San Gennaro Feast

Please for the love of God, wear thick walking shoes.
I wore flats.
It’s been three days and i’m still being punished for my decision. The place is all on really rocky, as in covered with sharp rocks, ground.
Also be prepared to walk a good ten minutes to get into the actual fair.
Also be prepared to pay.
Entry– $ 10.00/Person
Food– Ranges between $ 7.00-$ 30.00 per item
Drinks– Ranges Between $ 6.00-$ 12.00 per drink
Games– $ 5.00/Game but usually everyone wins at least a little something
Rides– $ 30.00 for an all access wrist band.
Not a cheap fair by any means.
It was pretty packed which did not surprise me being the last night of the fair. For the most part the food was decent (No where near worth what they were charging) but decent all the same. The live entertainment was surprisingly good, and the games and rides were what you would expect at any fair/​carnival type of event.
Coming from San Diego where the Del Mar Fair is perceived, and for good reason, to be one of the best most extensive and lavish county fairs in the area. I was a tad dissapointed, but I did enjoy myself for the most part.
Probably not something I would rush back to next year.

Got one of the turkey leg for $ 10 and the lady whose cooking the turkey leg seems to be in a hurry I told the lady I can wait til its done cooking I guess she was in a hurry that she went inside the trailer and fry my turkey leg without even asking me if I wanted fried. I told her I want my turkey leg grilled not fried so she took my turkey leg out of the fryer and now my turkey leg is dripping with lots of oil. I told the lady I dont want that turkey leg since its dripping with oil and she she then proceed to cook the other leg for about 3 mins when I told her no need to hurry and I’m fine waiting but then she proceeds to gave me another turkey leg as I was taking a bite I saw BLOOD!

There were some good and bad things about this years festival.
Cons:
The ground was absolutely filled with not just dirt and pebbles but huge rocks. Pushing a stroller or even walking was horrible. I can’t even tell you how many people I saw trip or accidentally kick large rocks at people. This area needs to be cleared and grated before hosting another event. All of our feet actually hurt after walking on rocks all night. I can’t believe no one got really hurt. Lawsuit waiting to happen.
Just like every carnival the rides are so overpriced. I hate feeling like I’m getting ripped off.
The carnival vendors (food/​beverage trailers) were expensive and the employees were rude.
The festival layout felt cramped and chaotic. It was hard to get around in certain areas due to how close booths were with small pathways.
Pros:
The fireworks were beautiful and I’m glad we stayed to watch. My kids and I really enjoyed them.
The Happy Nest booth had a lovely quiet spot for feeding and changing babies.
The fresh funnel cake booth by the stage was amazing and fairly priced. The staff was great there too.
North Las Vegas Police did a great job keeping the peace and ensuring parking was smooth. Our entrance and exit was the easiest we ever had at a San Gennaro Feast.
The park is really beautiful and I loved sitting in the grass watching fireworks.

Nothing Italian about this festival. Food was less than mediocre, yet expensive. Between the entrance fee and dinner for 2 = $ 51, not including any drinks. At all. Wish we’d looked at reviews and would’ve spent the money going to an actual Italian restaurant.
I’d describe it as a carnival with typical, overpriced carnival food. If you are going for the rides it’s one thing but if you are looking for an Italian festival or «feast» (as advertised), stay away. This is neither.

Since I moved to Vegas two and a half years ago my husband and I have absolutely fallen in love with this festival. The food is okay. The vendors are «ehh». That’s not what keeps us coming back. It’s the entertainment factor. First off, we are kind of obsessed with carnivals and winning oversized stuffed animals. We managed to snag a couple good sized plushes from their carnival area over the past couple years. That’s still not the best part of the entertainment though. One year we went their was a riot incited by teenagers that ending up shutting the whole thing down. Crazy stuff and the food vendors started selling full boxes of food on the way out for $ 5 just to make what money they could before everyone cleared out. It was chaos that night but we came out of it fine and have a good story to tell. That’s still not the entertainment I’m talking about though. What keeps us coming back every time is the older lady (who is somehow related to Betsy Ross) that dances in extravagant outfits to a guy who sounds like a copy of Frank Sinatra. She (and the Frank Sinatra sounding guy) are there every year no matter which night we go and she is my absolute favorite part of the festival. We have even had the privilege of dancing with her previously. Last year she took a stuffed banana we won and threw it between her legs as a finale for her dance. Yes, our banana got violated in the process but it was so worth it. Do yourself a favor and pay the price of admission!

