Finally it is fall, the most perfect season of the year. Besides welcoming pumpkin patches, cozy blankets and sweaters, and hot cups of tea, fall also is the most opportune season to host food and cultural festivals. The weather is ideal to set up booths and tents, walk around for hours, and of course enjoy delicacies while you do so. So you may wonder are food and cultural festivals worth your money? Let me share some insight as to why I think they most certainly are.

Have you ever been to a cultural food festival? Well, I recently visited a festival that annually occurs in Las Vegas and although I have been to it before it was nothing short of exciting. The festival I went to was Las Vegas’ annual Greek Food Festival hosted at a local church, the St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox church. This event has annually occurred for 44 years and truly has grown to be popular in the Las Vegas community. This however is definitely not the only festival to occur in Las Vegas, there are in fact quite a few of its caliber including the San Gennaro Feast, Pure Aloha, the Renaissance Fair, etc. Don’t fret however if you don’t live in the Las Vegas area, there is no reason to purchase a ticket to Sin City for this reason. Luckily most cities have held their own versions of these festivals and more, all concentrating on the three F’s: Food, Friends, and Fun.

Food: Who doesn’t love food.
I don’t know about you but I absolutely love my grandma’s cooking. I also love my mom’s cooking and my aunt’s cooking, there’s something about a home cooked meal that never goes wrong. At the Greek food festival I enjoyed many traditional recipes that I’m sure were passed down from generation to generation including delicious Gyros, fresh hummus with pita, and the famous baklava. At cultural festivals (the good ones at least) pretty much every woman or man that is cooking has been doing so for their family for years. They make food with that one secret ingredient that turns a dish from appetizing to succulent and that ingredient is love. The best part is just like Grandma’s house, you’ll never leave one of these festivals hungry.

Friends: Bring one, two, or bring them all.
These festivals usually are so successful because they appeal to anyone and everyone, they are a family event. Bring your mom, dad, sister, brother, cousin twice removed, neighbor… these events always have something for everyone. There’s entertainment for the kids, booze for the adults, and even music for the soul, all something that you can enjoy in great company. Upon my experience these festivals are also great places to build friendships. Most people are so friendly and sweet it’s not hard to bond over sharing a table filled with great food and great laughs.

Fun: Last but not least.
Don’t forget that the last F is the most important. These cultural festivals are nothing but pure fun. An easy and quick escape from a busy week, a place to unwind and enjoy. You can immerse yourself in a whole other culture without having to pay the money to travel, all practically accessible in your backyard. I absolutely love learning about other cultures, their traditions, their music, the dances, the food, the list only continues to get better. The best place to do so with a budget in mind, is at cultural and food festivals.

So with the three F’s in mind, food, friends, and fun, I encourage you to research and see when the next food or cultural festival is being held in your hometown. You never know what a new experience such as that might bring.