The Yummiest Festivals in Charlotte

South End Wine Festival

★★★★★ 4.8 (9)

"Great event with fun people. I had a ball. Unlimited wine for a few hours what's not to love. The event was very organized. It was nice that all the staff were from the community and could share information that was a nice bonus. It was perfect weather and sold out. Loved the candy at each stop trick or treating for candy and wine as an adult is so much cooler. The live band was a nice addition. I didn't listen to their great hits but people seemed engaged. Food trucks were good as well. The lines were way long. Maybe more food venders in the next year....I hate the port a potty, but I guess that comes with the outside territory. They are so funky. I was able to event get some charlotte gear. Everyone was nice and friendly.... guess alcohol has that affect on people. Overall great event and had fun playing the games, getting info, drinking, eating, spending time with friends, and shopping,"

Carolina Renaissance Festival

★★★★☆ 4 (137)

"I absolutely LOVE going to this Festival!!This is the opening weekend and we had coupons for Buy 1 Get 1 Free Admission Parking is free but can get hectic so plan accordingly and allow enough time for traffic getting into the parking lots.Each food station is all cash and lost vendors are cash with some accepting card. The turkey are a must! ($10) but the is also buttery & delicious as are the bread bowls (I had spinach artichoke), and you should try to roasted nuts There's multiple entertainment options, multiple vendors with unique items for sale and of course there's the Jousting Show!I reccomend to go early since you can spend a whoke day there. Remember to wear your mask(s), bring cash, wear comfortable shoes, and enjoy!"

Queen City Fair

★★★☆☆ 2.7 (3)

"Queen City Fair is just like any other fair I attended as a kid. It's just a quintessential memory of childhood. Mine involved corndogs with mustard, cotton candy that touched the sky and the glorious rides that made me laugh and sometimes scream.This fair was not far from different. We visited the Queen City Fair at the Metrolina Expo Grounds and it was a decent enough area. It allocated ample parking and the grounds itself were definitely not congested.We paid $8 per adult to get in and the child being 4 was free. Once inside, the line for the tickets was long but moved steadily and fast. We ended up purchasing a hand stamp which was unlimited rides for all mechanical rides for the kiddo and this was $25 no matter the age.In addition, we purchased 10 extra tickets so as a family we could ride the ferris wheel and this cost as $12.50. You could buy tickets by the each for $1.25, or 20 for $20.00 and there was one for more 50 tickets but I cannot remember that price.In addition to the mechanical rides, they had a petting zoo for free but if you wanted to feed the animals it was $2.00. They had a pony riding area for $6.00. There was a big cool monster truck you could ride for $5.00. And they also had a helicopter that circled the grounds that you could ride for $10.00. And as far as mechanical rides, they had all the expected. Lots of options for big kids and small kids. The hand stamp for my kiddo was definitely the way to go because he wanted to do some rides twice and most rides were 4 tickets each. In addition to the rides, they had a couple of shows for free - a couple of small "circus" type shows. The food smelled amazing but all we purchased was a funnel cake because they only had one booth for that and the line took nearly 30 minutes. LONG. Overall, we spent over 3 hours at the fair and had our share of fun. It sparked magic in my son's eyes and gave him something to talk about for the next two days."

Charlotte KidsFest

★★★★☆ 4 (2)

"Great fun for the entire family.Lots of different activities for all ages I am looking forward to next year when my grandchildren are a bit older and can do more."

CIAF Charlotte International Arts Festival

★★★★★ 5 (1)

"WOW! Charlotte really brought it! We were super impressed with the level of Art that this first time Arts Festival brought to the city. Art was spread throughout various areas and each display or art form, brought its own flare. From bands, to artist bouncing on poles, to screen shows, to walk thru domes, each fantastic and delightful in its own way. Regardless of the area you live, you can find shows and the arts all around town. From Ballantyne to Southpark Mall, to Southend to the Government center and more........The event lasted a few weeks and had events that were ticketed and many that were free. I hope they bringit back again as it certainly gave the city a dash of pizazz."

Brevard Music Center

★★★★☆ 4.2 (5)

"This past weekend, we headed north to Brevard to check out some amazing bands playing at the Mountain Song Festival. Having been to Brevard numerous time, I was surprised that I was complete unaware of the venue hosting the event, the Brevard Music Center. The event itself was awesome and featured some brilliant bluegrass artists from classics like Hot Rize and Steep Canyon Rangers to up and coming artists like Molly Tuttle. The covered, open theater, is a gem. Great acoustics, beautiful facility, and great for a show on a cool evening. The property was beautifully landscaped and had little cabins and ponds throughout. I can't wait to see another show there and learn more about the BMC!"

