Santa Clarita, CA…read more Yay! It's so good to be back here! Since it wasn't busy, we really had time to look around and enjoy everything. The Christmas lights, décor, and overall atmosphere were absolutely wonderful. I took plenty of videos and photos - there's just so much to capture. I also noticed some people parked down the street and walked over, which honestly seems like the best way to take in the magical moment. It's a place for everyone. Have fun!

Super fun! Went with my family and everyone enjoyed. It is incredible how much love, thought, and…read moreeffort this community put into this! Must see if you live in SCV!

This event still shows as active on city websites and crafter websites, but when you attend, the…read moreevent is not taking place. I found the website for the organizer, and the event is described as ON HIATUS but no other information is available about plans to reinstate the event etc. Check before you go, or you'll be disappointed. I wish the city government in SCV cared more about the arts, but their lack of action shows their lack of interest. Disappointing for the 3rd largest population in California. :(

Nice little street fair. Its at the COC football field parking lot. No problem finding a spot to…read morepark. There's lots of little booths for crafts, clothing, and other things. There are also a number of food trucks that are there. Not always the same vendors each time but that makes things new each time you go. If you go on a Sunday, the farmers market is also selling fresh veggies, honey, and lots of other stuff. It's on the last weekend of every month, AND its FREE to go!

2023 at old Town newhall across from William hart park well its great its back again although…read moresmaller still a no admission charge or parking and a shuttle bus a rarely today I did miss the cowboy coffee w the grounds in it. Entertainment excellence the city seems to have done the best they could with the covid winding down .

The Santa Clarita Cowboy festival is in its 25th Year. They used to meet at Melody Ranch Studios…read morebut because of double bookings they have been meeting at the Old Town Newhall Park. It is a lot of fun, with cowboy cooking in dutch ovens, to clothiers selling authentic cowboy clothes from the 1880's, to the fastest draw in town. All that and cowboy poetry, and cowboy songs, bands, and singers plying their trade, it makes for a great event. It is $10.00 for parking and a ride to the park on their very efficient shuttle. There is also a small civil war contingent that camps on site. There is lots to see, eat and do.

Magic Mountain has really stepped up their entertainment in the last few years. We've gone to…read moreHoliday in the park for the last two years and we have been blown away by how they have created such a fun and family friendly environment here at the park. There's plenty of entertainment, fun foods to eat, and characters walking around and interacting. I had a chance to speak with Mike Ostrom, the head of entertainment at the park. And he let me know that the reindeer came up with their own choreography for the slider show. I love that they let the cast be part of the creation. I will be coming to Holiday in the park every year, my children and I have an amazing time every time we go.