Pitiful ! $ 9 admission? It has been going Downhill for Years.
I suggest they put it out of its Misery. I love REAL Italian Food BTW. I didn“t realize that Philly Cheesesteaks and most of the other Vendors «Food» were from Italy.
I will continue to own Italian Cars, but I am through with San Gennaro. FORZA (but I don’t mean it). Attend at your own Risk, Grazie

I usually go to this festival every year. The food is okay– it is reasonably priced and you get a pretty good portion depending on the vendor. The carnival is the main attraction for me. In Las Vegas, we rarely get carnivals. The wristband is a good deal if you want to ride a few rides. However, I would recommend going on opening night of the festival. The ride lines can get really long on the weekend.
Overall, I think the festival is an okay value. If you can find a coupon or groupon for admission, I would recommend it! It generally costs about $ 8 or $ 9 to get into the festival and then food, drink, and carnival rides are a separate cost.

We have been to this event in previous years, however this experience reminds me why we do not make it out to the bi-​annual event. First issue was the entry fee. At $ 9 a head I would seek out a special discount or coupon to make this expense more manageable. We searched online and found one for two $$‘s of each adult. A plus was the no charge for the Kiddos. They do get you however at the carnival area where they charge anywhere from $ 3 – 5 per ride. Ouch! The best deal would be to get the wrist band for $ 30 and this will allow you to ride as much as the little kids desire (big kids too).
Now to the food… they have just about every type of food imaginable which is odd seeing that is an Italian festival with feast in it’s name. They had Thai, Middle Eastern, Mexican, American and many more. The food was rather high priced for what you get I feel. Example being a Philly Cheese Steak with no side for $ 9 or the $ 11 Falafel or the $ 5 Slushy. This most likely not the vendors fault but the organizers and there high cost of space or booth rental for the 4 day event.
Some of the Vendors were a little odd as well, many of which were not in any way related to Italian American Culture or Heritage. I was surprised to see vendors promoting magic pain lotions, shoe polish, cell phone accessories, and portable fans and misters. The cover count for an event like this I am sure is up to at least 10,000 visitors a day. If you want to beat the crowd arrive early in the afternoon to avoid long food lines. Quality is sacrificed because cooks are not making as much fresh food. If you like a big party come when the sun starts to set and I am sure you will enjoy the event with adult beverages.
Entertainment wise at San Gennaro, the kids on stage were pretty cute singing there top forty songs and doing there little dances. I enjoyed the eating contests the most. We witnessed «El Torro» become the 3 time meatball eating Champ. The Cannoli one was quite gross because it looked like vomit both coming and going.
Overall some disappointments with the Feast. We will most likely be back, it might be a year or two.

This is my third time going to the San Gennnero festival… the first two times were awsome & fun… this year’s May 2015 was quite a disappointment for me. Maybe it was because we went closer to when it first started…
Some of the food that I really wanted was not there especially DIP-​N-​DOTS … the CAJUN SHRIMPS… ugh that was one of my main disappointments.
There seemed to be less rides & definately less of variety of games. It may also have been due to the funky cold & partial rainy night.
One great thing that we got to experience was a freaken SUGAR BEAR PET POCKET!!! can I say seriously the cooest tiniest squirrel & rat looking combination thing that likes to stay in pockets to stay warm & they never pee where they sleep… UNFORTUNATELY I was not allowed to buy myself one…
ANYWAYS here’s what we munched on…
SWEET CORN W/​BUTTER $ 4 — cooked in the those old steel wheel char cooker thingy… every year it is the best. Juicy & sweet w/​butter smothered all over & perfectly cooks & HOT!
BAKED POTATO w/BACON.SOURCREAM.BUTTER.CHIVES $ 6 — my favorite backed potato also cooked in that steel wheel cooker thing & it is so soft & not at all dry. But i asked for extra butter & sour cream & they failed to give me that so I didn’t get to finish my potato…
STEAMED ARTICHOKE W/​WHITE WINE CHZ SAUCE & BREAD PUDDING $ 10 — it was a huge artichoke but would have to say not worth my money… i susually get the other artichoke that is smother in a red type of sauce. It was cold & tastes sour =/​
STUFFED PEPPERS — friend got this & it was green bell pepper stuffed w/​meatball w/​marinara sauce poured on top… from the same place I got the artichoke so it was also cold, sure it would have tasted better hot.
FRIED ALIGATOR — was expecting something super crunchy & tough for the meat part but it was surprisingly delicious. It came w/​a type of aioli to dip in & the texture was flaky like fish.
BANANA & NUTELLA FUNNEL CAKE $ 8 — freaken BEST thing that we ate here & thank god it was the last thing that went into my mouth because it was DELICIOUS! The dough was just right & slightly doughy on the inside while being crispy on the outside. Definately could have used a lot more Nutella to cover the dough.
BEEF BRACIOLI FRIES $ 8 — one of the FIRST items we ate when we walked in & it was delicious as well. It was fat fries with meatballs & marinara sauce all over. I would have to say it was super expensive for the portion though.
Overall there were items that I was expecting to eat & they weren’t there… the entertainment wasn’t all that good. but again it might have been becuase it was only the second day opened & the crappy weather.