Pumpkintown Pumpkin Festival

★★★★★ 5 (2)

"Pumpkintown, located in upcountry South Carolina just a hoot and a holler from Pickens, Table Rock State Park and Caesars Head State Park, is home to the world-famous (in South Carolina) Pumpkin Festival on the 2nd Saturday in October.The 2nd Saturday each October, the pumpkins are in the patch, and it is time to celebrate. Spend the day browsing the arts and craft booths, listening to music, and enjoying the day. Don't miss the parade. Bring a chair or blanket Plenty of port a potties, plus the Mennonites had bunches of tables of deserts! Wow! Also over 100 venders and some of the best bluegrass music ever. I encourage everyone to go the the upstate and enjoy!Parking is in a big field about a mile from the festival, and big wagons pulled by a tractor pick you up and drop you off at the festival. Thousands of folks were there. If you have never experienced the hills of the upcountry this should be the first festival on your fall list."

King's Drive Art Walk

★★★★☆ 4.3 (3)

"This is my favorite arts festival in Charlotte. It's out on by the same group as festival in the park, but I think this one is better. There's less festival faire, less kids, less crowds. I love the location along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. There are a lot of great vendors there. They have a few food trucks there if you want to grab lunch. King of Pops is always there too. I really like that they bring Caroline Calouche to put on shows. It's usually early May on a Saturday and Sunday. If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend going next year!"

Matthews Alive Festival

★★★★☆ 4.4 (8)

"Oh what memories! Back in the 1980's and early 1990's, this festival was called Stumptown Festival. Just before I was born (in the 1970's), my parents, older sister and brother lived mere blocks from here and would walk to the parade then the festival and walk through the booths. Eventually, they moved a few miles away, then my younger sister, and all 6 of us would come to the parade, then walk through the area with booths carefully avoiding the ride area as my parents could not afford to let us ride any of them, or buy the food. Fast forward to my teenage years in late 1980's, early 1990's, where we would come with friends, ride the rides, go through the booth area, buy all we wanted.My last actual time I was able to walk through the entire festival was back in 2003, when I came down to help my mother after a surgery. My last trip to Charlotte (Labor Day weekend 2018), I dragged my parents here on the Sunday. We were early-ish. We walked through some of it, but were unable to enjoy the full affect as they were still opening.This is a small town festival that is fairly inexpensive to do. Homemade items for sale. Some of the booths with items for sale are in the elementary school, which has been updated since the last time I was here. There are stages with live music, and other entertainment. A great time to be had by all. I did not get many pictures of my own as I was busy chatting with my parents, but check out the links below.Parking can be difficult at best. Crowds can be thick in places.For more information:https://www.matthewsalive.org/https://www.facebook.com/MatthewsAlive"

Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival

★★★★☆ 3.7 (3)

"By far my favorite festival in Charlotte. I've been attending for years and for their 10 year Anniversary they pulled out all the stops. Whole roasted pigs every hour on the hour. Three types of bacon - the bourbon maple bacon was amazing. Amazing Beer and liquor vendors to satisfy anyone's tastes. A tasting theatre with food and drink classes. Live music all day.And that's just the things that come with the price of admission. Cigar vendors, artist and BBQ vendors from the best of NC and VA top off an amazing day in Sympathy park.Not going to lie the lines did seem a little longer this year but I'm thinking the beautiful weather contributed to a larger than normal crowd. Hope they cap attendance before the long lines become the norm."

Light the Knights Festival

★★★★☆ 3.6 (17)

"What a way to get into the holiday spirit! It was great to see so many people out and into the enjoying family time, doing a little shopping, ice skating, tubing, walking through the several Christmas themed areas, or sitting down to watch the professional skaters put on a show. If you like to take selfies there are many places set up to do just that. Beautiful backgrounds for families and couples. There are sections where the kids (and adults) can stop and enjoy some simulated snow. The singing bears was a big hit for the kids where as the decorated Christmas trees were a hit for the grownups. A little beyond both of these areas you will find Santa Claus! He was listening to all the kids and what they want for Christmas. They can also write letters to Santa and put them right in the big Santa mailbox! They really thought of everything!If you haven't gone its worth a visit. It will get you into the holiday spirit. Oh, did I mention you can buy food and beverages in several places throughout the venue? Beer, wine, hot chocolate, several food choices and the snack bars. Enjoy!!"

