When I saw there was a sister event to Wine on the River, my interest was immediately peaked…read more Nashville is a sea of beer festivals with a sprinkling of wine festivals, so any time I see a wine event I am all there! I like that the event is dressy and in a nice ballroom with romantic lighting and a band! At first I just kinda barreled in and threw my glass at a the tables, but then slowed my roll and checked out the different wineries. I couldn't help but compare this event to Wine on the River, so here is what I liked about WITW more than WOTR: - I really love that the food was included in the ticket price! It was really nice being able to sample bites from Tom + Chee, Mrs Grissoms and Trattoria Il Mulino. - The lines were long but seemed slightly better than WOTR - I liked dressing up and feeling a bit fancy. Some areas that could have been improved: - With the exception of probably 2 booths, none of the volunteers knew what they were serving nor did they talk about the wines. I get that I'm there to get my drink on, but would have liked to have heard something about the wines. At some booths, they didn't even know what kind of wine they were pouring. - The music was a bit too elevator style for my taste, but I also understood the vibe they were going for and can slightly understand why. I just know that Nashville has some awesome musicians and would have liked it to be a bit more Nashville less elevator. Thanks to Yelp (Johnny) for my ticket and a great night! I am definitely a fan and will be back next year!

This was a fun event (shout out to Yelp for the comp tickets!). The basic concept is that you go…read moreinto the Hilton and they have their huge ballroom set up with a "winter" theme. Then there are tables that are serving different kinds of wine. The wine is free flowing, so I would recommend getting an uber there and back! What's great about this event is that there is beer and liquor too. Lots of options for everyone! There was some food, but not enough for the amount of alcohol there was. We started for about 3/4ths of the time and then booked it to cook out because we were starving. I would recommend eating a bunch before if you want to enjoy the full four hours of the event.

The sophomore year of the Southern Ground Music & Food Festival certainly showed signs of of…read morematurity and a growing attendance to boot. The marriage of music and food while embracing our local community using the beautiful Nashville skyline as a backdrop was executed with finesse. From the super helpful Southern Ground mobile app, upgraded "Foodie Experience" with Celebrity Chef demonstrations (including recent James Beard winner Executive Chef Stephanie Izard of esteemed Chicago restaurant Girl and the Goat) and VIP Foodie Tent benefits that included complimentary catering and full bar (and, let's not forget the air-conditioned bathrooms) that ensured that this lady had a mighty fine time. For anyone who prefers to explore on your own, the Food Truck row and vendors that included some of Nashville's favorites took festival dining to a whole 'notha level. You won't find neon orange nachos or burnt hotdogs here. Let's move on to the music shall we? I'm sure that I'll receive some hate mail for this one but I have to admit that I wouldn't be able to name one Zac Brown song if my life depended on it. However, regardless of my lack of expertise or interest in Zac and the country music charts for that matter... I have to give him props for investing in our city (note Southern Ground HQ located in Music Row) and for launching his 2nd location for this festival (Charleston launched a year earlier than Nashville). Three official stage locations included: Capital One Main Stage: This also included attached stage boxes for those who preferred gourmet dining delivered to your table and close proximity to the entertainment for a hunk of change that ranged from $425 - $599. I was able to catch Willie Nelson & Family with special guest Warren Haynes, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Zac Brown teaming up with John Fogerty and some of ABC's Nashville darlins that included a live taping of Claire Bowen (that will potentially end up on the series), and Rayna's daughters Lennon & Maisy covering their hit The Lumineers "Hey Ho." I unfortunately had to miss the lineup of Dawes, The Head & The Heart, and Grace Potter and The Nocturnals. I'm smitten with all three of those bands! Landshark Lager Stage: The smaller of the two outdoor stages was located behind the large grassy knoll and hosted some fine acts that ranged from Blackberry Smoke, Kacey Musgraves, and The Wood Brothers. The Listening Room Cafe: I never made it to this stage as I was too preoccupied with what was going on outdoors but acts such as Lennon & Maisy (The Stellas) from ABC's Nashville, Erin McCarley, and Seven Handle Circus surely helped fill the room here. Overall, I believe that Southern Ground will be around for awhile and with ticket prices that range from $79 to $599, the spread allows for many Nashvillians the potential to attend. I just hope that next year, Music City Eats and Southern Ground aren't planned just one week apart since there is definitely much crossover with the strong themes of food and music. It should be noted that Southern Ground already had a year under their belt and announced their schedule before Music City Eats. Many question if our community can support both of these events, and I believe that we most certainly can but hosting them at least a couple of months apart would allow for us local food and music lovin' supporters to nurse a wicked festival hangover. TIP: Park near Korean's Vet Pkwy for Will Call and entrance or be prepared for a long hike.

