We use to really enjoy coming to this annual event but it's progressively gone downhill. A lot of…read moremarketing and seldom do the food vendors display the ticket costs until you ask. Fun with small children for maybe a couple hours. Huge increase in Latino and Asian foods, be careful a couple of the dishes were so bad we threw most away. Also the cost for what you get continues to climb. My 2 pics were 4 tickets each which converts to $8 apiece? Yikes.

Bad service and mediocre food. Disappointing, nothing homemade or special about it. Just average…read morechicken and French fries. I seriously think Popeyes is better

Everything I expected and more. Showed up before the open time and the line was already…read moreestablished. That had to mean good things are awaiting indoor. Once we were in, most people moved toward baked goods and got something that they get every year. Everybody new ahead of the opening what they want so this is a serious festival where you have to earn the rights for fresh bread or cakes - you snooze/you loose. Meatballs were the best ever! It made me think I eat something sophisticated that took many hours to prepare as the taste exploded in my mouth. The crown jewel of the food (no pun intended) was Princess Cake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_cake It was worth coming just for that!. This festival will give you exactly what you expect - it will open in exact time, it will have Swedish products that you want to have and food will not disappoint. The food really fits in the Fall schedule. Date for 2016 Festival is November 5, 2016 @ 11:00 am

I went to Celebrate Fairfax for the 1st on 6/9/17, 6/10/17 and 6/11/17…read more It is apparent that Celebrate Fairfax has grown over the past couple of years from a traditional carnival. You take the shuttle (because there is not enough parking at the festival for everyone who attends) from either Fair Oaks Mall or a nearby business park and walk right past the traditional carnival rides. I remember as a child. After the carnival rides you past vendors selling everything from coffee to Botox (agree with other Yelpers Celebrate Fairfax is not focused on crafts). After you past the vendors you are welcomed by the smells of food from everything from chicken to popcorn. After you past the food vendors, you arrive at the stage (concerts are offered on Friday and Saturday night). I was primarily interested in attending Celebrate Fairfax to see Bush (which turned out to be one of the best concerts I have experienced from the sounds to crowd) and when I looked at the ticket price I said "hey a 3 day ticket doesn't cost that much more". The concert space has chairs for anyone who wants to sit and if the band turns out to be super popular (and no chairs are left) you can either sit on the very small lawn space or stand. At the end of each concert there is a great fireworks displayed. I was impressed by the half hour show (stayed for the entire display on Saturday night). The fireworks displayed can be seen at almost every part of the festival (e.g. at the concert space or near the rides). The last day of Celebrate Fairfax the organizers tried something different this year and hosted a Brewfest. It was a really nice mixture of cider and beer. I heard from someone who attended the previous year that the organizers focused more on wine than beer. I think. Beer is better bet because I think you will attract more people because beer (in my opinion) offers more variety. I loved the concept of unlimited pours (and no tickets for tastes). If I had one compliant about the Brewfest portion it would be to have more sun umbrellas and dump buckets available. I know. It can be hard to predict the weather but Celebrate Fairfax happens every year in June and therefore rain or shine you can expect it to be hot. On that note, you can bring in Camel Backpacks into the festival. It is very helpful to have a large source of water available since all of Celebrate Fairfax (except for the restrooms and train display in the Government Center) is outside. In a nutshell, I am super psyched to live in Northern VA so I can attend Celebrate Fairfax (fingers crossed they have another great band(s) next year).

Why wouldn't that have a shady area or more cooling stations…read more Non gender porta potty's - gross. Very little choices for picky kids, vegan or other diets- maybe pack your own stuff. Fair food.

Amazing free all day jazz festival on the plaza. Last year I think it was the day before Father's…read moreDay. Also a great way to get people from all over the region and even some visitors like my dad to support the many amazing businesses in Downtown Silver Spring.