North Carolina Brewers And Music Festival

★★★★☆ 4 (3)

"This little Yelp profile deserves an upgraded, & a recent review. This is one of the best beer festivals that Charlotte has to offer.The weather this year was perfect. Not terribly hot, but blue skies and plenty of beer. No, I don't think that beer is usually included in a weather forecast - but maybe it should be! Blue skies and 100% chance of local beer and swag. This festival seems to be very well organized and attended. You're able to camp, if that's your preference, all weekend! I did not, as I am very spoiled and like camping at home, in my house, with the A/C on - but I know that some people like it. TONS of local breweries come out for this festival and offer unlimited samples on Saturday, and you can vote for your favorite brewery! Food trucks were just up the hill, I don't know if this is the norm as this was my first time attending. A little out of the way, but not a pain. There are booths with local crafts and goodies too, if that's more your pace. Bring lots of sunscreen, as the festival takes place in an open field on Rural Hill grounds, and there's some (but not much shade). Or you can hide from the sun under one of the beer tents. Rural Hill is gorgeous, I'm glad this festival went so well this year as I know that they've been struggling with keeping events on track in the last year. This is definitely something to put on your calendar - local beers, friendly beer reps, food trucks, live music, local crafts and beautiful scenery! Win win win win win win."

South Carolina Strawberry Festival

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (14)

"Review for South Carolina Strawberry Festival 2018 (Wednesday)Attended Wednesday Night "Pick-N-Flick" event at the ASC Greenway-835 Springfield Parkway. This is a different location than this coming Friday and Saturday Festival.The mission was to pick Strawberries and decide later if we stick around to see the film. The film area was outdoors in the field and not in a barn?Guess that what it meant by Field Trial Barn which was really spacious for lots of attendees. It was just too hot to be out in the sun to watch the flick, so we left after picking the strawberries.Parking for $5 and was conveniently located to walking distance to Strawberry fields. There was play area for kids and rides. Noticed Coke booth but did not see a lot of other eateries nor food trucks for we were by the strawberry picking area and entrance.Picking strawberries is fun and what a work out. Just bend and search for your own strawberries. Wonder how many calories I burned in 30- 40 minutes. Not messy at all or did we get any bug bites from picking all these beautiful strawberries. Searched carefully for ripe strawberries and did not throw any on the ground. What we picked is what we tooked being mindful of mother nature. Make sure you wear comfortable closed toe shoes or sneakers. Some patch area were muddy too. There were discarded strawberries on the ground and you walking on clay soil pathway that was not leveled. Had to grab friend standing next to me cause I lost my balance.I definitely will be back next year and the year after just to pick strawberries. Tasting fresh picked strawberries is not the same as buying them from the grocery store. It's all about the experience. We had a great time. Staff was helpful and attentive to attendees. Caution driving into parking area and watch out for kids and pedestrians. Staff will guide you through."

Taste of Charlotte

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (67)

"First time attending and decent event. Things that were good: -Even amount of marketing to food ratio -Easily near parking -Good places present-Nice freebies -Nice time frame -Great use of the community doing performancesComing from chicago I have some recommendations below:-Get cooling stations so people don't over heat.-Use the side walk area for booths and the full street area is used for patrons. It was so tight walking down the street in the heat with food. -Get the best of charlotte out there. I mean there are some great places here but they weren't represented. -Use food trucks too.-Block off the area and have police do bag checks to ensure security and safety. In this time and age it's important to be proactive not reactive. You only have one life and not everyone values others.-Fireworks?! -Can you make it more than 3 days? -Can one of these sponsors sale pre-sale discounted coins?"

Sweet Tooth Festival

★★★★☆ 4.3 (4)

"I found out about this last minute, and could not believe I was so close to missing out on this. If you've ever met me, you would know that I am one of the biggest sweet tooths on the planet and the concept of having a bunch of the best bakeries in town in one place for the sampling...well you might as well have let me die and go to heaven.The price to get in is a bit steep ($30), but worth it for someone new in town like me so I can get to know some of my future favorites to visit. The event was well organized and though a lot of the vendors were generic with cupcakes and cookies, there were a few that stood out including the flavored ice cones and the artisan chocolates.I would definitely go again, but next time I would smarten up and take more home rather than trying to eat all that sugar in one night!"