We attended our second SGMFF yesterday and this thing only gets bigger and better. The music was…read morediverse enough that most folks will see someone that they'd enjoy. Also, with the 2 stages you never have to wait for music. The food choices were a lot more plentiful this year with a lot of top notch local restaurants throwing their hat in the ring. The food trucks were great, although they (logically) bumped up the prices for the day. Jack Daniel's had their mobile museum there, and the cigar vendor seemed to be extremely popular, as everywhere you went you could smell them. The free ferris wheel was a nice addition, and it never seemed too crowded. Overall it was an awesome day out with the family.

For 10 glorious years, Wine on the River has made grey teeth out of us locals, and to the…read moreorganizers of this event, I love you for that. This is hands down my favorite event of the year, and I will continue to make a fool out of myself on the Shelby Street Bridge annually by shamelessly trying to get bigger pours at the wine tents and making new "friends" with other wino attendees. Gotta make it count, right? A couple of tips that are MUSTS if you plan on attending the absolute joy that is Wine on the River: -Buy tickets early. They DO sell out and rather quickly. And nobody wants a DD ticket. -EAT something before you go. And I'm not talking fruit and yogurt ladies. You NEED substance. Bacon. Eggs. Breakfast Burrito. These are all acceptable items. -When the gates open at 3pm, the line on the downtown side is very busy. Go to the East Nashville entrance for quicker lines. While not all of the wines that are offered are my taste (death to Moscato!) this is a great time to try different varieties and step outside the box. And if you happen to be with people who don't like wine (I hate these people already) they DO offer some select liquors. They also have some food vendors around if you didn't take my advice about the food or just get the drunk munchies. Hey, it happens. I will be attending this year, so if you see me and want to say hi, I apologize in advance for my wino behavior.

WOR is always a fun time, but this year I was a little let down. It was about 50/50 wine and hard…read moreliquor. I was expecting more wine. Also, the event moved to river front and is no longer on the pedestrian bridge. We go every year but if it's a hard liquor event again next year, we'll pass going forward. The vibe is always good no matter what.

I had a great time at the Beer Fest in the Gulch. Great samples from local craft breweries from Fat…read moreBottom (my fave of the day was the Bertha Oatmeal Stout) to Turtle Anarchy. So many stickers to collect! Requests for next year: A real cup plz! I'd like to savor the beer fest memories. If you don't want to give out a pint glass (which I totally get) I would totally accept a legit snifter glass or double shot glass or something better than a plastic mouthwash cup. I would have been pretty pissed (and I know some people were) to have spent 50 bucks and not gotten a real cup. Luckily I was able to score tickets for half price and honestly the nice weather made up for it! Other than that, the fest was great. Perfect weather, great tunes from Magnolia Sons (and the other bands!), not terrible porta potty lines, fun photo booth, good people to beer ratio, sticker loot, etc. Nice job!

I would give NO STARS. This event was scheduled for August 30th this year (2014). Then we receive…read morean email today that the event has been postponed for a month due to inclement weather. A 60% chance of rain calls for a cancellation? Come on! Just call it what it is...a failure. You guys can't even get your tickets to sell 2 for $50 on Living Social. Needless to say I WILL NOT be going on October 4th.

