Love me some worldfest! Vendors for shopping, music and dancing, every ethnicity of food. Can spread out. A parade! Has a little bit of everything for everyone. Park at the galt house and wander over. Easy peasy. read more

Worldfest - Worldfest - Festivals Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

WorldFest is back on the Belvedere. If visiting I highly recommend parking at the Galt House, on the hotel side. Reasonable rates by the hour and super convenient walk from there to the festival. It runs over Labor Day weekend, Friday-Monday. The schedule is nicely booked for music and performances to represent various cultures. In between is often a DJ spinning music. I noticed two staging areas this year. The crowd was busy this year. A lot of booths and food vendors packed into the space. A little overwhelming, as I was hoping for a more relaxing atmosphere to sample food and browse booths. Also less restaurant participants than I remembered from the past years; and much of the space was replaced with margarita stations or cocktail bars. read more

WorldFest is one of my top favorite events in the city! I used to go a lot when I was in high school. It's still a wonderful, family-friendly event. It features a lot of different vendors selling all kinds of cuisines, as well as jewelry, clothes, henna, decor, etc. While Louisville is not the most diverse city on the map, this event definitely reminds you how culturally diverse we actually are. And growing! Yay! I loved the performances a lot more in the past, but am not as interested in most of it anymore. I still go just to see flamenco though! As others have mentioned, you do see the same vendors every year. This could be a plus or minus for you. For me, I don't purchase stuff here anymore since I've gotten what I've wanted in years past. It's still worth checking out. It's a free event that runs for a few days during Labor Day weekend. Parking isn't all that hard to find, in my opinion. There are tons of places to parallel park or garage options. For the most part, it's a place to socialize. I think that's what makes this event the most enjoyable. Make sure you bring water with you! It'll help to cut the costs since you'll want to buy food or a trinket. It's usually hot out whenever I've been to this event. And as other have mentioned, there isn't always tons of shade. read more

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What an amazing showcase of all of the different cultures we have here in Louisville. There was so much to take in. Let's start with food. Thai, Cuban, Jamaican, Mexican, Filipino, Greek...literally almost any cuisine imaginable was available this year. Bands were playing on stage, there was an extremely talented blues singer on one stage. We walked a little farther and found some men playing bongos. Very cool. There were a couple of different groups dancing while we were there, one square dancing, another performing a traditional dance from Assumption Greek Orthodox Church. A variety of booths were set up selling items ranging from authentic clothing representing their countries, to sunglasses, a variety of jewelry, and products made from Shea butter. Definitely a festival you must attend if you have never been. read more

Worldfest - Cuban food tamale, rice and beef - Festivals Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

2nd year in a row going, sadly this is once a year Labor Day weekend event in Louisville. Liked walking around and seeing different cultures come together. It was hot but not humid this year vs. it was unbearably hot last year. Here you can buy different things from the stands made in their country. There are also many food options here. We went with Cuban food of course of all places. Even went with water that was only $2. There were other options for drinks but were a tad overpriced. I look forward to going next year although it is a very long wait. I highly recommend if you're living or staying in Louisville Labor Day weekend. I will miss this festival until next year. read more

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It was great weather-for the most part, this year. Very crowded. Three different stages with a variety of music and performances. The vendors seemed to be all the same. With African clothes to mexican/Cuban food. Most vendors were cash only. read more

Worldfest - Festivals Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Welp. Time to update this bad boy. I don't know who is running the World Fest, but they've done a great job. What once was a very small event that sold extremely unsanitary food is now quite a large thing, and virtually everyone has shored up any concerns I (or anyone) has with food hygiene. I'm very impressed. For free, I don't know that this event can be beaten by anything of it's ilk. Learn about different cultures, try their food, buy their clothes and jewelry... Just immerse yourself in the globe and multiculturalism. I'll be going back to the World Fest every year, moving forward. read more