Cleveland County Fair Association

★★★★☆ 4 (7)

"I attended the Cleveland County Fair a few weeks ago on a Saturday evening. This was my 2nd official visit to the fair. The first was a great experience as well, but I wouldn't have had the opportunity to tell you that if my friends didn't drag me there to experience the full-blown "country" fair that their hometown puts on every year. Many of my friends I met in college were from Shelby and I was doubtful since it takes about 45min to 1hr to get to Shelby from Charlotte.What was great about my 2nd visit to the fair was that we had a friend that had never experienced a county fair from Connecticut and she experienced what I did last year. The night was filled with laughter and just watching her discover all these things foreign to her and her vision of the world. Off-brand colas, fried everything, farm animal petting, and people watching made an enjoyable experience (especially when her face contorted in different expressions of terror and surprise).We ate TONS of food. I had a turkey leg for the first time and fried oreos. Needless-to-say I was almost in a food coma when driving back to Charlotte.Overall, there is something for everyone at the fair. If you are there to eat, you can... there are also educational exhibits to take in. There are also the rides, but I didn't go on them due to the excess amount of food I partook in - I didn't particularly want to see the food again since it was so enjoyable the first time around ;). There are also many games in which you can win prizes.An all around good time for everyone!"

Amazing Maize Maze

★★★★☆ 3.5 (30)

"This is my favorite corn maze in the Charlotte area. I love that they have mailboxes scattered throughout the maze for you to collect a piece of the map at so that you aren't just wandering aimlessly trying to find the exit like you have to do at other mazes. It's very well coordinated with color zones that correspond to what piece of the map you're in. I make sure to come every year when my parents come down to visit me. It's $11 for adults and it usually takes us between 1-2 hours to find all of the pieces of the map and get out. I would highly recommend stopping by to do the maze!"

Carolina Balloon Fest

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (42)

"What an AMAZING experience. Get there EARLY like 700am for the morning launch. The agenda says 8am for the launch, but that is like when they are IN the air!! You want to see them setup and inflate and all the fire and excitement starts EARLY. Once the launch happens, the balloons are up and over the horizon in a matter of 10-20 minutes... so if you think about getting there at 9am... you missed it... but DONT WORRY... the evening launch is awesome as well!The all-day activities move quickly as you wait for the evening launch. Plenty of fair-food items: waffles, chicken, greek, funnel-cake, sausage peppers and onions.... and plenty... LOTS of out-door toilets too.There were 3 balloons that were giving up-and-down tethered rides all day $10 a person for about 5 minutes of enjoyment. One balloon was cash-only, the other 2 took plastic. Line was LONG, but it moved quickly and was all-ages. Very safe, lots of staff managing the balloons, felt totally secure the entire time and professional managed.Several bands play through out the day, and they add a great atmosphere to the event. At the 2022 event, during the evening launch, there was this really cool Irish band that blew the bagpipes and pounded the drums for like 1-hour while the balloons prepared and then launched, it was like a mid-evil war party and added a lot of drama to the event.The evening launch was spectacular, with warmer weather at that time of day and a better understanding of where to sit and watch (choose the hill) about 20-25 balloons fill up and launch in the matter of 20 minutes. Its a race of sort, to get them all up in the air fast and then they magically just float away! A MUST-SEE for anyone.Parking: Get the VIP parking and be just 100 feet from the entrance. The general admissions parking is poorly organized and a nightmare."

Get Lost Corn Maze

★★★★★ 5 (2)

"I never thought we'd have so much fun at a corn maze, but we did! This maze cost $9 each (for adults), and it was worth every penny! We pulled up at 11:30am on a Saturday morning, and only a few cars were in the parking lot. We were greeted quickly, and they explained what your ticket gets you into (there are also activities for young kids to do as well). We took a quick look at the map, and then we set off! We quickly learned that the right path is most likely a dead end! Their corn was able to grow high this year, and it was a very well designed maze. There were loops that only seemed like loops and hidden paths at the end of what we thought were dead ends. There were also some questions along the way that you could use paper/pencil or scan a QR code, which gave you some help. At the half way point, they had a cooler with bottles of water, which was very nice. We truly had an amazing time. It took us a little longer than we wanted to, but we made sure to take every wrong turn there was! At the end, we talked to the owner for a bit about how the corn maze is designed, and we even played a few rounds of cornhole. Check out this corn maze this season-you won't want to miss it!"