The Silver Spring Jazz Festival is an enjoyable event. There was a variety of jazz styles and…read moreartists, which I appreciated. It didn't really get busy until after 5. There are some benches but it's best to bring your own chairs. The beer garden was disappointing because it was only beer--no wine, mead, or cider. And there were only two breweries with limited offerings. It was a cute setup but the furniture looked flea-ridden. We sat on the least chairs with the least amount of fabric. Food and shopping vendors were limited and disappointing as well. One Thai food vendor that has awful food and then some stands that looked like they belonged at Fiesta Shows. Better to support local downtown restaurants. So when you come to this event, you are really coming for the music. Which is fine because the music was really good. I've been to a few DTSS events and this was the best one by far. Every other event has been dismal and I want better for Silver Spring. But the Jazz Festival is worth it.

Peruvian festival is a festival of happy and friendly Peruvians and friends of Peru that just…read morecelebrated its 30th anniversary. The parking was good, no entrance fee, a lot of free stuff (ice creams, water, bags, jello's, etc...), plenty of Peruvian food choices. Entertainment was rich and fun as you can tell by the pictures - they even had the horses do the tricks... I had food that I had never tried before: Anticuchos - marinated and grilled calf hearts, was delicious meal, with the taste and texture close to a calf liver. Picarones - Peruvian doughnuts were soft and sweet. I was expecting they will be soggy but they were perfect, melting in mouth. This festival is very colorful, and had all the colors under the sun, not just red and whites (their flag). The festival is family friendly and even had a NPS stand where kids can learn and touch objects. Only problem with that is the lack of alcohol (I would have loved a Peruvian beer) but that is a small price to pay for an excellent Peruvian experience.

I have not seen anybody looking at the phone screen @ this festival which is a testament of things…read morebeing interesting and moving quickly. Entertainment was great: starting with the basic African drumming, continued with the dance and followed by steel drums music with a lot of good fillers between (African Zumba and South African country dance). The vendors offered very unique items to buy - from minerals to clothing and sandals and jewelry. Sales people were very kind and willing to explain the meaning of everything they were selling. It was a teaching moment for kids to see the works of art featuring Mandela. The venue was perfect, 7 story garage right at the venue, big parking lot nearby and street closed. The menu was interesting - a true African cuisine. My choice - it turned out very good - was a food vendor from Ivory Coast. Croaker fish was delicious and it offered a different experience just by virtue of having to pull the meat from the bone instead of eating it in a fish stick. The fish was wonderful, not fatty but flaky. The couscous was not North African but West African style and slightly sour. Plantains were divine (soft and sweet) and doughnuts different (consistency more like bread - a bit harder). Rice and greens met my expectation. I did not notice any North African country represented in the entertainment or in vending shop. Most northern products were from Ethiopia selling under premise of African art. This is a very convenient, very fast pace and fun festival with good food.

Such a fun way to spend an afternoon...you can't find so many different types of art from jewelry…read moreto stained glass ornaments to paintings to photography. So many amazing things to look at and purchase...wish it happened more than just annually. Also wish there some more food options and a beer or wine garden so you could make an entire afternoon out of the event other than just walking through....

A-RTS is a world class art and crafts fair held in Rockville Town Square. You can't ask for a…read morebetter location outdoors because it's adjacent to metro, lots of free parking, and the atmosphere is low-key. The calibre of artists and craftspeople who are presenting their creations is truly top notch. You can acquire some incredible large-format sculpture and art (or just oggle at the inventiveness and craft of the artists). However, if you are simply dabbling in token gifts and small home decorations, this fair won't fail you either. With a broad variety of styles and of price points, everyone can score something unique and fanciful. By discussing the craft and choices with the artist, you can feel truly good about supporting local artists. This arts fair evokes the best of people-to-people markets which is frankly a dying experience given the prevalence of the mall retail world. If this festival was held in downtown DC it would be chockablock full of people and the atmosphere would feel a lot more pressured and crowded. I know that is good for the sellers, but as a buyer I couldn't have been happier with the mellow, small-town feel of Rockville Town Center. Nearby you have a plethora of restaurants in which to dine/relax after taking a turn through the stalls. See my review of Rockville Town Square for selections. While attending I learned about arts communities nearby, including a pottery crawl in Richmond VA which I will surely try to attend. This is a wonderful experience and I would recommend all to savor the riches of arts in our local community through this fair.