Best of Sacramento Party

For my first review of 2019 I give you: this event that I attended waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 2018. What a slacker. It's hard to say No when you win some free tix. So I didn't. I went. And it was a blast! The tickets are a smidge too expensive normally for me to consider returning next year ($80 advance, $110 otherwise), but I did have a nice time with my bestie, her hubs, and of course my companion DO. The endless drinkies (beer, wine, spirits, cocktails) are I think the best selling point Best of Sac Party has when you look at how much it costs to attend. Most booths will keep supplying you until you're either unconscious or they run out. Best of Sac also allows Sacramentans and various other visitors to hobnob with notable personalities, vendors, and business owners in what I felt was a laidback fashion. There were many folks in attendance that I'm used to seeing on the news channels. Scoring a handroll from Taro himself at the Mikuni booth was one for the memory books. I was able to meet the owner of a winery in Placerville that I've been wanting to visit because my favorite wine guy recently started working there. So why else would people attend this thing? There's the community aspect, the opportunities to donate to various local charities, the complimentary tastes of appetizers and desserts, the art displays, opportunities to shop for holiday gifts, the booze, and also I think it's a good event for people into event or wedding planning. A solid evening was had by all in my party, and I'm thankful I had the opportunity to go. Networking in Sacramento is the way to go! ;-)

Best of Sacramento 2015 did not disappoint. More than 125 of the best restaurants, wineries, breweries, dessert venues , entertainment, businesses working together for the soul purpose of raising money for the March of Dimes. Tonight's event was held at the Sacramento Community Center in the heart of down town . After receiving our wine glass and plate we were off to the races. Some of the restaurants here this evening were "Firehouse, Mikuni, Round Table Pizza, Season 52, High Steaks & Red Lantern from Thunder Valley Casino, Fahrenheit 250 BBQ, Crawdads on the River, plus many more! My favorites were Mikuni with their salmon nigiri sushi, Crawdads on the River with their Korean Short ribs and Jambalaya, and Thunder Valley casino with their bacon wrapped shrimp!There was so many wine and beer vendors here tonight! Too many to mention but believe me you won't be disappointed! Non alcoholic beverages was provided by Pepsi Co. Coffee was provided by Starbucks, and Temple Coffee, and San Francisco Gourmet Coffee.Always leave a little room for dessert. Fat Cat Scone, Melting Pot, Brittle California, Leatherbys Family Creamery are just a few of the fabulous dessert vendors here tonight. Entertainment was provided by Hip Service, Blackburn Bullet, and Super Huey/Apple Z.It was fun watching Alex L. working so hard on the Yelp table. Alex working his magic on the prize wheel. Giving away all kinds of Yelp Swag!It was great seeing our Yelp buddy Jenni T. And her husband Ryan!Sorry we missed Alex T, Olivia S. and Bridget. The Best of Sacramento Party is a must party to attend! If you enjoy eating, drinking and dancing all night long, then this is your party! So Mark your calendar for next years 2016 Best of Sacramento Party! See you there!

My first Best of Sac Party... glad I went to check it out. I've heard of these parties for years and have always wanted to go, but they usually fell on a day that conflicted with work... until tonight. My last minute ticket was a hefty $110, but hey it's a tax write off for a good cause (March of Dimes). And there's wine.This year it was held at the Sac Convention Center. Parking (and traffic around the venue) was a hot mess. The Esquire garage wanted $21 flat... I kid you not. So I ended up parking a couple blocks down by the capitol and walked it. Lines inside were looooonnnnngggg for things like Stella and Mikuni. I saved those for later when things died down. There was actually a diverse selection of eats - from bbq pulled pork sandwiches, jambalaya and chile verde, as well as sushi and crab puffs (just to name a few). Thunder Valley brought out the big guns and had the most impressive spread. Quite a vast array of sweets... cakes, fudge, ice cream galore. The drinks were a flowing. Several wineries from El Dorado and Lodi. Blue Moon brought their truck out and had quite a selection (including some delicious ciders). There was even organic fresh juice to cleanse the palette before more wine.Random vendors galore. I scored everything from a tote bag from Ernestos to a free car wash from Quick Quack and massages from both Massage Envy and the great Bassil Kamas. I should also note that a familair face was at the Yelp booth as well ;)Music was entertaining and diverse. A different band every hour. Hip Service was worth it.Definitely a fun event, but room for improvement. For starters, a map/layout of the event would have been really appreciated and would have helped to spread the crowd around. There were several people in line (but not sure for what) in almost every case. It also would have been nice to have higher signage (like at the fair) so you can get a better look at what you're in line for since a tablecloth sign is easily blocked by the crowd in front of it. Also, there really wasn't a lot of non-meat eats and more seating was necessary.All in all a good time. I'm glad I went and checked it out. People watching was especially entertaining. If you've never been to a Best of Sac Party you must try it... at least once ;)