Worldfest - Festivals Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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Haven't been to Worldfest in a couple of years. Always enjoyed it and with the pandemic, wanted to get out in some fresh air and wide open and see people enjoying themselves again. It was refreshing with a singer right at the entry of Worldfest and the water for keeping cool and young one to play in. The set up was very nice and there was so much in display from food to clothing to Jewelry and hats, almost anything you could image. The stages were well positioned to maneuver and the sounds of one location didn't impede upon another. The foods were good, however there seemed to be lesser varieties then past years. (We skipped a few years attending). I'd like to have seen more European and Asian cuisines in the mix. I've given it a 5 star if more diversified nationalities, but it was well laid out and organized. But all in all the entertainment was good and it was a beautiful day. Sunny and mid 80's, can't get any better. read more

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Granted when we went it was blistering hot but there's not nearly enough free access to water or shade as there should have been. Not enough places to sit. They have one water station and it's all the way at the entrance. The entertainment was mediocre - poorly rehearsed from what I saw. Theres alot of food options (a lot of Mexican food in particular), lots of booths (but not a ton of variety, not a variety of cultures in booths. Mostly just African clothes/jewelry). Would've loved more cultures to have had a presence and something called "worldfest." Basically no Europe representation, for one example. For what it is, it's amusing. read more

Wow! This event is a big one! We visited on Saturday and boy was it a hot one! There is plenty to see, buy, eat and do! After searching the entire spot we opted for empanadas! They hit the spot. There are so many options for different types of food. There are also three stages that have entertainment going all day. You could spend an entire day shopping and another day watching the entertainment. We will be back with our chairs to enjoy the entertainment! read more

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Different foods from different countries as well as merchandise. Lacking as many local merchants as there it used to be. Free entertainment from different cultures. Good way to experience different cultures in one place. read more

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Another great event in Louisville Great food, great music, friendly people, diversity plus all coming together to creat an event that makes me proud to say that I live in louisville read more

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It is a fun time and something to do if you are in town over Labor Day weekend. Cool things for sale, information booths, various performances of music and dance....but what you are *really* going for is the food. Be honest....the food is the BEST PART. And worth it. Unfortunately this year it was unbearably hot and there isn't a whole lot of shaded area. So we weren't able to stay long beyond getting something yummy in our tummies... read more

Worldfest - Goat cheese and crab spring rolls - Festivals Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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Worldfest is a great event for Louisville! I really enjoyed the performances and the various food choices. I applaud the efforts put forth by the organizers, sponsors, volunteers and vendors. The event has grown bigger by the year. I could not choose which performances to watch because they were all very interesting and so diverse. There were so many food choices this year I did not know how to choose! I got to try August Moon's goat cheese and crab spring rolls. That is about the oddest combo I have seen. I don't think I would have ordered it at a restaurant. But it worked! It still tasted good under the unbearable heat of the weekend. The Singapore Noodles were crispy, dry and in long strands like they are supposed to be. I don't know how the vendors, performers and volunteers withstood that heat this weekend. Their efforts are definitely appreciated! I will return next year! read more

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Louisville is among the less diverse cities (74% white, 21% black), but it has enough minority cultures to hold an event like this, while being white enough to make it worthwhile. Held for four days every Labor Day weekend, it's a fab place to see good music and dance and an awesome way to sample good traditional ethnic foods. If only the state fair could take a page from their culinary playbook. We love coming here just to make our stomachs round -- Mexican, Salvadoran, Congolese, Soul, Barbecue, Thai, Eritrean, Indian, Greek, French, Cuban -- but they book pretty good shows too (Buckwheat Zydeco this year). Yes, you can get a corn dog if that's your thing, but few visitors with tastebuds do. I'm happy to say that there is little here you can't get at restaurants around town, but it's always great to see this stuff available on the Belvedere. By all means, go hug a hippie and eat a taco. read more

