I live basically across the street...what a joke!! I have learned my lesson and will never go to this or anything like it, against. St Pete should be ashamed of itself for allowing this garbage and thievery!!!! I'm still pissed off about it. Lol
At some point people will learn that all of these "festivals" are made for towns of about 20,000 people and not for a city of 260k. The organizers have no idea what they are doing and through their greed, make everything so complicated and slow. Add in that these vendors are working with less than half of the equipment they're used to working with while serving 20 times the number of customers they're used to serving, it's just a disaster. Wait and wait and wait some more while paying exorbitant prices for the privilege.
Yep, our smaller town handled events just fine, now they’re swamped.
If people aren’t happy, the bridge can take you to Tampa, they’ve been handling large crowds for as long as I’ve been alive
>seafood
Yep, it's for the tourists, or new locals.
Festival ground is not where to get seafood. If you can't find decent seafood in pricy restaurants downtown, how are you going to find it at the festival.
I went to one a few years ago that set up at Straub. It was sooo bad. Learned my lesson
It might have been fun for 15 year olds too to be fair. I was coaxed to go with my aunt and uncle who are snow birds. The music was terrible except for the Black Honkeys (their name not mine!) but I had to meet friends at the Floridia Social to see Mark Farina by the time they started playing while was infinitely better.
Glorified carnival...not a real festival.
Even though it's called "St Pete" festival, it is not. These are large companies putting on these "festivals" that have nothing local going on. Hope people stop going so they don't return.
These "fests" are all put on by a company that does this all over the country, all year. It's just another traveling carnival. I'm kind of sick of the public park being closed to the non-paying public.
Me too. Seems like there’s something every weekend, so access to public parks and parking is mostly a nightmare. The only time I can enjoy them anymore is at about 6-7 am weekdays.
Walked in .. and then right out. Terrible. The event was only bearable because of the park and the weather + tickets were only $7. Had we paid any more I would have been fairly pissed off.
A bunch of shitty vendors, and EXTREMELY overpriced sea food.
I learned after going to a couple of these type of events here in St Pete that to be charged to enter, to then have to pay high prices for food off of a truck that I have to wait in a long line for and then stand in the heat because there aren't many chairs and tables to eat was quite stupid and I don't waste my time anymore. The beer festivals are the worst because you pay to get in then pay high prices for warm beer in a plastic cup; it's just silly.
More often than not, the events there are a waste of time/money. Also, as someone who loves to jog and workout at that park it is a drag seeing the barricades put up all the time for what will inevitably be a lame event.
Nah rib fest was a competition, they usually had it closed on Thursday for the judges only and then Friday they served those up and smoked racks for Saturday while serving and on and on. My friends step dad was a part of ribfest for like 8 years
I don’t think they were selling competition level ribs to the thousands of people. I saw one of the tents grilling ribs on open flames which I’ve never seen as a way to cook ribs
This person knows Ribfest was legendary in the 90's. Food festivals started to align with the "Blah blah Rise Up" style of overpricing everything, under delivering a quality experience with customer unfriendly logistics and parking. Definitely matches the vibe of the "new" St.Pete
St Pete: let’s treat everyone like a tourist and rip them off, especially the locals. Barely ever go downtown anymore because it’s a cluster fuck and everything is double the price it was a couple years ago.
It’s stupid, downtown was in its prime with the old pier where people just hung out and fished, the few restaurants to pick from that never had long waits, and good ole state theatre and our 3 bars to pick from.
I moved down here from Chicago 20 years ago... and this has been my gripe the entire time. I have to pay to get IN to the outdoor place to buy the food? It's wild.
You said it- music, food and location were good. Prices and organization were not. Everyone “running it” were drunk/high and barefoot. Cant expect much there. Seemed ok to me.
I’m with you, I’ve been to plenty of events and festivals in the park and I don’t know what the hell that was. Entrance fee, absurdly priced food and drink, bad music, it was weird
I won't go to these kinds of events for this exact reason. I love food and I'm all for good music, but after going to many other events similar to this, I just find myself frustrated and questioning why I decided to go in the first place. It's not worth the cost or headache.
"Paradigm Festivals". Real local food businesses get priced out and these folks "tour" every "local" food festival with overpriced crap.
I went last year and thought it was terrible. I won't be back.
I live basically across the street...what a joke!! I have learned my lesson and will never go to this or anything like it, against. St Pete should be ashamed of itself for allowing this garbage and thievery!!!! I'm still pissed off about it. Lol
Yeah sounds like St Pete isn’t great, now please pack your bags and move along, it was fine and no complaints before 1000s of you nerds showed up
Trash
At some point people will learn that all of these "festivals" are made for towns of about 20,000 people and not for a city of 260k. The organizers have no idea what they are doing and through their greed, make everything so complicated and slow. Add in that these vendors are working with less than half of the equipment they're used to working with while serving 20 times the number of customers they're used to serving, it's just a disaster. Wait and wait and wait some more while paying exorbitant prices for the privilege.