What a disappointment! Came for the fall ’14 show and left after half an hour, but blamed that on the scorching Vegas heat wilting all the food and making things uncomfortable. Heard ads on the radio all week for the spring ’15 festivus, figured it’d be cooler in the evening, so decided to give it another shot.
Food was more appealing — overpriced carny food, nothing gourmet, as to be expected, but a somewhat impressive variety of options — and we had an okay time.
BUT: we came mainly because the radio spots (and website, promotional ads, etc.) had all touted the Sunday evening fireworks show. Fireworks were scheduled at 9pm, to be followed by Zowie Bowie at 9:30. The earlier act went long, so we waited. And waited. Then they spent forever trying to get the sound set up for ZB, so… we waited. Finally the closing act came on, about 10 past, and it only took them another five minutes to get everyone’s mic plugged in.
We listened for 10 – 15 minutes, but by then my date was frustrated and ready to go. On the way out we asked one of the security people (who was very friendly and helpful), and found out that the fireworks had been cancelled. (He said it was because they’re building a new apartment complex nearby and someone had complained, or something?)
At no point did anyone on-​stage make an announcement, warning, or disclaimer. The rest of the feast and show would probably get a 3-​star rating, but feeling so disappointed and annoyed knocks off a lot.
Also: my lady was wearing shoes with a bit of a heel; definitely not stilettos, but not flats either. All of the rides — and, amazingly, the porta-​potty restrooms — were off the tarmac and away across the gravel. She couldn’t comfortably cross that with her shoes, so all of that was effectively off-​limits. So frustrating!

I had heard over and over how great this was. So going I thought this would be a great evening, I was wrong. We decided to walk the aisles to see if there was anything worth buying from the vendors. It was your standard swap meet fare, crappy tshirts and poor quality hats. Every single vendor was nagging us to come buy their junk. So after running the gauntlet we decided to check out the food. That was why we went, we had heard nothing but great things. We grab Italian food, being an Italian festival why not? We should have gone to fuddruckers next door that would have been way better. One of the worst and over priced meals I have ever had. I am never going back there and if people ask I will tell them not to visit this.

Not the best carnival of its kind. Worst part was the moronic extension of height rules. My 52 inch tall 8 ½ yr old could not ride bumper cars even as my passenger. A couple of the vendors appeared to think that I might forget my change if they took long enough. The kind of low life bs I guess that should be expected… But still bogus. Food was okay.

Expensive! The price to get in is ridiculous. The food inside is overpriced. I’ve been told the food is warmed up, frozen dinners. I’ve seen pictures of boxes in the trash from the frozen foods. The booths that have merchandise for sale is usually cheap, low quality items that you can find at the local swap meet for less money. The rides are okay but look rickety and are expensive as well. Also, there are no standards for the animals in the sun without proper care– makes me sick to my stomach!
There’s not much «Italian» about this festival. I’ve heard a LOT of people say that The Greek Festival is so much better for the value.