North Carolina Apple Festival

★★★★☆ 3.7 (20)

"Cider Slushies rule!!The NC Apple Festival takes place every year on Labor Day weekend. The good news = it really is a lot of fun. The bad news = it draws massive crowds.We arrived early in the day, around 10 AM, and Main Street was starting to thicken with people. Parking was pretty easy to find. As you approach the Festival, you will see people holding signs for paid parking. Local businesses let organizations such as the Girl Scouts and The Red Cross use their parking lots to earn donations in return for the parking. Great move for charities!The Festival itself is block after block of stands from various apple farms interspersed with arts, crafts and vendors. The Farms offer everything from fresh apples, apple sippers, cider and cider slushies, to apple turnovers and apple pies; if you can make it from an apple, it's there!One end has a carnival set up, complete with rides and games. Ticket prices were very reasonable and some of the games guaranteed winning a prize for the kiddos.Yes, there was a two way street filled with festival goers walking at a zombie's pace, at times making it difficult to see things or to stop and browse. Other than that, this is a pretty high quality way to spend some time with your family!!"

Charlotte Food Fight

★★★★★ 5 (8)

"Five stars for a well organized event with a superior turnout. A dozen or so food trucks, neatly circled in the parking lot of Stumptown Park. All sorts of foods, from sandwiches to hot dogs to fried potatoes.Each of the food trucks had a Food Fight special and you were expected to try the special and then vote. Sadly, I only managed to eat six different specials (hey, I tried!) including Wings and Chips from Wingz on Wheelz, a Dirty South Bowl from New Wrap Order, a dog from JJ's Hot Dogs, a Half Italian from What Goes Round and then some tasty Chicken Thighs from Tiger Yakitori. Oh, and three beers from D9.Music was quite good. The first gal I heard was okay, but the Charlotte School of Rock kids were awesome. That dark haired girl rocked it with Helter Skelter, but it just seems like an odd choice from a teenager. Bassist was spot on.Maybe some more seating would have helped, but it is a park. I just forgot to bring my lawn chair. So I "accidentally" ran into the Yelp table and borrowed a corner, socializing with our lovely CM Nikki and Kate T. and Christi K."

Festival In the Park

★★★★☆ 4.2 (20)

"This is one of my favorite Charlotte festivals. They also put on the King's Drive Artwork in the spring. It usually takes place towards the end of September. It happens Friday night, and all day Saturday and Sunday. Parking is available at a few off-site lots, but they charge you $10 per car and then shuttle you to the park. This year we went on Friday night. It was actually really nice compared to Saturday/Sunday. It was a lot less crowded and not nearly as hot. It does get harder to see the art once it gets dark out but the artists have lights. I do wish they had better food options. There are a couple of food trucks, but most of it is just carnival food. This year I found an arepas food truck which was pretty good. They also have love music at two different stages. There are a ton of artists that surround the pond. If you've never been to Festival in the Park, I definitely recommend checking it out!"

Yiasou Greek Festival

★★★★☆ 3.7 (58)

"Yeah I'm a fan. Been too long since I have gone to the Greek Festival in Dilworth but that is my loss.Was originally going to go on Thursday night but we had torrential downpours in the area. Went this afternoon (Sunday) and the weather could not have been nicer. Clear skies, light breeze and temperatures in the 70's.It was crowded as ususal so we ended up parking four blocks away and walking. It was a pleasant walk and gave us a chance to see they old houses of Dilworth that were being renovated.The festival was fantastic. Several stages with dance exhibitions, great Greek Food and you could eat in or they had outside tables where you could also eat.One high point was the fact that the priests gave lectures on the Cathedral, it's art and the significance of that art and differences between Eastern Orthodox vs Western or Roman Catholic practices.The Cathedral is one of the most beautiful houses of worship in the Charlotte area and well worth taking the weekly tour at 3 pm on Saturday the rest of the year.As I said, been a number of years since I have been but will be back next year."

