How might one describe the sentiment of this review?
After reading the yelp reviews from last year's BBQ festival and talking to some of the people who actually worked in some of the booths, I decided to try it for myself this year. Here's a breakdown of my visit: + Parking is free. They may have charged for it in the past, but it was free this year. The only downside is that you park in a dirt lot....good thing I have a monthly membership to Clean Freak, which is a few blocks away. + Rule #1 for attending festivals.....Get. There. Early. If you want to avoid massive lines, don't go in the middle of the day. I got there shortly after 11 am and there were no problems getting in. Conversely, a friend of mine screwed around all morning and didn't get to the festival until 2 pm....by then, it was jam packed and the lines were long....meanwhile, I got to sample all of the BBQ I wanted and was very happy. + The VIP ticket is worth it. It was nice to have a VIP area where the booze was free. The VIP area also had tables and chairs for eating, a covered area to get out of the sun, several BBQ stations surrounding it, so there was easy access to food....it's just a better experience. + Don't buy your tickets from the ticket booth near the front entrance. A very long line forms here. If you go towards the rear of the festival, the lines are shorter. + My strategy was to go to the vendors with the most popular vendors with the longest lines first, then go to the shorter lines. It worked just fine. It would've worked better if my friend arrived on time with me....then we could've tag teamed the lines so that we ordered for each other and cut our wait time in 1/2. + Put on plenty of sunblock. Although the event was in the middle of April, there was plenty of sun and you could easily get burned if you don't protect yourself. + Check out the Redneck Games. I went over there to watch people play a variety of games that have a "redneck" spin on it....i.e. corn hole, Beer pong, playing horseshoes with toilet seats, lawnmower racing, etc....although I don't know why Beer pong and corn hole are considered redneck? It was hilarious to watch. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/az-bbq-festival-scottsdale?select=UWYgAyHVCi6HeZ7qEQ2BvQ#UWYgAyHVCi6HeZ7qEQ2BvQ http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/az-bbq-festival-scottsdale?select=dTXySc9xbYi_ITpuxaAU6g#dTXySc9xbYi_ITpuxaAU6g http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/az-bbq-festival-scottsdale?select=RodxBoepQoWc0XMo1Lzd4Q#RodxBoepQoWc0XMo1Lzd4Q http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/az-bbq-festival-scottsdale?select=eFomOTLmWAahjTituvPjsg#eFomOTLmWAahjTituvPjsg + As far as the food, it was awesome! There was a great selection of vendors and BBQ from across the country was well represented.....Memphis, Texas, Carolinas, Kansas City, St Louis, all of the major style of BBQ was in one place....only 1 problem.....my stomach isn't large enough for them all! Even though I went for the sample sized portions, I could only sample so much....I tried to eat as much as I could and didn't get to 1/2 of the vendors....which means I can't wait until next time! Overall, this event is fun for the family or for the individual. I am glad I got to experience it for myself. Return Factor - 97%
positive