I had a very hard time deciding whether to give this event 3 or 4 stars. I've went to World Fest for the past few years, and it usually consists of the same stuff. It's a pretty cool event, and you get to dig into the rich cultures of other countries. As far as the food goes, there's a pretty wide variety; mostly split between ethnic food stands and fair-type food trucks. A few of the stands looked a little unsanitary, so be careful where you decide to get some grub from. They had quite a few different drink stands, beer ticket tents and a couple full bars, so you know, that's always a plus. :) I tried the Bourbon slushie and it was SO GOOD! The live music is probably one of the best parts Worldfest has to offer. It changes up every few hours or so, and I've seen different acts such as Irish dancers, Jamaican singers, and so much more. They're always playing on two different stages, so no matter where your walking around at you can usually hear it pretty well. The stands can either be really cool or really lame. This year seemed to consist of a lot of junky knockoff handbag and glasses stands, and less of the cultural knick knacks that are interesting. My friend and I went to the Psychic stand and payed 10$ to both be told we will live long lives and marry our true love. LOL. I gotta admit, it was pretty funny. If you've never been before, you should definitely check it out. Like the State Fair, once you go so many times, it just isn't that much fun anymore. read more

Worldfest - Live music! - Festivals Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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Had another great time at the worldfest, minus the heat. Even though there was a lot of different food venues to chose from, I should be ashamed for going for the Cuban food again. Even though it was crazy hot, I still had a great time. read more

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As many Louisville Yelpers know, Jennifer and I like to attend as many local and regional festivals as we can throughout the year...and one of those festivals is Worldfest. Held during the Labor Day weekend on the Louisville Belvadere, Worldfest is a FREE event that celebrates all the countries that help make Louisville a diverse community. International food, drinks, music, dancing, workshops, and vendors are all a part of Worldfest. There is ample parking downtown -- some free, some not. My only knock on Worldfest is that it seems like many European countries are not showcased there. Other than that, it's a cool event to attend! read more

Worldfest - Festivals Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

WorldFest is a fun, cultural, fee entry annual festival in Louisville. I highly recommend attending to enjoy the live music (on several different stages), varieties of different ethnic foods, and shop. Be prepared to drop some money though. I got a $11 pina colada and did not notice there was no alcohol in it until I got it. I then spent $7 on a shot of liquor so all-in-all a $18 cocktail. Beer tickets are $6 each, which isn't too bad. I've been to this festival the last couple of years and it's always a good time. read more

Worldfest - Caribbean Colada - Festivals Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Came to worldfest last night and honestly it was just so crowded and the layout seems disorganized to keep the flow moving. I had lo mein from Bangkok express that was sub par and nothing special. I have come here before and I like the idea of getting to try food from several areas but the prices are not cheap to do so, almost every entree is minimum $7. The music was too loud and a lot of the vendors had were selling the exact same thing. read more

This is the 21st annual world fest and I've been to the last 10 of them. That should tell you what you need to know. Great food, music and fun!!! read more

Worldfest is a super fun event held in downtown Louisville in an area called the Belvedere. The Belvedere is an event space on the riverfront between 4th Street & 6th Street. Worldfest is FREE and held for 4 days over Labor Day weekend. Imagine food, music, arts, clothing, dancing and many cultures all gathered together to learn and share with one another and you have described Worldfest. It seems to me like Worldfest has greatly expanded this year. There are so many food and drink booths to choose from I suggest you go hungry and take your time exploring the many options. The music is what draws me most to the event. There are multiple stages and the music is lively and perfect for dancing both on the floor and in the crowd. Worldfest has so much to offer it will probably take more than one visit over the weekend to adequately cover the varied booths and concerts. I think Worldfest is a very nice event that appeals to a wide range of interests. Come hungry and plan to taste new foods and experience many cultures. read more