I have mixed feelings on the park, but I visited this park two times this year. One on Black…read moreFriday and the next Friday. On Black Friday, the park was really busy and we arrived an hour before park opens. They were consistent on opening times. I would recommend just going to the park attendant to scan the pass as the "scan license" plate only takes one car at a time and the line looks like it is running slow. If you have Diamond or the Prestige All Park Pass, make sure you ask for the preferred parking. For preferred parking, just follow the cones and once you reach the attendant, they will take the slip away and they will guide you on where to park. One thing that change is there is covered parking with solar panels. I guess Six Flags wanted to take advantage of the solar credits. Once you make it to the gate, there is a line specifically for diamond/prestige pass members on the left hand side. This will allow you inside the park first at 9:45am. Once inside, you will need to wait behind a line and at around 10:15am, they will let you inside the park where you can line up. We usually head to Full Throttle as they only run 1 train and operations can be slow. They usually open the ride before 10:30am. After our first ride, we usually get a 2nd one. The rides opening at open are usually at hit or miss. On black Friday, the rides opened at around 11:30am and there are some rides that were closed this trip 1. Goliath - doing a paint job 2. Apocalypse - doing a refurbishment - they need to retrack the sucker 3. Superman - not so sure if this ride will ever open During the first Friday we went these were closed, but opened on the following Friday: X2, Ninja, Justice League and Riddler. For the Black Friday, you would think they would have most of the rides open as then lines ended up being 90 minutes or longer and the food lines were longer. On the next Friday, it was not so busy as the longest line was around 20 minutes which was awesome and got to ride a lot of rides. For Holiday at the Park, it is cool to walk the park at night. But dress up accordingly as it will get very cold. I highly recommend not riding roaring rapids at night as I got my pants and shoes soaked. The Jet Stream, not too bad, but I recommend riding Lex Luthor at night on both sides as the lights are awesome to see. The ride up is cold, but highly recommend. But yeah I would highly recommend taking an hour to do a full walk around the park at night time to take a look at the lights. Also, the DC characters do come out randomly and the looney toon characters come out near the front of the park. We did see Christmas characters come out and they do performances as well. They sometimes have a rock concert near Full Throttle. Food wise, I would recommend getting the Dole Whip. The ice cream is not icey and creamy now. This compares to the Disney one and I will always get one if I get to visit now. Food has been the same as last year though, hopefully with new leadership they will have better food. Here are the rides and my quick assessment as I rode most of them this time around 1. Full Throttle - this line is slow and long due to only 1 train only running. If you have a skip a line, use it on this one 2. Twisted Colossus - must ride, they were running 3 trains. Lines do move fast 3. Goliath - closed when I went, but I usually ride this one when I go 4. Batman - they maintained the ride well on this one. This one ran smooth 5. Wonder Woman - definitely a ride. They have free lockers and if there is no one in line easy to reride again. This is good when the park is dead. Can easily reride many times. Crew is nice 6. Riddler - this one got rough and lots of head banging. I got a headache 7. Gold Rusher - kids ride, but really rough 8. Crazanity - I skip this one as you can ride this at other Six Flags parks as this one gets a crazy line 9. West Coast Racers - line moves slow due to how the process is, but this ride has grown on me. Get rid of the comfort collars 10. Lex Luthor - must ride, it is one of the easier rides at the park 11. Jet Stream - they need to put more water as the boats rattle a lot and ride is rough 12. Roaring Rapids - fun ride, but your legs do get wet. I rode this 2 times and my feet and legs got wet 13. Tatsu - this line moves slow and has long lines. I usually skip this ride as this one gives me a head ache 14. Viper - skip this one for me as it is rough 15. X2 - used to be my favorite ride, but this one gotton a lot rougher that I need a breather after 1 ride 16. Revolution - this one is not too bad. The new trains make the ride smooth. I did not ride it this time around. 17. Ninja - not too bad I like to ride this once Overall an okay experience. Lots of what they can do better. At least they had rides open during the 2nd visit. Hopefully next year will be better.

This is a fun, low key way to spend a couple hours. The food vendors are delicious. The craft…read morevendors sell some pretty creative work. The dances and musical performances are cool but I don't know enough about the history and culture of the areas represented to have a deeper appreciation for it. I've only gone in the afternoon, never seen any of the fire dancers though it sounds pretty impressive. Hopefully next year it won't rain all weekend like it did this year.

My mom and I took my kids to see the Christmas markets in France this past December. It was a…read morebucket list trip for my mom, and while my boys had a great time, the travel was complicated and arduous, mostly because of my wild three-year-old Wade B. A couple weeks later, my husband and I took the boys to the Enchanted Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens. They had an absolute blast, and my five-year-old Leo B. declared, with utmost sincerity, "I think this is the nicest place I've ever been." Matt B. and I had been once before, almost a decade ago, with our friends Caroline Y. and Scott S., when we were all young and childless. We came back together, this time with five kids, and as much as I enjoyed it back in the day, I found it even more compelling this second time around. The magic was amplified ten times by the presence of my sons, who absolutely loved all the beautiful, colorful lights. I did buy them shitty Christmas light necklaces, one of which broke almost immediately, causing considerable strife. The alternative, of course, was to deny Wade his request before even entering the garden, where he would badger me every time he saw another child with the necklace. I was not surprised to see that most of the children seemed to have them, every parent having made the same calculation on their way in. Smart and evil of Descanso Gardens to put that vendor right by the entrance. I'm guessing Enchanted is their big revenue generator for the year, and this is a McKinseyish way to maximize. The kids oohed and aahed at every exhibit, marveling at all the colors and lights. We oohed and aahed right with them, and had the additional pleasure of watching them play and interact with the elaborate, immersive displays. They loved the tulip fields, the model trains, the stained glass houses, the trees and music and light. There was also a large platform that served as a dance floor for small children, who partied to the ambient music. Wade was especially taken with this stage, and the one part of the night that did not go well was when I yanked him away so we could see the rest of the installations. It was cold and the kids were up way past their bedtimes, but we all had a blast at the Enchanted Forest. When pressed, Leo admitted that Paris was in fact as nice as Descanso Gardens, but the point was made. Come Christmas, we can take the boys to France or we can just drive to La Cañada and buy a few tickets that support a wonderful botanical garden. We might even manage the latter every year.

