Baconfest

First I want to explain what my expectations were of what a baconfest should be: it should be a foodie Mecca for bacon overs, there should be many food companies there with everything from bacon ice-​cream sundaes, bacon crepes, bacon candy, bacon chips, Mac n cheese with bacon, bacon ravioli, bacon wrapped dates, bacon/​pork cookies, different styles of just bacon like thick pepper spiced bacon, bacon jam on crackers, bacon on a stick, etc. I was also expecting bacon inspired drinks like vodka infused bacon shots, bloody Mary’s with bacon, not even ciders that go well with bacon by the way.
Instead, there were only a handful of vendors there and the one or two who had just bacon, the bacon was standard affair Oscar myer. The only reason I would even give this festival 1 star is because my favorite restaurant Barcelona was there serving up the most delicious pork belly with cherry caramel sauce. They were the only saving grace. And the festival had other vendors there charging for food. What the heck did I pay for? Unacceptable! For the price should be all inclusive and upgrades should have access to quicker wait times.
The other disappoint was that there was very little drink varieties. 3 plain beers and 3 plain wines.
The other disappointment was that I upgraded my ticket to bottomless bacon and beer thinking that would get me into a quicker line but for the price of $ 125 for 2 people we still waited with the regular ticket holders with limited coupons. For the 2 hours we wasted, we only got to try 4 vendors and 2 beers. As a foodie, this is unacceptable. I paid for a food experience, not a carnival spectacle. If this was family focused then I could possibly see the value but as an adult with no kids to saw no value.
I wish I could get a refund, totally wasted my day and left utterly disappointed and famished as I didn’t get my share of food. We ended up at Woodys enjoying the most delicious Phillys with bacon added lol
Please please rename this to Bacon Carnival Spectacle or Pig Farm Fair not Baconfest when it clearly missed the food focus. I won’t be going back unless it improves and even then I will need convincing

Baconfest was okay… I would really love to say it was better, but I think there are a few areas where it fell short of my expectations.
Let’s start with the good… just the name Baconfest is awesome!!! The crowd, music, games… all of that was wonderful! Proximity to Marta… even better! Throw in some Über love, and you basically have a DUI-​proof event!
I thought having BLT’s were a great idea, but I really would have loved to see a bigger variety of bacon. Don’t get me wrong… bacon by itself is a gift from the gods!!! Just would have been nice. :)
Oh… and speaking of the gods… they certainly graced us with great weather that day!!! And sure enough, as it was about to end, the clouds started to roll in! Almost like to say… Here. Have some bacon. It’s a gift from us! We’ll make sure you enjoy this bacon in the nicest environment possible! Oh it’s almost over? Okay… back to your sprint/​winter!
Yes… I would do it again! Maybe next time, I’ll splurge and get the $ 98 pass! :)

That was oodles of fun. I was a bit dissapointed as I thought they would feature a gourmet array of different types of bacon, but seems only Oscar Mayer made it to the party.

I have found baconvana!!! Venue is a little on the small side but extremely popular. I’m definitely going ‘Whole Hog’ for next year’s Baconfest (unlimited beer and bacon plus a few exta goodies). Be aware that tickets sell out quick — but it all goes to support Dad’s Garage Theatre.

I wish I would have created this «Business/​event» for last years Bfest, as I went to that as well– the first time I got to experience it.
The layout of this year was pretty much the same (a few mods though– no drunken trivia, the dunk tank replaced by water balloon toss, and the kiss the animal in the costume was replaced with the «are they nude» booth). I also did not see High Grav beer (if it was there, my apologies).
Last year, I took Marta from North Springs. This year I parked my car at the stop down then hopped on Marta– I would have been better off walking, since this added almost an hour to the time– ridiculous! The walk is always nice, seeing the beautiful homes on the street.
I got my buddy and I a Bottomless pass ($ 45, unl beer, bacon, and carnvial stuff) — and I intended to stuff myself silly. But after 3 BLT’s and 6 cups of bacon, it just seemed wayyyyyyyy too salty (even after the buzz). In 2011, I had 14 cups of bacon, no issue!
The bacon was pretty inconsistent, IMO. Oh well, I got to wash it down with PBR.
For me, one of the main reasons I go is for the auction. They fill the inside up with all sorts of stuff, from gift baskets to signed posters to bacon stuff to vacations, etc. Pretty much anything but an actual house or a car. Last year, I remember winning passes to musuems, roller derby, and tons of restaurants. This year, I won passes for 2 @ Oakland Cemetery w/​a $ 25GC to Six Feet Under ($ 45 value, got for $ 40), a tote bag from Inman Pet Works filled with treats for my pups (which they LOVE!) — for $ 35, and last but not least– I got a Vosges Chocolate box filled with chocolate, bacon chocolate, bacon pancake mix, and a 22oz choco stout– I paid $ 65 for that– which was over value, but it’s for a good cause, I didn’t mind. It ended up being a present for a well deserved person :)
The premise here is repetition– get your BLT, cup of bacon, beer, check on the auction, and play some games. My friend got bored of it (what a dbag, go play SOME GAMES!) — although he won some sporting tix through the auction– not sure why he was bitching! That may not be for you if you are looking at going next year, but I think it’s one of the top events of the year!
They also had the Unilocal!tent– I got to meet Brook there– she was very nice– no idea it was her first time at a tent! I saw Kathleen from afar (how can you not miss that gorgeous red hair?!), but I missed her AGAIN– DAMN! Always great to see Unilocal at events!
In the name of supporting a local business and having a good time, check it out next year! Some people love it, some people not so much. I am wanna the people who loves it. See ya next Spring Baconfest!