Diffenitly a must.... also the VIP pass is also a must do…read more I am not a drinker at all. As most of the whiskeys I still did not care for but the moonshine where the shining light of this for me. I was amazed of the taste and flavors.. the old Smokey table and there blends like the mango habrnero where way beyond my expectations... Would definitely do this again if I had the chance.

I have to give it to Midtown Wine and Spirits and Rhizome Productions, this was one heck of a…read moreparty. From the setting, the music, the food and the massive amounts of whiskey, bourbon and shine, I can now say, "I know my stuff about these distilled liquids!" The festival was held in TPAC's War Memorial Auditorium. It was a stand out place to have this festival. The outside had a small beer garden and Riff's Fine Foods was there serving up some awesome food. I have to say, the Mac and Cheese paired well with my Jackaloupe Rompo. (I am not even thinking about the calories consumed this day). The inside was set up in a circle for the sampling. It made it very organized and easy to travel from booth to booth. I loved the live music. I thought I had died and went to heaven when I realized I would be listening to Bluegrass Music for 4 hours. Now the best part of this event was the actual tasting of the spirits. I know more about what I like and what is out there and I forsee spending a little bit more money for the ones I really liked! (Sorry Bank Account!) Some of the stand outs that I had not heard of where the following: Wasmunds, Big Bottom and MB Roland Distillery. I was a big fan of all of those. I also liked the showcase of the hometown heros too! I loved Speakeasy Distillery's Whisper Creek Tennessee Sipping Cream! I am for sure kicking Bailey's Irish Creme to the curb now. It was great to see Belle Meade, Corsair, and Prichards. Collier and McKeel were also pretty cool, I will have to try them more too! I did miss out on the seminars. I kinda want to kick myself for that, but I was just having so much fun listening to the music. And lastly...some tips: Next year hydrate the crap out of yourself. Drink a ton of water before, after and during. There is a lot of spirits and beer to try. Even though the samples were mini....you will get a little or a lot buzzed (depending on your size/gender/you know all the scientific stuff) Thank you Smile Water for providing the H20 and thank you YELP for the hydration station. That being said....do not drink and drive. More props to the event for making cabs very accessible. That is a huge thumbs up in my book. While I did not utilize a cab service (I opted for a walk downtown to a local eatery), I did see some people using the cabs. Lastly, go to Midtown Spirits and support these distilleries. I want them to come back next year and they all deserve a bump in their sales!

Take this review with a grain of salt. I'm an APIA female who has grown up on both sides of the…read moreMason-Dixon line. I have also lived in Taiwan and Hong Kong. I still have not gotten over the amount of rice farmer hats I see in the southern United States. This event, unfortunately, was no exception. A small-scale event in downtown, my friend and I biked in from opposing sides of town. Luckily, there was a fabulous free bike valet provided by Walk Bike Nashville. I was impressed by their professionalism and kindness during the event. However, they were in the decided minority. I spent the majority of the time walking around and trying not to be offended by the level of ignorance and misrepresentation of APIA culture. The event was reduced to face value, cultural "experiences" like petting a disgruntled and terrified Shiba Inu puppy or standing in a ridiculous line for a subpar bento. Unimpressive and just plain sad. That being said, there were a ton of white people columbusing and appropriating Japanese, Chinese, and Korean culture whether through dress or by the offensive words they chose to say. I'm quite tired of dealing with this level of indiscretion in Nashville. I do not think I will be returning to such an event due how people treat the APIA and international population. The only redeeming qualities here were the fantastic Taiko team from Houston, TX, the martial arts tent, and the Japanese traditional folk artist. Everything else seemed a bit in ill-taste.

