to each one of the bars listed and get a 12oz beer. We went on a Sunday (instead of Saturday) which only included 7 bars instead of 8. I think the tickets started at $45, but many other people we spoke to had gotten them at a discount though other businesses. We started off by checking in at RFD. We showed ID and picked up our pass. Though the event lasted from 12-8pm, the registration was only open from 12-3pm. We arrived shortly after and luckily the guy was still there. We made our way down the street to the next bar. All of them were on the same street except for Capitol City Brewery which required a little more of a walk. We figured we'd be too tipsy to "crawl" all the way there last so we tackled that early. By the fifth beer I was at my comfortable limit so I didn't push it. If you pay full price for the tickets, then you end up saving a little bit of money than if you had gone to each bar individually. If you get the tickets at a discount then I'd say it's worth it, if you really like to drink. All in all, we had a great time and would love to do this again.

This was an awesome experience!…read more We got our tickets through a Groupon special. We checked in and got our Oktoberfest badges and festival information. We loved the flexibility of this event! We had an Oktoberfest beer at 8 locations in the Chinatown area. We could visit each location in any order we wanted, and had 9 hours to do so. We checked in promptly at noon and had until 9 p.m. to visit each spot. There wasn't a designated area for Oktoberfest participants, so we had the flexibility of sitting where ever we wanted, and order food/more drinks as well. All we needed to do was present our badge and we got our beer! Each location marked our badge to indicate we had been there. The badges also made it easy to find other festival goers at each establishment. This was a fun way to try out a lot of new beers and watch some football! Yay for Fall!!

When your BFF scores tix in a Yelp giveaway and you're the lucky guest invited to tag along and eat…read moreall kinds of gelato for a few hours what's not to like?! Having recently returned from Italy, the thought of having more gelato had my taste buds twerking. The options seemed endless. The servings were generous and very tasty. And before I knew it I was full. But that did not stop me from having each of the 12 contest entries plus 4 specialty flavors over the course of two hours! As it was my first time hearing of and experiencing this event, I don't know if the Gelato Festival made a DC stop before, but if the festival is back next year I would highly recommend it.

A gelato festival?! What in the world?! Who comes up with an idea to CELEBRATE Gelato?! I don't…read morecare WHO it was, but let me give them a handclap --insert loud clapping--!! I was blessed to score tickets to this wonderful world of yumminess that tantalized my taste buds and tickled my tummy! Who doesn't LOVE gelato?! Don't answer that, because I don't care!! LoL Okay let me stop it with the theatrics and get down to business. The festival was located at the City Market at O - formerly known to dc natives as the O Street Market - on 8th street (I believe, closed off) - just outside of Giant Food. We walked into the festival a bit overwhelmed to see so many long lines of gelato enthusiasts, waiting patiently to get their taste of all kinds of sweet goodness! The actual event was a contest to determine which flavor of gelato would advance to the next level of competition. Okay, what?! I was there to taste as much gelato as possible, so this worked well in my favor. I will make a long story short, the festival allowed for 15 or so different "tastes" or sometimes full cup treats of a variety of flavors of gelato. But my favorite?! Yep. Salted Carmel - coming in 2nd only to the All American, which boasted apple pie with a strong hint of salted caramel. TO. DIE. FOR. And yep, I had seconds of the All America before I cast my final vote! Awesomeness!! Thanks Yelp DC!

I like the different events at the Reston Town Center, but did not enjoy Great Grapes at all. The…read morelines were WAY too long - I'm not a fan of waiting 30+mins for a tasting. I hate to act like an old curmudgeon, but I also strongly disliked the hoards of newly turned 21 year olds pushing their way around. I wish I had known about the Yelp booth....... The wine festival that they have at Bull Run is much better.

Catch 22 situation. If I pay $32 fee to enter the Wine Garden and make most use of it then I won''t…read morebe able to drive home. If I drink a little bit so I can drive home okay, then I will waste most of my precious $32. That is why I could not get to Yelp booth because it was inside the Wine Garden, very unfortunately.

Ultimately, I enjoyed my time here but I was blown away by just how chaotic it was. We arrived…read moreshortly after the event opened and there was already a massive line that wrapped around the back of Union Market around the side and as far as I could see. Since we arrived early, we were lucky to get towards the front of the line. Admission is just $5, but everything inside is paid and also is super crowded. My family enjoyed the photo booth but felt the vendor was not very transparent in sharing the cost upfront. She asked how many photo prints we wanted and I just said 2 in the moment. What I didn't know was that the photo print was $5 each. Fine, but sharing this at the beginning would have been much appreciated. Instead, I was annoyed and pretty much threw away the business card since I felt like she wasn't upfront at the very beginning when we did the photos. Overall, it's an okay experience. Worth standing in line for an extended period? Not so much. But if you show up early, and there is nothing else going on in DC that weekend? Sure, why not. Definitely not on my priority list for next year.