This festival could be all about culture but over the years, in my opinion, its lost quite a bit of its flare. Don't get me wrong--there are LOTS of options here for food and you get to try all kinds of new foods, if you wish to. Food from around the world..some authentic, some not. However, that is basically what its about. Eating. (and drinking) The stages used to offer a lot more in terms of dancing, demonstrations, and live music from around the world. This year, it was weak. They had a large break where no one was on one stage, and then on the other, a group performed but seemed very unrehearsed and didn't talk about the music at all--where was it from? How did they get involved? With the food stands, I saw no cooking demonstrations or histories of where/why a country eats this or that. Further, I didn't notice much of anything else educational either. No opportunities for kids or adults to learn about diversity and culture. I LOVE the idea behind Worldfest. However, it seems like it needs a major tune-up to become something really great....a place to learn, experience, become more understanding. A place for families, couples, individuals to be intrigued. When it first began several years ago, it seemed more centered around the idea of being a Festival of the World, versus now being a Festival of Food and Drink. Note: I wouldn't recommend kids coming here after 6pm'ish...the crowd can get rough and there is a lot more intoxication. read more

There are so many festivals in this lovely city but none compare to this one! There is something for everyone; many kid friendly activities, a Parade of Cultures, festival foods from every corner of the earth, clothing and various trinkets to purchase, information on several programs/resources along with free items (pens, stickers, cups, tote bags, koozies, etc), and so many entertainment options spread out over 2 stages (DJ's, Chinese dance, African dance, traditional hula dancing, belly dancers, etc). This was an enjoyable experience and something everyone living in or visiting the 502 must do! read more

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WorldFest is a favorite festival of ours. Since coming to Louisville from SC, four 1/2 years ago, we've enjoyed getting to sample the foods and crafts of other cultures. Listening to music, watching native dancers and looking at the magnificent dress and costumes helps you feel a part of the World, not just the little niche that you live in day to day. Moe, from Moe Licious BBQ, said it best during a WLKY interview, "It allows people to learn about the world that you can't get from a text book." Here's a plug for Moe - their BBQ is delicious https://m.facebook.com/MoeLiciousBBQ?refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMoeLiciousBBQ. We've had Moe's BBQ out at Jtown, so wanted to try something new. This time we went with Zoom Zoom Yum Turkish Food and it was yummy! https://www.facebook.com/zoomzoomyum LEEB had the Kofte Sandwich and I had the Adana Kebab, which are the original Turkish dishes. They were really good and fresh. The meat was spicy and tasty. The red sauce with the Kofte was excellent (I tried som on my Kebab). The tomato/cuke mixture that I opted out from was not overwhelming according to LEEB. After dancing and listening to some Reggea, we went for some Gelato Sammies from Gelato Gilberto https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gelato-Gilberto/9188920830. Another winner. We got the chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, and I had salted caramel gelato while LEEB got the cheesecake gelato. Needless to say, it did not last long because it was so good! After searching through the many booths of clothing, toys, gorgeous beaded cushions, LEEB & I found the Nine Dragons Studio booth - http://www.ninedragonstudios.com. They had really cool pottery (I liked the garden elf bust) and beautiful jewelry. LEEB purchased a lovely "Tree of Life" silver pendant that was hand-made by the owner's wife for me. It celebrates our live of gardening. All in all, WorldFest is a lot of fun to go to and spend time with friends and family. Poking around booths and enjoying the flavored and sounds of other cultures. One recommendation for organizers - put vendors websites on your website. This would make it easier to find them at the festival, preview restaurant menus and find them in the future. read more

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Over priced food trucks - way over priced. It was small, they have booths that had the same stuff - African women's dresses. No diversity - it was all women's clothing, each booth had the same thing. No real artisans where there, no real craftsmen. Other attendees said the same thing to me. They play elevator music most of the time. The live schedule was not followed. On Friday the local Bollywood dance studio was supposed to perform at 5pm - they started 20 minutes late, without explanation. It was mostly very, very young kids 'dancing' in costumes with their mom & dads upfront taking pictures. Parking is expensive, no free parking nearby. Dogs were off leash, the leash laws were not enforced. This was a problem. The homeless were in attendance...many live in the area. Ironically, they too complained about the high price of food at the fair. If you go, you can see the whole place in about 15-20 minutes. They should have this away from city center, in a place that is easily accessible, easy to get to, with lots of free parking, in an open park, with decent cheap food, and real artisans. I will not go back. This was my first and only time there. "World Rip-off Day" read more

