Fremont Festival of the Arts

The Fremont Festival of the Arts this 2024 was great! I attended because my friend was performing with her hula class. Despite the entire street being blocked off for the festival, parking was surprisingly easy. I parked near Walgreens and walked to the "Kid City" area (the driveway in front of Raley's on Paseo Padre Parkway).It was a hot day, but the variety of refreshments available made it bearable. You just have to find the right vendor - for example, one place charged $10 for a drink, while another offered two drinks for $5. There were lots of interesting vendors, including jewelry shops, artisan leather shops, lemonade and food stalls, and even some educational vendors. I took home a few cute genuine leather keychains, which were a great find.It was a fun event, and although I'm not a drinker, I still enjoyed the experience. It's a great event to bring kids, see some fun stuff, and support local shops. Overall, I would definitely recommend checking it out next year!

IMHO5 years since my last review. Went on a Sunday this year. Hoped it would be cooler. Nope. Still lots of vendors, but many were different and new. I missed my favorites. Understandably, prices are higher... but dang!!! Normally my hubby and I like to buy a Lockeford sausage roll but they weren't there! Nothing piqued my foodie interest this year. Before we left, I bought a medium Dipping Dots bowl for $8. It was the perfect way to end our visit. It was very refreshing. The only item I purchased was a colorful wind spinner for $15. It brings me joy when I see it spinning in my garden!Will we return next year? Probably.

I didn't realize how popular this festival was until I heard my friends from out of the area talking about this festival. I thought it was Fremont's gem, but the whole Bay knows about this annual event! Makes sense, considering it's walking distance from the Fremont BART station, and easy to bike to if you are comfortable biking on streets.I really enjoy coming to this festival. There's something for everyone - the artists, the foodies, the kids, the instagrammers, etc. There are so many unique vendors here selling everything from handmade jewelry to BBQ sauces to bonsai trees to wood carvings. The list goes on and on! It feels great to support local business and buy food from fundraiser booths. I always end up finding at least one thing to purchase. There is also a decent selection for food. I really loved the chicky bites from Chicken and the Farm, which is a business that frequents events like this fair.It is often hot and a little crowded at the fair, so be prepared to wear sunscreen or bring a hat, and enjoy the beautiful summer day!

The Fremont Festival of the Arts is amazing, way better than most other art/wine/music festivals I've been to in the bay area. Admission is free, the parking fee is cheap (only $5), there are endless rows of vendor tents with such unique items for sale, clothes, art of all kinds, airbrush artwork, sculptures, exotic butterfly displays, hand made animal-themed items, patio furniture, home decor with cool quotes or sayings etched onto them, toys, gifts, pop-up cards, unique totes, spices, jerky (with free samples), massages/stretches on site, and even uncommon items like rubber band guns. Like I said, LOTS of tents that stretched a long way down the main street and crossed another street of tents. And of course there was a cute little kids section with rides, bouncy houses, fun house, giant slide, and even an adorable train to ride down a path.Two and a half stages of live music (and limited seating/tables)... I say "half" because a couple musicians were just playing at one of the tents, alongside the vendors, more low key. But the other two stages had great music being performed by awesome bands for bigger crowds. One of them, I remember playing some rock hits. The other, a band called "Pop Fiction," played favorites like ABC (Jackson 5), Footlose (Kenny Loggins), and Take on Me (A-ha).And of course, it wouldn't be a true festival without FOOD! There were about 7-8 food trucks, and multiple food stands, selling so many options including BBQ, sausages, gyros, empanadas, gumbo, crab items, tropical beverages, lemonade, ice cream, as well as your typical fried fair food and garlic items. The food was located at two different streets/corners of the festival, so we mistakenly thought there were only 4 food trucks (near one of the stages), and ended up eating there, before walking down the other side and seeing the huge variety of additional options. But it was all good. We also had a couple beers while there (they served beer and wine, using the ticket system that most festivals utilize).It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day, lots to see and do there, plenty of unique items for sale that made it stand out from other festivals, a wide selection of mouthwatering food offered, lots of friendly people. I would definitely return!

True that it's one of the biggest art festivals with a lot more vendors than most I've been to. There's a children section with rides and activities. Street lined with clothing, jewelry, novelty item vendors. Nice to see Fremont police presence with their own section, made the event feel safer. A few tents with tables and chairs but best to bring your own chair and find a spot under a tree for shade as it was pretty hot and sunny. I like that the food vendors are different from other festivals but could use more variety and more food vendors. Crab fries was pretty good. Got the corn dog from the same vendor; they make their own corn dog batter which I wish could be a bit sweeter to complement the saltiness of the hot dog. Funnel cake with strawberries was perfect dessert enough for two people. Happy to see Bruster's ice cream, great for a hot day. Would have tried to go earlier in the day to avoid the heat. Didn't have to wait too long in line for food. Reasonable price for most. It was fun checking out different merchandise. Fun and happy atmosphere overall.

Very disappointed in this one. I'm not sure why the don't move some of it out under the trees so it's not so uncomfortable for participants and attendees. It wasn't even extreme temps when we were there, but the blacktop made it miserable. They advertise as a festival of the arts, but it was heavily soap and smells in various formats and nice craft items. I think we made it through about 1/2 before giving in to heat, and We saw very little art. There were businesses marketing their services, lotto, Food service...... not what we expected and so much aromatherapy and fragrance that we were miserable. Mix it up guys! Next year you can do better with variety and putting more fine art in.

This year was much too hot to be on asphalt without shade . Close to no parking . Parking in businesses near by was a crap shoot . This festival should use canopy shade in the vendor areas . Also the festival website said no dogs allowed . Plenty of dogs around - I like dogs , left mine home . Glad I did . Too hot for dog feet on the asphalt but people did it . The usual prices for this sort of thing . Doubt I will go back unless they improve a few things .

First time here and did not realize this festival started years ago. Thanks to watching NBC news I decided to check it out and having been to many festivals such as the Millbrae Art and Wine and Union Street San Francisco they pale in comparison as the FFA's is ten times bigger plus the weather was perfect with temps not in the 90s. Definitely recommend checking it out with family this weekend as it ends on August 7th.

I'm here for the music!Find the bands you like and come early if you want a seat. Plenty of shade under the trees in the area. The Walnut stage has the beer and wine booths right next door, very convenient. As the band said, "the more you drink the better they sound"Food booths are nearby too, so come have some fun in the sun, or in the shade if you prefer.

I look forward to this festival every year! It's truly a family event. There's something for everyone. Wine, beer, and margaritas for the old(er) folks, and rides, face painting, and balloon animals for the young'uns! I love the variety of booths at this fair. Amazing local/family business frequent the festival every year, selling candles to candy apples, paintings to purses, and hats to hand-crafted watches. It's really fun to see some of the same vendors year after year. This festival is also packed with FOOD. Corn dogs, curly fries, kettle corn, gyros, elote, kebabs, lemonade, piña coladas, you name it! This year, there were also a toooon of free samples. My family walked out of the festival with free bags of chips, cookies, grilled cheese, and beer! This year, there was also a really neat butterfly garden! This was definitely my highlight. Great deal of $9 for three people to go in for an unlimited amount of time!