Email a Friend
Reader Reaction
RSS
digg it
Printer Friendly
Mobile Alerts
Sphere IT
Save This Page| 69th annual National Folk Festival |
| 69th annual National Folk Festival • SLIDESHOW: Opening Night• A song of welcome • A smorgasbord at the festival • Soak in the heritage, the music, the scenery When: 6-10:30 p.m. Friday, noon-10:30 p.m. Saturday and noon-7 p.m. next Sunday Where: Richmond's riverfront, from Second to Seventh streets and from Byrd Street to the James Admission: Free Info: (804) 788-6466 or venturerichmond.com |
| National Folk Festival Guide |
Send us your photos and videos Get ready for the big event with audio clips, news, maps, slideshows and video blogs from last year's event and much more with our National Folk Festival Guide. |
Top 10 tips for chowing down at the 69th National Folk Festival:
1. Unless you brought your own snacks, come hungry. You'll be glad you did. Sure, you'll find the usual funnel cakes, lemonade and spiral fries, but there's more. A lot more.
2. That said, bring plenty of cash. (In case you forget, the folks at the festival were nice enough to set up a couple of ATMs, one on Brown's Island and one at Ten Thousand Villages Marketplace -- how convenient!).
3. Pace yourself. In addition to the Bank of America Food Court on Brown's Island, there's a passel of vendors up by the Ukrop's/First Market Bank Stage and elsewhere on site.
4. If you have time, make a battle plan. Don't gorge at the first vendor you see; check out the possibilities and then create your own smorgasbord.
5. Think globally. Corn dogs are great for the kids, but why settle when you can have smoked salmon, crawfish étoufée, bangers and mash or masala dosa?
6. Speaking of which, here are just a few suggestions for something out of the ordinary:
7. Vegetarian? No worries. Check out Crescent Foods, featuring portobello wraps ($8) and its best-selling Benevolent Burrito ($7), an interesting mix of black beans, sweet potatoes, Cheddar cheese, lettuce and salsa. Seafood City, next door, offers everything from macaroni and cheese to hushpuppies ($3).
8. Thirsty? You'll find everything from the aforesaid lemonade and Hawaiian teas to ginger iced tea ($2) and a sorrell drink made from the hibiscus plant ($2) at West African Cuisine on Main to iced organic peppermint tea ($3) at Seafood City. Then there are the smoothies 14 flavors, plus you can create your own mixes for $5 at Smoothilicious. And, of course, the Hawaiian flavored hot teas ($1-$2) at Maui Wowi, including Guava Ginseng, Mango Maui and Coconut Macadamia Herbal.
9. Don't just order, ask questions. Vendors are happy to tell you what's best, what has the least (or most) calories, what goes with what. Sin é's general manager, Bob McNulty, says the Irish nachos make a great meal with Guinness -- and by the way, did you know Guinness has fewer calories than Miller Lite?
10. If you're really worried about calories, don't be. Once you've crossed the 29-acre site two or three times to see your favorite act or check out a band you never heard of, you'll work it off in no time.
Did we mention it's hilly?