For a somewhat small-scaled cultural event, I think this festival offered a very good variety of…read moreactivities to give the participants some sense of semblance of Asian (Japanese in particular) culture. Cultural activities: Japanese tea ceremony was very elegant and informative; Country Western band from Nashville's sister city, Kamakura, in Japan was humorous; Mochituki (rice pounding into rice cake--mochi) was humorous and entertained the participants and audience alike; Aikido demonstration was just OK for me; Kaminari Taiko (Japanese drums) troops from Houston performed a very exciting presentation--perhaps the highlight of my experience of the day, etc. Food vendors/trucks offered good varieties, but I thought they were very pricey. There weren't too many I wanted to really try anyway. Merchandise vendors were plentiful selling anything from old kimonos to some pricey pottery. Sponsor tents were giving away some freebies. Some sponsors were receiving free customer information since you had to sign up for it to receive some free gifts. Cosplayers were numerous and made me laugh. Perhaps one of the funniest things around was the Sumo-suit matches, though. Free parking at Lot A of Nissan Stadium was great with free shuttle bus to the event. Since it wasn't too far to walk back (about 1/2 miles) on a nice sunny day, we walked back to the parking lot saving $1 per person for the ride back. I know it's very hard to predict when the cherry blossoms will be at peak, but this year it was well passed the peak and there were hardly any blossoms left on the trees. That probably was the most disappointing part of this festival since it's named Cherry Blossom Festival.

I mean, this is the anti Bonnaroo scene. Think bougie, southern, monied, family-friendly tailgate…read moremeets a smooth lineup of really good music that closes promptly at curfew so as not to inflict local homeowners assn noise fines. It's comfy. The food is pricey and so good! There isn't ever a line at the Porta potty and you can spend as much as you want for amenities, access, VIP stuff or come in with a ticket wristband and enjoy the day fully. These ladies trade their loubitons (sp?) for fresh tie dye and hemp sandals or cowgirl boots and UNsensibke footwear lol. Vandy Greek folk, hipsters, roadies, serious food truck eats, and a veritable Bedouin tent shopping market with hate. SOOOO many hats lol. I love it, even with my eat-the-rich snark. In the right company, Pilgrimmage seems to be everything I thought it would in previous trips. Turns out not where, but who you're with that really matters. - Dave

First time at Pilgrimage and was so impressed! I think they have learned a lot over the past few…read moreyears about how to make this event enjoyable by all! 2 full days of music, as well as vendors(of all sorts: clothing, jewelry, art, etc), great food options and nice kids area too. I was worried it would be super crowded but the size of the crowd is not an issue. Nicely spread over the entire park so it's never feels claustrophobic. Easy to navigate from stage to stage and around the festival area. Plenty of water stations so you can refill your water bottle. Also plenty of spots to purchase other beverages and lines never unreasonably long. We were fortunate to attend the event with "veterans" who helped us navigate the logistics. #1 - Bring a water bottle! It is in September but it is usually still warm in TN and there are plenty of refill stations. You are not allowed to bring outside beverages in but they did seem to allow a bottle full of ice. #2 - Bring chairs(or blanket, depends on your preference). We brought our beach chairs and set them up in the Chair & Blanket section of one of the larger stages. That gave us a "home base" and we ventured to the other stages from there. #3 - Sunscreen. Again it is still pretty warm in TN in September and you will probably spend a lot of time in the sun. Hats are good too if you are a hat person. #4 - Dress comfortably, including shoes. The event is spread over the Harlinsdale farm area and if you want the full experience it will mean some walking, and you are walking on some gravel or dirt paths and lots of field areas. #5 - Don't overlook the smaller stages. The bigger stages host the bigger names but the smaller venues are lovely. Several of them are under tents or shade so that is a plus. Also the musicians you hear there are top notch too and you may be hearing a up 'n comer in the business! #6 - Most places take cards but having cash for some of these vendors can expedite check out if the wifi gets overloaded. There are plenty of great options in the food areas. (yes, multiple areas and food vendors around some of the larger stages too) Some nice shaded areas for eating and surely something for every taste. Incredible line up of talent. Different every year. Full of well know names with huge followings and plenty of newer faces that don't disappoint either. We were able to toggle between several of the stages and see a great variety of performances. Well done Pilgrimage! A great showcase!

Great event for families and friends! You can even bring your dog if you like. The artist work…read moreunder a covered area so it's rain or shine. The event had a good selection of food options and entertainment. It also raises money for a wonderful cause. We look forward to this event every year!