This past weekend, I did what all food lovers dream of doing...attended a food festival where I could sample of the foods of over 90 local restaurants..in one day. It's called Taste of Atlanta and this is an annual, 3-day event held in Midtown (partially on my college's campus, actually), and this was my first time attending. We went on Saturday for the second half of the day. Here's a short review of my Taste of Atlanta experience in 8 thoughts.
If you went, I'd love to hear your thoughts too in a comment!
1. Lots of people - I'm not a huge fan of crowds, and although there were lots of people along the streets, it wasn't too crowded. The lines never had more than 10 people in them (except for the Cafe Intermezzo and Svedka station). I still had plenty of room to walk without running into other people and obviously room to take photos :)
2. Fun activity to do with family/friends/date - I'm so happy I went with people I love, and a small group. I think the smaller the group, the better to keep up with everyone in the big crowd and truly enjoy the food and drink experience. I also saw lots of couples at the festival and I think this would be such a fun date activity!
3. So many great and diverse food options - I tried to have a good mix of food items (appetizers, entree samples, and desserts). The Suno (shaved ice) in this photo was a great refresher after I had some ribs from DBA BBQ.
4. Your hands will stay full - When we first got there, I wondered why so many people had bags in their hands...but I quickly realized that bags were the things to have because your hands get full, quickly! You're carrying around food, a drink, napkins, and if you pick up freebies...it's too much! So luckily, several stations were giving out reusable bags and totes if you joined their programs.
5. Freebies - Not every station required that you pay with a purple coupon (worth about $1, and you're originally given 5 of them). Some companies and restaurants were passing out free samples of their products or free promotional items, so that was cool.
6. Great atmosphere - The weather was perfect on Saturday, and the festival is located in a beautiful spot in Midtown with a great view of the city. There are several parking options and walking around is pleasant. Overall, it's a great atmosphere for eating, drinking, and having a good time.
7. Your coupons go quickly - Most stations require 2-3 of these coupons to "purchase" a food item, so you'll use them pretty quickly. Be wise with your food choices and try restaurants you wouldn't normally eat at or random food choices. But you can always purchase more coupons :)
8. You'll get full from all of the food - We were there for a little over two hours, but I was so full after leaving Taste of Atlanta. Even though they give you smaller portions than normal, eating all of that food in a small time frame really adds up. I definitely couldn't handle more than one day of this style of eating haha.
The tagline for this event is "the food lover's food experience," and they're right. It was quite an experience for a food lover like myself. I definitely recommend that everyone attend at least once, and bring a friend(s). Your stomach won't regret it :)
P.S. my bright pink sweater is from Forever 21 :)
the local college over here had a event kinda like that but just for the school. I ended up helping a friend with a booth and got to go. So much free food.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I love going there, it was my second time going and I always have an awesome experience. Everyone is so nice and trying to promote their restaurant. 1 Kept got me to spend tickets on their quail egg twice! Great pointers Vett, glad you had a great time :)
ReplyDeleteYour food looks so tempting..
ReplyDeleteKeep in touch,
www.beingbeautifulandpretty.com
That looks like the perfect day. And I'm drooling over all of your pictures! Charleston has an event like this, too, but it's just one day.
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazingly fun!
ReplyDeleteTHis event is one of the reasons I wish I lived in ATL, so I'm slight jelly. I love that sweater color on you too!
ReplyDeleteOMG that looks amazing!!!! I just gained like 20 pounds lol
ReplyDeleteI didn't get to go since I had some out of town friends to entertain but this looks amazing! Was it more than just last weekend?
ReplyDeleteAJ | TheAJMinute
@TheAJMinute
How fun!! That is my kinda festival!
ReplyDeletexo, B
www.BKCsquared.com
Oeh wauw that sounds great. I would have to rolled out of there in the end though :p
ReplyDeletexx
www.louise-elisabeth.com
I love your pink sweater and everything at the food festival look amazing! Where I live there's the Taste of Nashville, I haven't been before but this post makes me want to go to a food festival!
ReplyDeleteLauren,
http://www.atouchofsoutherngrace.com/
That looks amazing! A lot of cities seem to have an event like that and I always tell myself I need to try it...then never do. Your photos are making me think I need to make it a higher priority!
ReplyDeleteOn the Daily Express
Funny pictures :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lot of fun and great way to try a variety of restaurants, foods, and cooking styles. Hope you have a great day~
ReplyDeleteI love all this food, yummy!
ReplyDeleteLaura. xx
www.stylishvue.blogspot.com
the food looks so delicious and looks like you had fun
ReplyDeletehttp://ezechimereuchenna.blogspot.com/
I keep missing the NYC food and wine festival here. I love the idea of tasting different foods. Sounds and looks like a great time!
ReplyDeleteJessica
www.thewaytomyhart.com