I absolutely LOVE bacon and can’t believe I didn’t know about BaconFest until this year! Thanks to Unilocal and our lovely Empress, Kathleen M., I scored two free «Portioned Porking» tickets to BaconFest last Saturday and had a blast! =)
My friend and I drove to BaconFest and actually didn’t have a problem finding street parking around 2:30 pm. Although it was about a block away from Dad’s Garage, we didn’t mind the walk, and we knew we could probably use the extra bit of exercise after indulging in bacon!
Our «Portioned Porking» tickets (worth $ 25 online or $ 35 at the door) got us orange wristbands, which allowed us to get three cups of Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) beer, three cups of bacon, three BLT sandwiches, or any combination of 3 of those items! I got one of each, and that was plenty! There are also $ 45+ and $ 85+ options for those who want to indulge in unlimited bacon, beer, carnival games, and more.
I was so glad they offered BLT sandwiches because I had thought it would be a little strange to eat cups of just bacon! And I’m not a huge fan of beer, so one cup of PBR was plenty. The BLT sandwich was exactly that — bacon, lettuce, and tomato between two slices of white bread. Simple but good! They had condiments like mayo and mustard, but I ate mine plain and thought it was fine. I crunched on my cup of SUPER CRISPY bacon (a little too crispy/​thick for my taste, though…) the same way I would eat fries with a sandwich or burger.
In addition to the combo of three cups of beer, bacon, or BLT sandwiches, the «Portion Porking» ticket includes 5 carnival game tickets. It seemed like most of the «games» cost 2 tickets each, but some of the booths didn’t even bother asking for the tickets. They had plenty of amusing carnival booths/​games, including «Hunt an Improviser» (people throw water balloons at improv comedians), «Sanitary Smooches» (real, Saran wrap-​protected kisses!), «Is (S)he Naked» (self-​explanatory?), «Hobo Wine Tasting» (nastiest, cheap liquor), «Insult Booth,» «Terrible Caricatures,» «Reel Steel with Hugh Jackman» (Rock’em Sock’em Robots), «Victorian Phone Sex,» «Madame Talley’s Palm Jobs» (get your palm read), and even a «Wheel Chair Obstacle Course»!
My friend was poorly insulted (the guy was reading insults off his notebook!) at the «Insult Booth» while I choked down samples of crappy, cheap liquor and Ritz crackers topped with store-​brand cheese spray at the «Hobo Wine Tasting» booth. Since we’re both Unilocalers, my friend and I got a Unilocal-​themed «Terrible Caricature» of us drawn. Our artist actually did a pretty good job, unlike others that we saw. Some drawings seriously looked as if a 5-​year-​old drew them! =)
In addition to the funny booths and games, there were also many businesses that had booths and were giving out free samples of food or products! Some of the awesome businesses represented included Unilocal (woohoo!), Pine Street Market (Beer Cheese Soup w/​Bacon samples — yum!), Whynatte Latte (thanks for the free can!), and Corner Tavern, who gave out samples of their amazing Pig and Whiskey Brunswick Stew! There was also a silent auction of cool stuff, including bacon-​themed products, inside the Dad’s Garage theater.
Overall, BaconFest easily gets 5 stars for their good and plentiful bacon (thanks to Vortex and DBA Barbecue!!!), BLT sandwiches, PBR, and interesting games and booths. If I had paid $ 25 for my «Portioned Porking» ticket, I would have definitely thought it was worth it — but it was even sweeter because it was free. Thanks again to Unilocal for an awesome time! I would happily return to BaconFest again next year!
P. S. Apparently, Kevin Bacon himself was at BaconFest, but I missed him!!! Boo!
[Review 095 of 366]

BaconFest is arguably the most glorious of all festivals in Atlanta. In fact, anyone who contends otherwise should be tried for crimes against humanity. Quite simply, any individual who doesn’t enjoy engorging themselves on excess amounts of bacon while joining in an inebriated chorus of «I’ve got two tickets to Porkadise» is no friend of mine.
Now in its 12^th year, BaconFest is an annual festival orchestrated by the genius folks at Dad’s Garage Theatre Company in Inman Park. The festival continues to grow each year, but recurring highlights include hoards of bacon (1,200+ lbs from Vortex and DBA Barbecue), plenty of beer (PBA), live entertainment, hilarious carnival games (e.g. wheelchair obstacle course, insult booth, Hobo wine tasting), and a silent auction with enough variety to please almost anyone with a pulse. In fact, the festival has garnered such a strong following that even Kevin Bacon made a cameo appearance in 2012.
The festival is typically held on a Saturday at the end of March, with festivities commencing at 1PM and ending around 6PM. Various levels of tickets are available, which include Portioned Porking ($ 25 online/​$ 35 door), Bottomless Bacon ($ 45 online/​$ 55 door), and Whole Hog ($ 85 online/​$ 95 door). The Portioned Porking option includes admission, 5 carnival game tickets, and 3 cups of bacon or beer. The Bottomless Bacon option includes unlimited bacon/​beer/​games, while the Whole Hog option affords you the opportunity to enjoy a whole roasted pig (P’Cheen), a free BaconFest t-​shirt, and unlimited bacon, games, and premium beer (Ale Yeah!). Although tickets are advertised as being available at the door, they typically sell-​out online well before the event, so make sure to snag yours before someone else gets their greasy little snout on them.
First time festival goers should know that BaconFest is restricted to adults only (ID required at door), no pets are allowed, and is held rain or shine (no refunds). Parking can be problematic, so you’d be wise to either carpool or take MARTA (Inman Park Station).
It’s also important to note that this event is a fundraiser for Dad’s Garage, which is a non-​profit theatre company with some incredibly commendable talent. As such, you should rest assured that all funds you spend at the festival are going toward a worthwhile cause.