My family and I visited Thanksgiving weekend and had a blast wandering around all the light…read moredisplays in the garden! This isn't necessarily a holiday-themed "Christmas" light experience, but it put us all in the holiday mood nonetheless. The themed light displays are well curated, the event is organized, staff are friendly, and the free parking is orderly and well managed. There are ten different themed exhibits found on the mile-long path. By far our favorite was the Ancient Forest, but the Garden of Good Fortune and the Fantasy Forest were close seconds! They do a wonderful job of using the light displays to really compliment and highlight the giant oak trees and other featured plants - as well as excellent music choices to really immerse you in a serene fantasy forest type experience. Some of the exhibits are interactive, like the Symphony of Oaks where you can step on the lights to make them change colors and sing - so fun! They also had a large village of tiny stained glass houses and other buildings you could actually enter and walk through - really beautiful. Another display I loved was the giant light built to resemble the moon - it was placed directly over one of the ponds and the reflection was magnificent! And everyone loves the massive, sprawling field of tulip lights which has a rotating show that will occasionally send waves of lights towards you. We spent a good hour and a half meandering around the path, which is well maintained and mostly flat with plenty of maps to find your way around the exhibits. The staff did a great job of respecting ticket entry times and the exhibits are so well laid out that we hardly noticed the crowds. Very well done! They don't sell tickets at the door so be sure to purchase online in advance. Booking our timed entry tickets was very easy via their website. They also take advanced reservations for their on-site Farmhouse restaurant and for valet parking. The restaurant and gift shop area was packed so I'd recommend restaurant reservations. But the parking was ample, even at 6pm on a Saturday and so well staffed and managed that we found a spot easily with zero chaos. This was my first visit to Descanso Gardens and now I'm wishing I had seen it in the daylight so I could compare haha! Tickets are a tad pricey but ee loved their Enchanted Forest of Light and can highly recommend it. Plus you're supporting a local botanical garden! I'll definitely be back to see all the splendor of the garden in the daytime.

After the fiasco last weekend known as the "Awesometown Food Truck Festival" and seeing that Lardon…read morewas no longer on the list for Sunday was tempted to skip this. I saw that Jin N. checked in there on Saturday and dropped him a quick note asking how it was. He replied back with his recommendation that it was worth going to so we made the trip down. The event was scheduled to start at 11:30 and we found street parking a block away about 5 minutes after that. I was completely fearing the worst with the crowds and as we walked into the lot, there was maybe 30-40 other people there. Even when we left at 12:45 would have to say the worst line was 10 deep at the most and the majority of the trucks had lines that were 2 or 3 people deep. The trucks were set up in a "U" around the parking lot with lots of room and tables. There were a few trucks there that I had never seen before and really liked that we were able to talk with the owners. They loved the fact that my daughter was taking an interest in food and asked what we liked, didn't like and what we looked for when going to a truck. It felt like they were honestly looking for feedback instead of just having to throw something out the window to keep the lines mooving (get it, like a cattle call??) The crew from Wholly Rollers did a great job circulating to see that everyone was having a great experience which they should get kudos for! My only regret is that I didn't head down on Friday and Saturday nights as well!!! The next time they have an event, I'll be there as this is how a food truck festival should be set up and run!