Great fall event! I enjoyed the yaya free scoops with the opportunity to try out a few flavors!…read more#worthit

Snally seems to have come a long way. I believe 13 years strong now! It sounds like post-pandemic…read morethey had some struggles returning to form, but I can affirm that the 2025 event was top notch and well attended by visitors and brewers. There were over 450 beers to choose from, with breweries from all over the world participating, and options came in every possible variety. I tried some new ones I have never heard of, from breweries I have never seen offered, and that is what a beer fest is all about. Despite tons of people and tons of offerings, there was plenty of space, a good amount of porta-potties, good food choices (my fave was Soko and their terrific double smash burger), easily accessible giant water jugs, and areas to sit or stand. Three stages, too with live music, DJs, and live podcast tapings throughout the day. Your ticket got you a complimentary tasting glass and as many free 4 oz pours you could handle. Food was extra but prices were reasonable. Regular tickets, which they call Kraken passes, were $85 this year (including fees and taxes), while VIP passes were double. Quite pricey for what you get, but for a once a year opportunity to explore some new beers with the Capitol Dome as a backdrop? I can dig it. For those curious, VIP gets you early entry, a dedicated tent/seating space, and your own porta-potties. I don't think that justifies the added price - I think they should lower the price slightly and offer some free merch, but many beers did run out before the end of the day, so if are a true beer fanatic, it's worth looking into. My favorite new discovery was Forager Brewing's imperial porter, the pudding goggles. Fun to say and even more fun to drink.

Came here with friends. Tickets were around $70 a piece. The line to get in was incredibly long,…read morebut went quickly. The lines inside the beer festival however did not go quickly. Crowds were massive so it was difficult getting to try different beers. They did hand out a few full sized at the beginning. A few beers were sold out by the time I got in for regular admission but the price for early entry didn't seem worth it to me. Overall, I would consider coming again but it isn't my favorite beer festival I've been to, it fell a bit short.

The 2015 Montgomery County Fair is wonderful. Worth every penny of the $10 admission fee…read more The agricultural exhibitions are heartwarming. Seeing the 4-H kids care for and show their livestock is a privilege. These youngsters are carrying on a tradition that the USA mightily needs. The farm animals are adorable and many can be petted. Just talking with the Maryland farm families is fabulous. This year's food and drink vendors do not disappoint. Here's my recommendations: Be sure and get a grilled cheddar cheese sandwich sold at The Big Cheese booth. They're made right before your eyes and come out hot and gooey. Hands down this is THE BEST food item this year. The meals for sale at two competing church booths--St. Francis of Assisi Catholic and Germantown United Methodist--feature some highly respectable pulled-meat BBQ sandwiches (both chicken and pork), along with some killer fries. There's a vendor selling large ears of freshly roasted corn that be can dipped (or not) in butter before purchase. A condiment table offers all kinds of salts, hot sauces and cheese toppings. The roasting of the corn makes it nutty-tasting and plumps up the kernels. I could not finish my ear because it was so huge, and was depressed beyond words. Freshly-squeezed lemonade for sale all over the fairgrounds is tart, refreshing and addictive. The free entertainment is out of the ordinary and fun: piglet races; magic acts; a "chainsaw chick" who creates impressive works of art from wood; local dance troupes, etc. You name it, it's here. Of course no fair is complete without rides and amusements and the "Carnival" section has something for all ages seeking thrills. The high-flying swing ride is wildly popular. But you better act fast. This edition of the Montgomery County Fair closes at midnight on Sunday, August 23, 2015.

The 2016 fair is so-so. It's kind of a scam if you're not really careful about how much you spend…read more You can park at Lakeforest Mall and take the ''shuttle'' to the fairgrounds (it's just a school bus), and then you pay $10/person to get in, plus payment for tickets OR a $15 wristband on wristband days to ride all the rides you want as long as you get there before 5:00PM. So if you get wristbands, you're already at $25/person. If you get food and drinks, that's easily another $20-$30/person extra because the food and drinks are crazy overpriced. Fries for $7? A corn dog for $8? Lemonade for $5? It's insane. The games are an entirely different ball game. AVOID them. The people running the games will taunt you as you walk by and make you want to play but don't. They're all rip-offs. $5/game seems reasonable but it's really not because you're tempted to keep playing until you win something and before you know it you've spent $30. Plus, that $5 doesn't even give you much - 3 basketballs at the shoot-out games and 3 darts at the balloon ones. Again, it's insane. The rides, on the other hand, are actually not bad. Some of them are uncomfortable and rickety, but the others are pretty smooth and thrilling. Getting the wristband is a good investment because getting tickets if you wanna ride a lot of rides ends up being more expensive. Expect lines. And if it rains, the rides will definitely close down. The agricultural stuff is okay. I didn't see a petting zoo this time, but there is a rabbit house and barns where they keep cows and pigs and chickens. It's cool and all but beware of the smell and the nasty pathways.