Best of Sacramento is somewhat of a misnomer. This annual charity event is now located at the Sacramento Convention Center sponsored by many local businesses to support a charity. The 2017 charity was the Make a Wish Foundation.I do not like waiting in line for free samples. The event had many local restaurants serving average to below average food which required standing in a very long line. Portions were small and boring. They need to consult Yelp more to find the true Best of Sacramento, although there were a few local gems hidden in the mix.The booze was much better with smaller lines and the ability to get drunk. Several local breweries and wineries had some good to very good options including some of my favorites. Walking around with a buzz was the only way to tolerate the mostly pretentious crowd who think they look beautiful.Go to a Yelp event instead. The food and people are MUCH better than you get at the Best of Sacramento Party. Save your money for the actual charity.

Oh man this was so fun! So much beer, wine, and good food. Had a blast.The only downside is the long lines but the goodies made it so worth it and for a good cause!

I hate to be critical of something that was given to me for free (Thank you, Syl!)...BUT...I almost could've stayed home and not wasted 2 hours of my time checking out the "Best of Sac." Seriously? This was the best our city had to offer? Hmmmm....This is a huge annual fund-raiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, held downtown this year at the Sacramento Convention Center. The venue is large enough to hold thousands of people, vendors, tables, and a stage, but at the same time, it felt awkward, sterile, and uncomfortable for the attendees (well, at least for this attendee!). Within the first hour, I heard 5 wine glasses break, I saw a woman slip and fall, and a couple of the vendors already ran out of food! I've been to many similar sampling events, and it just seems unacceptable that vendors aren't prepared to meet the demands of the crowd. (Tickets were $80 in advance, mind you.) The headliner band, Hip Service, wasn't going on stage until around 9:00pm, but after 2 hours of standing in line for 1 meatball or 1 cookie, I was done. I don't want to sound all negative. The line to enter was crazy long, but it was well organized and went by quickly. Plenty of tables and chairs to rest your tired feet. Drinks were also plentiful: craft beer, wine, soda, and water to keep you hydrated. Danny's Mini Donuts were on site, with Danny himself, cranking out freshly made bite-sized rings of heaven on his awesome mini donut making machine! Ernesto's Mexican restaurant was handing out reusable bags that made it a lot easier to hold your goodies, instead of the plastic bag they gave us as we entered, along with the wine glass, and sampling tray.There is a lot of room for improvement of this event, and I wish all the luck and success to the organizers and benefactors for next year. But honestly, this was NOT the best of Sacramento.

I'm glad we went and only payed the groupon price. It was a neat event, but once the people really started showing up...the lines were crazy. 15-20 minutes to wait for one bite of food?? We hit most of the booths early enough and only waited in line in the very special booths for a second round. The freebies were fun to snag, the music was good but way too loud...we spent most of the night having to speak way too loudly. The picture booth was a cool memento..but the cartoon sketch was even cooler! Thunder Valley had a great spread, the biggest of the night. Everyone was super friendly and helpful. I hoped they raised all the money they were looking for.