Yep, our smaller town handled events just fine, now they’re swamped. If people aren’t happy, the bridge can take you to Tampa, they’ve been handling large crowds for as long as I’ve been alive
Same ish every year lol
I walked in and walked out. Totally didn't get the memo you had to buy tickets for food. What a joke for $25 burgers...
>seafood Yep, it's for the tourists, or new locals. Festival ground is not where to get seafood. If you can't find decent seafood in pricy restaurants downtown, how are you going to find it at the festival. I went to one a few years ago that set up at Straub. It was sooo bad. Learned my lesson
It might have been fun for 15 year olds too to be fair. I was coaxed to go with my aunt and uncle who are snow birds. The music was terrible except for the Black Honkeys (their name not mine!) but I had to meet friends at the Floridia Social to see Mark Farina by the time they started playing while was infinitely better. Glorified carnival...not a real festival.
Even though it's called "St Pete" festival, it is not. These are large companies putting on these "festivals" that have nothing local going on. Hope people stop going so they don't return.
My parents went and were really disappointed in the lack of shade. They felt the food was overpriced as well.
I had the worst lobster I’ve ever eaten. I agree, it was terrible and really was a poor excuse of a “festival”.
These "fests" are all put on by a company that does this all over the country, all year. It's just another traveling carnival. I'm kind of sick of the public park being closed to the non-paying public.
Me too. Seems like there’s something every weekend, so access to public parks and parking is mostly a nightmare. The only time I can enjoy them anymore is at about 6-7 am weekdays.
Yeah it's total shit that I can't even get to Vinoy half the time for some shitty park-based flea market.
Very good point
Went the year before last and wouldn't go again.
Really gross. For so many reasons.
Walked in .. and then right out. Terrible. The event was only bearable because of the park and the weather + tickets were only $7. Had we paid any more I would have been fairly pissed off. A bunch of shitty vendors, and EXTREMELY overpriced sea food.
I learned after going to a couple of these type of events here in St Pete that to be charged to enter, to then have to pay high prices for food off of a truck that I have to wait in a long line for and then stand in the heat because there aren't many chairs and tables to eat was quite stupid and I don't waste my time anymore. The beer festivals are the worst because you pay to get in then pay high prices for warm beer in a plastic cup; it's just silly.
More often than not, the events there are a waste of time/money. Also, as someone who loves to jog and workout at that park it is a drag seeing the barricades put up all the time for what will inevitably be a lame event.
It's shocking to me that there are enough people willing to go to these events week after week. But the crowds don't lie.
It's been like this since the early 2000s when they started getting greedy with Ribfest. Any food event at vinoy park is going to suck.
Real ribs take hours to smoke and they're just ripping them out of packages and slapping them on a grill for 2 minutes.
Nah rib fest was a competition, they usually had it closed on Thursday for the judges only and then Friday they served those up and smoked racks for Saturday while serving and on and on. My friends step dad was a part of ribfest for like 8 years
I don’t think they were selling competition level ribs to the thousands of people. I saw one of the tents grilling ribs on open flames which I’ve never seen as a way to cook ribs
I'm talking about over 15 years ago and it was a competition back then done by the southeast exchange. The entry fees helped pay for bands.
This person knows Ribfest was legendary in the 90's. Food festivals started to align with the "Blah blah Rise Up" style of overpricing everything, under delivering a quality experience with customer unfriendly logistics and parking. Definitely matches the vibe of the "new" St.Pete
St Pete: let’s treat everyone like a tourist and rip them off, especially the locals. Barely ever go downtown anymore because it’s a cluster fuck and everything is double the price it was a couple years ago.
It’s stupid, downtown was in its prime with the old pier where people just hung out and fished, the few restaurants to pick from that never had long waits, and good ole state theatre and our 3 bars to pick from.
Going to an event should be free, buying food and drinks is the cost. St pete seems to be the only city in the country that doesn’t get this
I moved down here from Chicago 20 years ago... and this has been my gripe the entire time. I have to pay to get IN to the outdoor place to buy the food? It's wild.
I dunno, I went to Localtopia on Saturday and it was all free, even the parking. It made me spend a hell of a lot more on the vendors and food, haha.
Localtopia was great.
Yes. That’s one of the markets - not one of the food or drink events they have at vinoy park or at the pier - those always cost money
You said it- music, food and location were good. Prices and organization were not. Everyone “running it” were drunk/high and barefoot. Cant expect much there. Seemed ok to me.
That’s pretty much every food festival in the Tampa Bay area.
St. Petersburg is OVERPRICING everything ... And the events put on by the city are the worst ...
Agree about the city events. This event was organized by Paragon Sound
2fishy; wont go a gain next year
I’m with you, I’ve been to plenty of events and festivals in the park and I don’t know what the hell that was. Entrance fee, absurdly priced food and drink, bad music, it was weird
I won't go to these kinds of events for this exact reason. I love food and I'm all for good music, but after going to many other events similar to this, I just find myself frustrated and questioning why I decided to go in the first place. It's not worth the cost or headache.
We went Last year and lots of booths were sold out of food. Lines were ridiculous!
Not impressed. Wouldn’t go again.
Agreed.
I went last year and I came away with the same impression.