Charlotte Christmas Village

★★★☆☆ 3 (27) • $$

"We decided to stop by last night since the bf hasn't checked out the Christmas Village since it opened right after the Thanksgiving parade. Yesterday seemed a little dead, some vendors weren't even open.. I don't blame them, I can't handle the cold either. But, we still got to stroll around and enjoy the atmosphere. There were quite a few handmade craft vendors including: candles, clothing, and jewelry. My favorite was the Christmas decorations from around the world tent, I forgot what it was called. Most of their deco is European, was nice to learn a little about them. There was a few food vendors as well. My favorite was the vendor selling strudels! We got the broccoli cheddar puff to split alongside a warm hot chocolate. So comforting! We also purchased some apple butter and honey from the vendor who was also selling some nut butters and jam. I love Christmas... worth a stroll!"

Charlotte Fair

★★★☆☆ 2.7 (9)

"This is truly the definition of a local fair. Visiting out of town, we thought it would be more so it really wasn't quite worth the $12 with $5 parking on top of having to pay for all the games and eat the foods. We spent about 45 minutes there just walking around and checking out the stores. The pig race was quite interesting and fun to look at! 3.5 stars rounded down."

Waldhorn Oktoberfest

★★★★☆ 3.8 (12)

"Always try to make it out to Walhorn's annual celebration of Oktoberfest! Their celebration usually lasts over 3 weekends in October where they have a tent erected outside the normal restaurant to have food, drinks, and entertainment all under one space!If you eat dinner at the Waldhorn (make a reservation) and you get free entrance to the tent afterwards. You can also just pay $3 general admission and eat the various offerings the tent has along with the beer!Parking can get a little messy, but you can park next door at the James Polk State historic site or behind the Havertys near Carolina place mall and walk over."

Competition Dining: Fire in the City

★★★★★ 5 (3)

"Want to dine like a rock star??! Follow these four simple steps1) Buy a competition dining ticket2) Roll up to the front door of Bonterra, hand your keys to the valet, wink at the paparazzi3) Order some drinks or wine from the list of 200 and make it rain, as you're seated and greeted by the talk of the town4) Open an enormous can of Holy Crap NC Competition Dining Awesomeness and enjoy!!Tonight the Mandrake and Dogwood crews competed for bragging rights, entry into semifinals and a $2000 check. Each team made 3 courses: a starter, main course and dessert. And the secret ingredients were ... drum roll...Organic Arugula and Calvander cheese from Chapel Hill Creamery. First you sample the ingredients in their purest "naked" form and then the dishes start flying out of the kitchen!! After each dish you rate it on a smartphone app based on everything from Presentation to Aroma to Use of Secret Ingredient. Votes are tallied in real time, separated by the Pros and the Joes, celebrity guests and chefs like our own CM Nikki and people who just like to eat. At the end the teams come out and run through the crowds soaking in the glory, until one is crowned champion! Tonight Dogwood Southern took the prize handily. Both teams had some amazingly creative dishes with spectacular flavor combinations that included uses of the cheese in everything from grit cakes to ice cream, and the arugula in everything from Spaetzele to gelato!! Wow! This is quickly becoming a "must do" annual event here in Charlotte!!Oh and almost forgot step #5 - "accidentally" swap valet keys for the Maserati parked out front and drag race on South Boulevard...just kidding!Or am I??"

Brewgrass Festival

★★★★☆ 4.2 (9)

"This is an award-winning festival, and its reputation came with a warning that tickets go fast. I was prepared to purchase them when the clock ticked time, but not prepared for Etix to immediately crash under the demand of eager boozers such as myself. A ten-minute panic attack ensued as I refreshed my browser every five seconds, and stalked Brewgrass's social sites for an update on ticket status. Luckily, Etix came back online, stopped flashing the "Sold Out" verbiage, and I was able to get in, purchase my package, and get out.So many months ago, the anticipation really had time to reach a fever pitch. And as luck would have it, the weather was bright, sunshine-y, and beautiful this weekend! Couple things that would have been nice to know in advance...1) There were 3 lines leading to the gate; we were in the longest (incorrectly assumed that one was Will Call, and didn't even see the other line til we got closer); ALL of the lines were for general entry -- some much faster than others.2) There's no festival map provided, or program listing who's there and what's on tap. However, the brewery booths are arranged in alphabetical order.3) It's in a ballpark, so there's no shade. Come with lawn chairs and pop-up tents so you can really relax and enjoy the live music.There were only four restaurant booths available, but the choices were solid and pretty well-priced. There was also a pretzel vendor and a kettle corn vendor. Water sold for $1 -- cheap, but sometimes leads to a greater number of drunk folk when not made complimentary. But even though the fest was 7 hours, I didn't see anyone getting unruly. We stayed for about 5 hours. There were also plenty of port-a-potties; I didn't have to wait. There was a great variety of breweries -- from really micro up to big names like New Belgium, and from East to West coast; and a great selection of beer. Nearly every vendor brought 3 or more. Several tapped special limited varieties each hour. (Again, would have been nice to have a program, so you could plan an attack.) From coconut porters and sour peach to traditional IPAs and local honey saisons, there was something for every beer drinker. The best thing about this Beer Fest as opposed to others I've been to is that they didn't over-sell the tickets. It was a perfect crowd -- enough to feel like a party; not so many that the lines were long... other than Wicked Weed, that is! What they were putting in their beer... well, your guess is as good as mine :)"