Not even sure about this event. Me and my friends really have mixed reviews about this event altogether. a group of eight of us were planning to meet each other at the cement around 6:30. most of my friends are locals so they were planning to be there by 5 or 5:30 to stand in line. that right there is a huge negative Why do you have to get in line at 5:30 when the event starts at 6:30? So I told my husband I am tired of always rushing so we left Reno around 4. upon arrival we are trying to find street parking. I failed to remember that the new Arena has reflected the parking in downtown. Prior to the arena timed street parking was until 6 p.m. now there are meters all over the place and Max was 90 minutes. We decided to park in the city of Sacramento parking garage which was a flat fee of 10 bucks. once we arrived to the community center there were many employees directing guest. we purchased a Groupon so we were sent to the beginning of the line to check in. checking in with them was a breeze yet people behind me werr really confused. I explain to them what to do. but we couldn't stop laughing because after I checked in the lady told me to blend in. I felt bad because I was now at the beginning of the line when there was people clearly behind me. Needless to say I blended in very well. it took about 15 minutes for them to get us through the door.Once we arrived we saw many venders from wine, beer, food and massages. Of course I sampled some beer, wine and a free chair massage. We finally meet up with our group of friends who had a table that sat 8 people. By this time it was getting very crowded. I was turned off by the long lines that I just sat at my table. They had live music!! So I was able to get up and dance. My favorite band that evening was Hip Service!! They had everyone up and dancing. Overall, it was a fun event to attend with a group of friends or even solo. Be ready to stand in line for some samples!! Attire was mostly dressy casual. Just a warning to ladies and their high heels: the floor is hard and slippery! I witness many ladies running around without their shoes! Yuck!

Great time here , I will add photos later on but I wanted to thank all who participated with their craft.Overall it seems this event needs more help and better organization to accommodate the huge crowds. Sacramento has a ton to offer and it's hard to say this really represents The Best of Sacramento.It was a blast meeting so many people. I enjoyed the tastings and staff were on point.I bought a ticket to support charity.I love this party every year and 2019 was one of the best. A little tequila, some Mikuni's Sushi, all kinds of wine and craft beer, and really great live music. Good Baker's Donuts and a lot of other new additions this year. I loved the addition of the Elements Brass second line in the crowd and Hip Service sounds and looks better than ever. Get there early folks before the food lines are too long then spend the rest of the night drinking LOL dancing. Overall a fun, feeling and friendly.You got my support next year but please read all reviewsMy suggestion is don't put tastings close to entry area because people tend to go right up to those and then like sheep we follow LOL.This causes the lines to growSecondly have bigger signs to identify the vendor. Lastly section off food from drink so folks will go to eat or drink and not have the lines back up

The Husband and I attended our first Best of Sacramento Party this year because I had won some tickets to the event and have always wanted to go and check it out. Traffic/Parking was crazy because of all the people, but I got a good tip from Karen K so we ended up parking in a parking garage a few blocks away for only $2 and avoided most of the cars.We arrived relatively early, a little after it started at 5:30pm, and had no troubles getting in. Our tickets were taken and we were handed a plate (for food samples), a wine glass (for beer/wine samples) and a bag to carry everything in.We walked into the main hall in the convention center and it was HUGE! I was immediately surprised on how many booths there were in such a large space. We grabbed a few samples up front (Hoppy Brewing Company Beer, Red Tail Beer, Rick's Dessert Diner Cake, De Vere's Soup, Ernesto's Mexican Food, etc) before most of the crowds and the lines started. There were some rather large lines for the more popular booths, so we skipped those. The Husband isn't a big fan of lines.Yelp had their own booth set up with the Yelp wheel and Yelp prizes. It was nice to see them having some presence at a local event.There was a large stage in the middle set up for bands, and one did perform while we were there. The acoustics weren't good in such a large space, so whenever they were playing, it was almost impossible to talk no matter where you were in the room. There was also a dance floor and plenty of tables to sit and relax.We stayed for about an hour because around 6:30pm, the people really started coming in and the lines for all the samples got really long. I'm glad I got to go this year, but probably wouldn't go again because of the crowds, and I don't think there really would be anything new or different to see in the coming years.