Yes, the food is overpriced. And yes, it's outside, so it might be too hot or it might be raining. But this is a lovely event and a great way to try dishes from other cultures and experience some culture, you heathen. So get out of the house and go. read more

Worldfest is one of my top festivals of the year. I go every year and take the kiddos. It's an amazing way to try new foods, listen to different music and shop for some interesting items you won't find anywhere else. It's great to see all the cultures in our community come together and celebrate both diversity and unity. It looked larger and had more authentic vendors this year as well. I'm bummed we had to leave early. It was just too hot. read more

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Do you ever have those things in life you just want to love desperately? To the point of going back to it year after year? But it just always falls short? That's Louisville's WorldFest for me. I've been going for at least four years, and while it's not awful, I always leave disappointed. First some positives... -Food. Don't come here expecting your fried fair food booths (aside from a couple). Overall, you're going to be able to eat diverse foods from cultures around the world. I had a Greek gyro and baklava this year, but the diverse offerings always lead me to walk a lap before settling on my meal. The food is definitely my favorite. -Live entertainment. There are multiple stages with multiple entertainers every day. Whether this is your main draw or more of a soundtrack in the background, it's always a pleasure to the ears. -Diversity. Not only are the food offerings diverse; the attendees of Worldfest are diverse too. I guarantee you'll spot someone from nearly every crowd at Worldfest. I love seeing this in my lovely city of Louisville. -Naturalization ceremony. This is one thing I have not been able to witness, but every year when I read about it in the paper, I'm moved. It's fun that it gets to be in this venue. -Price. Getting into Worldfest is absolutely free. So even if you're disappointed, at least you didn't pay to get in. Negatives -Everything else. I can't fully describe it or put my finger on it, but the rest of Worldfest is lackluster to me. There are vendors selling items. I guess I expect authentic and handmade items at Worldfest. Instead, they sell stupid carnival-type items, like bubble blowers. I guess no one with handcrafted items and the like wants to be there, but for something called Worldfest... My expectations have never been met in this area. As a matter of fact, the only thing I've ever bought at Worldfest is food... And this is coming from a person who loves to shop!! -Weather. It will inevitably rain to some degree (I've been caught in downpours.) or be extremely hot. The organizers can't control that, but it's worth checking the weather before you go. I'm not saying not to go to Worldfest, because there are good things. I'm not saying that you may be slightly letdown if your expectations are extremely high. read more

Wonderful Labor Day weekend event with fabulous food and entertainment. The dancers today were amazing in spite of the heat! Love all the food with so many ethnicities and flavors available. Cold margaritas and drinks available all over. Packed crowds and a great family event! Don't miss this! Stop by and you will have experienced culture firsthand. read more

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I really love Worldfest. It's one of my favorite events in the city. It's an awesome family-friendly event showcasing the diversity of Louisville. I was really hoping for more cultural demonstrations but instead it felt a little like a mini-state fair exhibition/vendor hall. Great music, great food, and lovely people! I would have liked to have had more world craft beer selections to try. There was a beer garden somewhere but I could never locate it. All the same, I love this event and will go back next year! read more

We performed on September 1st on Fountain Stage last year, had a great time there! The audience were great! Great event and great organization! read more

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I've always enjoyed going to the World Fest! This year I came, I saw, I ate, I conquered. My first stop was the Puerto Rican food stand. We ordered a chicken kabob with peppers and onions along with an Arepas de Choclo which is Columbian. It is two corn cakes with melted mozzarella cheese. Superb! Because the festival was closing soon we grabbed several food items to-go. Pho ba luu was the next stop. I grabbed a chicken lemongrass bahn mi sandwich. There was a good crunch to the sandwich and a nice zip from the peppers they put in it. Yum! The third stop was Zoom Zoom Yum which is Turkish cuisine. We ordered a beef gyro wrap. It was so fresh! I liked it because it had a little kick of spice. The fourth stop was the Eden and Kissi booth to mow down on some African and Indian food. We went with the medium special for $15. It came with a ton of food. In our order we chose mango chicken, yellow rice and plantains. DON'T forget the plantains!! The final farewell stop was to nab a pineapple whip cone. I chose pineapple and vanilla swirl. Tangy and creamy all in one! Unfortunately it was so hot outside it melted faster than I could eat it. I had to throw the remainder of the cone in the trash on the way to the car. It was a sad sad moment. Other than food they have drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), music everywhere, dancing and sooooo many unique and beautiful things to buy. I scooted passed those booths so I wasn't tempted. Maybe next year! All in all it was another lovely HOT day in Louisville celebrating our city's ever growing culture. read more