Freedom Weekend Aloft

★★☆☆☆ 2 (1)

"Ok watching the hot air ballons take off was great... bands were so so... the promoters killed the weekend by raising ticket prices so high. $20 during the day $25 after 4pm. I wonder who sits on the board and says.. $100 for a family of four.. that seems reasonable. I understand there cost, and I understand there is risk (event was totally rained out in 2010 and they still had to pay for everything) There are 3 ways the promoters make money at this event... entry tickets, beer sales and percentage of food sales... two of the three had to be low as the numbers were cut in half (at least) from the year before... It is a great well run event.. just way over priced. They included the rides in the ticket price, but most of the older people could care less about the rides.... treat this like a fair... hand stamps for rides..Lower cost to get in.... have a family discount... Oh by they way parking cost as well.... think people think"

NC Mountain State Fair

★★★★☆ 4 (3)

"I've had a sense of wonder with the fair since I first read Charlotte's Web.That may sound strange, but the manner in which EB White describes the fair, the food, the rides, there's excitement and awe galore. Little has changed since 1952 when Charlotte's Web was first published. Cotton candy, Navajo Blankets, games of skill, and the ferris wheel.... Lasting staples of fun. We are lucky to live to a place that has a fair come through each year. Of course, fairs have evolved into a land where anything and everything can be fried. Funnel cakes were so mid 20th century. Going to the fair gives you the excuse to celebrate the glory of frying anything and everything. Oreos, Twinkies, Snickers Bars, Cheesecake, an entire peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a stick. Go Nuts. You're an unstoppable juggernaut of crispy battered goodness. Once you're food drunk on deep fried delicacies, take some time to appreciate the exhibit hall and the incredible art that can be found there. Submissions from artists of all ages and skill are loaded in like a veritable Noah's Ark of creative glory. Be amazed by dioramas, textile work, produce, preserved and canned items, wood working. Glory."

Great Grapes Wine & Food Festival

★★★☆☆ 3 (21)

"Is it too late to review? I don't think so...because the memories of the event are still so fresh!I received two free passes to join in the festivities. It was my first year and I had a blast! I was overwhelmed by the number of attendees and participating vineyards and other booths. My husband and I had such a fun time learning about the various wineries and tasting the various wines. We sipped all afternoon long and had a blast! Just be prepared for waiting in lines or crowds to get a sample. Some people become tipsy and spill on you, but it's all in good fun, right? Also, bring your cash so you can take some bottles home with you or to grab snacks along the way. The Yelp booth was awesome and gave away palate cleansing oyster crackers (besides other awesome giveaways)...always prepared!My most favorite part was the closing cover band, Liquid A. I could have listened to them all night! It was so fun to watch people dancing and singing. A lot of people brought coolers with their own snacks and created a picnic area. What a great idea for next year!Great way to spend the day!"

Charlotte Bayou Festival

★☆☆☆☆ 1 (11)

"Well..How do I um. well. how do I start?What's the tell tale sign of a bad time? 100 degrees, 20 minutes of waiting, 2 beers and only 5 ft of progress. This was getting old fast and the lil' baby was comatose. I think that's a sign that we have to go. Luckily we got our refunds.For my other 8 friends who braved the heat...well let's just say they didn't even get back in line for seconds. Was it that bad? I don't know but it sure wasn't good enough to wait another 30 minutes in the hot sun.A poor excuse of a festival. Typical of any festival are the usual vendors selling the usual craft goods. I'd say it's safe to say that 98% of the festival wasn't cajun centric. Bad planning, horrible wait time and a just a bad weather day for an inaugural event."