[November 12th event]…read more First off, I just want to say that this was a really great experience. Props to Wholly Rollers Events for putting on a successful street food fest!! I missed the first event last month mainly by choice because I didn't eat so well the previous week so I figured it would be a bad idea to end it with more less than healthy food. My wife and I made it out to this one intending to limit ourselves to mostly small bites. We rolled up at about 7pm Friday and easily found valet parking right next door for $2. Even before we stepped into the parking lot, we could sense it was just the right atmosphere for gourmet food truck fans. Trucks were lined up on either side and at the end of the space with plenty of tables and chairs in the middle. DJ Kino was spinning good tunes. We noticed all walks of life there...from young, hip 20-somethings to families with young kids. Security guards kept things in order and the clean-up crew was very attentive making sure trash cans did not overflow and tables were wiped down. Now, onto the food... Shrimp Pimp: 2 drunken shrimp tacos -- sherry ginger marinated shrimp sauteed and served with, I believe, pickled jicama and carrots on 2 tortillas. Verdict: 2.5 stars (out of 5). They were just okay. Didn't really taste a lot of marinade in the shrimp. Thought the tortillas could've been quick-grilled for a little more flavor. I have to say I was expecting this truck would have at least 1 Hawaiian-style garlic shrimp over steamed rice dish. I think that would round out the menu a bit. The Guinness-marinated shrimp & chips looked really tasty though. Patty Wagon: 2 "Shine On Harvest Moon" sliders -- a ground beef burger with Havarti cheese, warm bacon/cabbage/leek slaw, slice of pink lady apple, bit of mayo with homemade pickle on a toasted roll. Verdict: 5 stars. Delicious! Great grubbing food. I had mine w/out the apple since I'm allergic to raw apples. I could taste pretty much every ingredient. The grass-fed ground beef reminded me of beef I had on a trip to Ireland where they have some of the best in the world. It was perfectly-cooked and juicy. The roll had just the right crispy crust while still pillow-soft in the middle. Willoughby Road: Twice fried chicken w/grilled watermelon and side of creamy mac & cheese. Verdict: 3 stars. Chicken was greasier than I'm used to. The batter had a slightly sweet flavor w/a bit of a kick. The chicken meat itself was fairly juicy and not dry. I don't normally care for watermelon but grilling it enhances the flavor. I liked it. The mac & cheese was less than impressive. The consistency was pretty good but the flavor was lacking. I tasted more of the pasta itself than cheese. The Street Hawker (Singaporean): Fried rice w/shrimp, carrots, peas, onions, a bit of scrambled egg and topped with cilantro and red chili pepper. Verdict: 4 stars. Full of flavor! I couldn't totally place the seasoning. There was definitely soy sauce but I couldn't tell what else. It was slightly smokey. The color was a rich, dark brown. The rice was not quite sticky like most places which actually was just fine. I must mention we asked to make it not so spicy so I'm not sure how spicy it normally is. Good portion for $8. We wanted to eat it all but we saved half for tomorrow. Ahn-Joo (Korean): 3 small, grilled skewers of ginger & soy marinated beef w/cherry tomatoes. Verdict: 4 stars. Great flavor! The tomatoes complemented the beef perfectly. A few of the beef pieces were a tiny bit chewy--seemed to have a bit more fat. Other than that, great snack! Mango Tango: Peach Italian ice. Verdict: 5 stars. Texture was just right. Actual peach chunks. If it wasn't too chilly I would've eaten it up within 10 minutes. Generous portion for a small size ($4). My wife also had a grilled Nutella bhang w/berries from Ahn-Joo which I did not taste. It's basically a grilled Nutella sandwich w/fresh berries sprinkled with powdered sugar. Looked tasty! Again, I felt like the event was put together pretty well. Everyone seemed satisfied (except for one older lady in front of us at the Shrimp Pimp who had apparently asked for something not spicy but it was still too spicy for her. She later apologized for complaining and the truck manager made sure she was satisfied). I forgot to mention the large projected designs (one for Wholly Rollers, the other snowflakes) on the side of a tall office building next door. Classy! Plenty of seating for everyone. The DJ didn't play dancy, pop music all night. He actually threw in some good mainstream rock songs too which was a nice change. Great job Wholly Rollers!! Looking forward to the next one. This should be a WEEKLY thing like The Brig in Venice!!

