I've been going to the Alameda County Fair since I was a kid, and I truly don't think I've missed a…read moreyear. Even during COVID, when they couldn't hold the regular fair, they put on a special fall version instead. Getting to go to the fair in a Halloween costume was honestly such an awesome experience. I hope they do something like that again someday. I definitely have my traditions. Funnel cake is a must (always with strawberries ). Non-negotiables include the Sky Ride, the petting zoo, and the Model Railroad exhibit (ask about their scavenger hunt!). Before I leave, I have to stop at one of the old-fashioned photo booths too. I write the year on the back of every photo strip, so I've ended up with this little collection that's basically a timeline of my life at the fair. One of my favorite things is that it really feels like the community coming together, and the whole place has such a festive vibe. My dad has won a couple of blue ribbons over the years, I have friends who enter competitions, and I genuinely love walking through the exhibits to see what people have grown, baked, photographed, painted, and created. I always end up spending way more time (and money! ) than I planned, so now I just budget for it every year. The concerts have been incredible too. I've seen Bowling for Soup, Smash Mouth, the Village People, Flo Rida, and plenty of others over the years. Between the concerts, the demolition derby, the drone shows, the animals, the rides, and all the new entertainment they bring in every year, I usually end up going more than once before the fair is over. Speaking of food, the best (and most ridiculous) fair food appears every year. This year it was Spam fries. Did I try them? No. Did I absolutely stop to take a picture? Of course I did. Also, one year I somehow came home from the fair with a mattress. We weren't planning on buying one, but I guess that's just another Alameda County Fair memory. After almost 30 years, I still get excited every time I walk through those gates. I have to leave with my traditional photo strip, my feet tired and dusty, and already looking forward to next year.

We went to this fair on July 11th, and it happened to be one of the hottest day ever!! If I…read moreremember well, it was 96 degrees that day! Before my granddaughter went back to Bellevue, we bought tickets online and went to this fair. It was quite a fun experience! We arrived early, and parking was a breeze, well organized . We headed to one most wanted attraction, the Alaska pig racing!! The benches were full, but some very kind people squeezed in to make room for us. It was quite a show, and the host made the crowd participate too!! Then the petting zoo, the games, the food, the snacks.... Expensive, but it was fun. Then the heat got to us and we went home. It would be so awesome if the weather was cooler so we can enjoy everything!!! Guess we need to come back next year.

I had never heard of this festival before in Castro Valley!!…read more This was a pretty good sized festival. It had 2 music stages, one at each end, a petting zoo, a pony ride area along with plenty of booths selling all sorts of stuff. There are also lots of food options here, and an area to get beer or wine at also. It was a rather hot Saturday when I was here, and it was fairly crowded. This festival occurs every year, the weekend after Labor Day on Castro Valley Boulevard!!

We came by this past Saturday, and enjoyed our time here. Parking and traffic were what you'd…read moreexpect at this type of the event (closed streets, etc.) but the Safeway plaza didn't seem to monitor parking this past weekend, so we simply parked in the lot for a couple hours without any issues while attending the fall fest. There was a nice variety of food/drink vendors on site including garlic butter artichokes, smoked sausages, southern soul food, and of course funnel cakes. We had a hard time choosing what to get for lunch, but Coastal Paella did not disappoint. We came early, there were hardly any lines, and we enjoyed the seafood paella and a trio of flavorful skewers along with a couple alcoholic beverages from the drink tent, a Kitson Wines red blend and beer from Drake's Brewing Co. We ate our meals while vibing to some great live music. Two stages were advertised on the event website (performances of rock, pop, and jazz tunes), but we only saw one stage while we were there in the early hours. There were rows of seating for viewing and standing tables in the back, but no seats and tables together. They offered pony rides for kids, and an awesome petting zoo with waterbirds, farm animals, a giant tortoise, and LOTS of bunnies running around in their pen, in which visitors could come inside and play with them for a small fee. There was also plenty of interesting merchandise for sale including totes, plants, and groot shaped freeze dried candy from Freezy Frosty. We got ourselves some harissa infused olive oil from the Amphora Lafayette vendor tent to take home. It was a fairly small festival, only a couple blocks long, but they used the space nicely and packed a lot of unique offerings for guests without it feeling too crowded. The atmosphere was lovely and the people there were friendly. We had a good time.