We had a great time! For those that are close minded, unappreciative of other cultures, stuck up and pretentious, please do not attend. Remember, this festival is outside, in late Summer, by the river and in the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It would have been nice if all of the food vendors offered small, tasting portions as well as meals. We enjoy getting a little something from different places to try a variety of flavors. It was nice that the food was not all in one place so you could venture around. An ATM on site would be nice. We are bad about not carrying much cash but everyone should expect to have some cash as there are vendors who don't take cards. It also would have been nice to see more European food such as German, English, Irish, Czech, etc. and other Mediterranean flavors besides Greek. I was so happy to see a French food vendor. The strawberry tart was delightful! The sambusa from the Ethiopian vendor was great! We really enjoyed the variety of entertainment. It was nice to have a schedule so we could watch acts that we were most interested in. The Native American performance on Saturday the 5th was beautiful! My daughters had fun getting their passports stamped at the booths for different countries. The people were so nice. One of the men at the China booth wrote my daughter's name in Chinese on her passport. The other vendors offer a wide variety of arts, crafts, clothing, jewelry, imports and some do have junk but one person's junk is another's treasure. It was nice to not see aisles of direct selling schemes. The event is very family friendly. It's nice to be out and not have to worry about obnoxious drunks around your kids. This was our first time coming to this event and it certainly won't be our last. read more

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This year was my first, and maybe it wasn't the best year to go. The ground was wet and muddy. It was very crowded. The music is much too loud. Most of the food vendors didn't seem like they were up to code. They were lacking in cleanliness. The dance space they had was covered in mud and very small. Most people were just standing on it rather than dancing. I'm not sure I'll be back. Definitely don't bring your animals unless absolutely necessary. I don't recommend strollers or wheelchairs either. It is very hard to navigate the crowds and terrain. read more

It was so hot was hard to enjoy but i did have a good time and i got my tarot cards read tht was fabo

TONS of booths! There were some really cool items we got to browse through from the different cultures represented. The food alone is worth it. Even if you ate beforehand, go for the smells! I wanted to try everything but had made the unfortunate mistake of eating prior to. They have a schedule available for all of the demonstrations. While we were there, they had a group of dancers up from Hawaii showing off the island dance and music. Really fun atmosphere. read more

The vendors at worldfest are decent with everything from jewelry and toys to face painting and sarongs, it's a very family friendly festival. The food vendors on the other hand are pretty good. There is a nice mix of foods and drinks that are decently priced to try multiple items. We did asiatiques short ribs- good, me gusta empanandas- decent but the booth had no organization, and ValuMarket's cubano - delicious, do not pass the opportunity to try! read more

Worldfest - Strawberry Margarita from Ramiro's margarita bar. - Festivals Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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Had a great smattering of food I tried at WorldFest when I drove down to Lousiville to check it out. And I got back to my car just before the rain started, so that was a plus! Lots of variety. We nibbled on some greek food, some italian cookies, various other snacks, and a marvelous pineapple coconut smoothie. It was vibrant and fun, I would definitely come back! read more

i have frequented Worldfest for years now and always enjoy myself. If you are a fan of different types of cuisine this is the festival for you! Loads of mexican, indian, greek, african, french, etc. They also have lots of crafts and other retail things to look at while you walk around. Score some cool jewelry or small gifts! I was impressed at the turn out this year. Lots of people all weekend long it seems like and nice weather to go along with it! I look forward to going back next year. read more