Seriously a GREAT farmer's market! Love going! Food to eat there in the spot, great selection of…read morefruits and vegetables, always a fun crowd, and everyone is very kind. We have never had a bad experience there. Although parking can be challenging, it's worth it!

Love this farmers market. There are small local vendors with high quality products…read more My main items to get from here are fresh & dried fruits, eggs , greens, avocado and breakfast from Tomorrow Bagels or Des Croissants. Tomorrow Bagels are delicious homemade bagels and you can get them with shmear or buy them separate to take home. Des Croissants is a legit French owned pastry shop that makes some of the best croissants in LA. They also have other pastries and breads. There's an excellent meat vendor here and their stuff is so so good A little bit pricey but kind of worth it. They're a regenerative farm. There is one seafood vendor and I got shrimps and scallops a couple time, also really good. Very fresh. Many vendors are organic certified There's an avocado seller here that is soooo good too. Many types of avocado and they last waaay longer than grocery store ones. Buono Italian is very good for some fresh pizza or meatball subs. The owner is always perfecting his recipes and pays attention to details. He's so friendly and serves up good food. Mother's hummus and dips is also solid. Handmade pita and an addictive garlic sun dried tomato spread. Yum!! We also love the German sausage vendor...All kinds of fresh sausage. Gillmore Girls coffee is good. I got matcha latte and cappuccino sometimes. And they have something called Cloud Foam which is yummy. They handmade their syrups. The service is good All sellers are so nice and friendly. They seem so happy all the time. There is live music and some tables you can sit and eat at the same time enjoying nice music There is a parking lot across the street and also street parking.

Such a bust. There was nothing really pumpkin about this pumpkin festival. Just the world's saddest…read moresmallest patch In the middle of what is more a carnival than anything else. The food vendors are selling you $38 fries! Don't say I didn't warn you. Yikes! The games and activities are more for babies and older kids, nothing really for 2-5 years old to do there. Such a shame, because it's so easy to make it more accommodating for families with small children.

Welp, here we are again. I got dragged to this place for my second experience, and sad to say…read morenothing has changed. It's still ridiculously expensive to get in, hard to park, and nothing but vendors swarming you to purchase their lovely trinkets. I'm upgrading to 2 stars, only because I feel bad leaving a 1-star review. This really is a shame, for a town named after the pumpkin. I mean, c'mon, Calabasas! There should be pumpkin everything, everywhere. If Starbucks can get onboard with that, what are you doing? I'm sure this is great for kids, with their activities and bounce houses galore. The food at Barrett's is just gross...had the chicken quesadilla, but their lemonade was quite nice and refreshing. We got a kick out of the pie eating contest, but then the kid's faces came up clean. Not picture-worthy at all. Pie eating contests should = Messy Faces. Big shout out to the funnel cake guy. His stuff is on point.

People in the suburbs, have way too much to complain about. Every time I've been to this food truck…read morepop up there has been great food to be had. I have never had an issue, so don't let the typical Valencia crowd sway you from coming out this way They are just bitter about a lot of things.

A TOTAL fiasco!…read more Marketing Team: You did a spectacular job. You know how to attract a crowd. Operations Team: You failed in a most thorough and public fashion. We got there 15 minutes after 5:00 and discovered impossible parking, an idiotically laid out area and a crowd that was becoming more dangerously congested by the minute. We met up with friends who had already gotten in line, added our orders to theirs and waited. Hmm, no tables or chairs other than the ones in the center of the mayhem so we find a spot by the curb. After an hour in line the last member of our party finally gets their order and makes their way over. Again no tables or chairs so you either get to eat standing up or you set your basket on the curb where the ants quickly investigate. Unimpressed with the food and unwilling to wade back into the chaos we walked over to Red Mango and enjoyed a nice, calm desert. One of the promotional posters for this event read "Cluster Truck". They got it almost right.