I do like coming to this event because it's early in the spring. Normally it's way to hot to visit…read moreLivermore. This one has plenty of vendors. I would like to see more food vendors participating. Not the food trucks. I do like eating at the trucks,but they become a expensive option. The positive was plenty of street parking this year.

Meh. All the Festivals or Fairs in The Bay Area tend to have the same vendors. The same goes for…read moreLivermore Wine County Festival it is Saturday/Sunday. Purchased tickets ($20) included 2 drink tickets per ticket for wine or beer. There is also a designated 21 and over drinking area (pours stop 1 hour before festival ends), which is also where the live bands play. The street festival is situated along First Street and there are various vendors, local Livermore stores lining the street. There is a food truck area, and an area for the kids to play. There is also no need to purchase a ticket, as it's not checked to enter, and is only good if you want to drink beer or wine. If you're into drinking cocktails there are restaurants and bars also along the main route of the festival.

This was our first time at San Ramon Art and Wind festival, which is held annually at Central Park…read moreSun-Mon of Memorial Day weekend. Overall, a fun event and they literally used the entire park for all the venues. Tons of people. but with all that space you don't really feel too crowded unless you're lining up for restrooms or looking for parking. Highlights: * Parking is $10 at one of the lots. We parked at Iron Horse Middle School. Bring cash. Free Parking is available on the Market Place across from Central Park, but its likely going to be a zoo there. * They split the park in half - one side for folks to have picnics, chill, eat, and listen to the live bands that rotate throughout the day. They also have dance troupes too. No kites here. * The other side of the park closer to the baseball/soccer fields are a free for all for kite flying. Here you'll get neck strain trying to see all those kites in the sky. Our rambunctious 5yo loved running around here. * They also have a DJ and some sort of professional/expert kite flyers near the Skateboard park, with some impressively designed kites. * City Hall is open for kid's crafts and a puppet show. You also get access to clean bathrooms inside. * They have tons of vendor booths and food stalls lined up along the parking lots and fields. * And if music, food, chillaxing and just admiring the kites is too boring, they also have carnival games and rides in the area between Iron Horse Middle School and the entrance to Central Park. Definitely recommend this Festival since its normally sunny and windy in San Ramon during Memorial Day.

This event happens annually on the Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend…read more We have been in the past and I returned this year, it's such a fun event for the kids/family. There's a lot of local vendors and businesses that table. There's arts and crafts for the kids. It's enjoyable walking around and see what there is offer. The park/splash pad is nearby if children want to play. Food can be a little expensive, so we pack our lunches or eat beforehand when coming here. I am actually very impressed with their garage system. I constantly see people sorting through to ensure the correct items are disposed in garbage, recycle and compost. We enjoy making the kites and trying to fly the kites in the field. It is fun to be out on the field flying and watching all these kites. Parking can be difficult at times, but they do have some paid parking lots nearby. I have also seen people walk through the iron horse trail to this event.

Paying for parking and hard to access was not disclosed prior to purchasing tickets. Entertainment…read morewas less than entertaining.

You have probably seen ads for this event on Facebook or TV. Bright lights, festive, cultural -…read morelooks cool, right? I didn't see many reviews for the Pleasanton event online so hopefully this review can be helpful for someone on the fence about going. - It's expensive(!): one adult ticket is $27 after online fees, plus $10 in parking. The event is located on the east side of the Fairgrounds along Fairgrounds Road, so if you're looking to save money you can find neighborhood parking along Rose Ave and walk 5 to 10 minutes. - It's VERY, VERY small: the commercials on TV make this event look vast and spacious, but in reality, it really just occupies a small grass field. You can walk through the whole thing in less than an hour - and that's after taking your time, stopping to take pics, reading the light descriptions, etc. - The light installations are pretty cool: the quality and attention to detail of the light installations were well done. The lights definitely weren't cheesy and you could get some nice pictures here. - Stay for the acrobat show: they have a 20-minute Chinese acrobat show a few times a night. It was really good and entertaining! Wish it was longer. Start times vary depending on the night, so check the schedule at the ticket window when you arrive. - Not crowded: I went with my family on a Saturday night and it wasn't crowded at all. You can easily walk around and take pics. Very quiet and peaceful. Overall: at almost $30 a person (plus more if you pay for parking) I would recommend skipping this event. The light installations are nice, but you won't walk away saying "wow" or anything. The space is also REALLY small and underwhelming. But if you are looking for something new to do this holiday season, you can make this a good time out. Just level your expectations. Personally I wouldn't pay no more than $10 for this event and tickets are nearly 3x that amount.

The Pleasanton Antiques and Collectibles Faire takes place on the town's main drag in May and…read moreOctober. I've been to lots (and lots) of antique fairs but this one stands out for multiple reasons: *Pretty much every business on the street was open, so there were a lot of places to grab a snack or something cold to drink; it also made the fair more festive-feeling overall (this isn't always the case with some small-town fairs) *There were plenty of places to sit and rest, which was especially nice because last Sunday's fair was in 90-degree-plus heat *Parking was free and easy on an adjacent street *The laid-back vibe was just so darn great If you want to find me, come to the next fair on October 12th and look for the chunky middle-aged lady buying up all the vintage Pyrex.

Great fair and great fun! For people think it's terrible because it was canceled, it was for safety…read morereasons, the wind was 20+ mph and tents could go flying easily, this has been reinforced since a big wind storm hit an antique street fair years back, and killed 6 people (and the wind speed then was 23 mph) this is for your safety not for your annoyance! It's a great fair and they care about your life!

We went this morning to see if anything new looked good. It seems like it's much smaller this year…read more The good was there's much more food trucks and vendors. Also a very large police presence. Not sure why,but better than no presence at all. Plenty of available parking today. The bad news, no new vendors.

IMHO This year a new…read moreorganizer decided to change up the street configuration of the festival, which threw a lot of people off when we all parked in our usual spots and headed to Walnut Ave. to begin our day, only to discover that they had a lot more walking to do before hitting the festival! Oy! This senior citizen got her exercise in today! I had two things on my list to purchase; a new garden wind spinner and some Kibler Elf coffee cakes. We passed by some food vendors first to check out the prices. I don't know if this is a new thing, but I found many food vendors didn't have their food prices in full view. That doesn't work for me. If you don't advertise your pricing, I am going to walk past your booth. As expected, food prices continue to go up at these festivals. My hubby got two BBQ hot link sandwiches for $18. I chose an orange chicken combo plate w/rice and Chow mein for $20. Hubby liked his hot links. We both enjoyed the orange chicken. This plate was so hot and hefty, and I felt it was almost worth the price I paid. I found my wind spinner vendor and paid $18, which was $3 more than a few years ago, I think. My coffee cake vendor decided not to bring the large coffee cakes to sell but offered small muffin-sized versions instead. I was also hoping to find a Dipping Dots vendor this year, but I couldn't find 'em. One dude wanted $10 for one cookie. Nope. Will we return next year? Hmmmm, maybe.

I visited this free holiday attraction on Friday, and even with the freezing winter temperatures, I…read moreenjoyed my time here. I arrived around opening time (6:00pm), and there was just a short line for entry. With so much to see and admire about this place, the walk thru was much longer than I expected, though that's partly cuz I didn't know you could pass people till I reached the mid-point. It's only one-way through the various pathways and illuminated tunnels that make up this experience, but if people stop and block foot traffic for long periods of time (for instance, families telling their toddler to look at every single doll and figurine in the windows and displays, or having them pose to take pictures like tourists), there's enough space to just pass them. Widmer World presents a range of themes and collections, including Disney (mickey mouse, toy story, disney princesses, etc), Minions, Snoopy, Santa, Abominable Snowman, geese, penguins, and stuffed animals galore. Cardboard cutouts with artwork, inflatables in various characters, moving props and decor, and animated xmas figures. Detailed miniature displays of various scenes including a charming village, a carnival with ferris wheels, roller coasters, and hot air balloons, and a festive model railroad with multiple trains moving along the tracks. It's so much more than a light show lined with impressive displays all around. It's a whimsical wonderland with lots of moving parts and interactive exhibits to delight guests of all ages. There's a scavenger hunt to find 12 gnomes, as well as a Mr. Potato Head coin toss game, and at the end of the walk thru, there's a guest book you can sign. In the front of the house, a giant chair is available for photo ops, along with more holiday lights and decorations. There are also signs directing visitors on where to find street parking (since you can't park in the court where this event is located).

Amazing Christmas displays fill the space with lights and detail. Every area feels thoughtful and…read morefestive. A giant chair invites fun photos for kids and adults. The setting feels warm, joyful, and memorable. A great experience for the whole family.