San Gennaro Feast had fair food, carnival games, prize toys, & carnies — some of them seemingly drunk. We won a plush purple cow, which we’ve named Georgettina, through 1 of these inebriated carnies.
The game was simple enough: out of a bunch of slimy rubber duckies in a small basin, you’re to pick 2 (out of 3) that have the same letter written at the bottom. There are only 3 letters in all: S (small), M (medium) & L (large). My 1^st pick was «S». Great.
«Do I need to pick these 2 letters consecutively?» I asked. It wasn’t a tactic, but it seemed to work: it looked like the word «consecutive» flew right over her head, & she appeared stunned & contemplative for a while. I may have won, but to this day, I’m still not 100% sure. After picking 3 rubber duckies, I just kept saying, «Purple cow. I want the purple cow. That 1.»
As the carnie reached for the purple cow, she explained that she kept hitting her head on the rod, & that the cow served as her cushion. «If I take 1, I gotta put 1 back, know what I mean?» she said with slurred speech. As for Georgettina, she’s gradually turned into a footstool. True story.
Most of the fare seemed overpriced. We bought a couple of teeny orders of lobster thingies from some food truck. 17 bucks. That was probably not even mostly lobster, but lobster molecules mixed with lobster-​like mystery meat & extenders. I really don’t know. The funnel cake was good, but nothing extraordinary.

San Gennaro Feast has become an expensive no-​reason-​to-​go money pit. It started out great and has devolved in quality with each passing year.
Have sampled everything this festival has to offer and the only thing that is a constant is the lemonade stand. The sausage tend to be pre-​cooked in large batches and end up drying out because no one is willing to pay $ 10+ for a shriveled sausage sandwich.
The entry fee is ridiculous, especially after moving to a non-​casino facility away from the Strip. Total Gypsie fest.

I will take a pass from this point… It was more of a teenage pickup place. The food was not good, we ate at the large supposedly made fresh place right in the center near the tables. The food was cold, my penne could have been basic jarred meat sauce and the artichoke was soggy and gross. I was truly disappointed when she nuked it to reheat it. PASS. I didn’t know corn on the cob or bbq turkey legs were italian. I come from Italian family, we never had that.
On the positive side, my Italian Ice was great. I think it was from a stand called Di Bella. It was super tasty!
But no thanks every again.

Knowing full well that this festival could be a major bust, we came here with the lowest expectations. Even with the worst expectations, this festival stooped below that! There is nothing Italian about this festival. It’s more like a cinco de mayo carnival or a shitty kabob cook-​off. You’re better off going to First Friday for quality food!
People hate this fest — for good reason too. It. was. terrible. So terrible! I had to see it, to believe it.
When we first moved here a few months ago, we were actually really looking forward to going to the «Italian Fest» (…yeah right) since my boyfriend is Italian. But after hearing and reading about all of the horror stories, scams, and terrible food, our enthusiasm died down immediately. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to dodge the bullet this time since our friends wanted to meet there for dinner and I didn’t have the heart to crush on their plans.
The verdict? Let me tell you this, it’s not worth it at all. At all! Everyone in our party had this look of complete disgust on their face by the end of the night. Talk about buyers remorse! Not only was this «fake Italian food Fest» a scam, so were the not-​so-​Italian vendors acting overly stereotypical «Italian»
Vendor: Ayyyyye guys whaddya gonna do?! Comma try authentic sausage and peppahs justa likea momma usedtah to makea!
Me: no thanks
Vendor: ahhhhhhhhhhhh! You see dis?! You see dis? (Throwing his arms theatrically in the air in disappointment that we’re not buying his food)
Me: Keep walking. Hurry.
Here’s how you quickly burn money:
— $ 18 for 2 adults to enter this hell-​hole called San Gennaro Feast
— $ 8 for doughy-​as-​hell, stale, and nasty funnel cake from Funnel Cake Factory
— $ 15 (???) for a super ripoff ((1 inch)) lobster (cut with all crab) roll from the Lobsta Trap. Are you f’n kidding me?! Who the hell do you think you are playin’ with give’n us that ant sized portion?!
— $ 12 (?!!) for ((3)) !!! offensively-​salt-​bombed jumbo cajun shrimp from T&T’s Shrimp Basket
— $ 10 for a plate of stupid, overcooked, burnt, rock-​hard steak and dry-​as-​death chicken kabobs with wilted salad and dripping in oil, soggy fries from Kabob House
^^^ you have been duly warned.
Only 3 items were actually decent and worth recommending:
— $ 5 for 2: 1 chicken and 1 pulled pork tacos topped with coleslaw and a side of baked bean chili from Billy’s Bar-​B-​Que. I highly recommend the pull pork tacos topped with coleslaw! Juicy and delicious!!! ⁵⁄₅
— $ 4 dried and overcooked BBQ corn from the Roasted Corn on the Cob stand. The corn was overcooked but it was pleasantly sweet. Just make sure to add all of those toppings and you’re in business! ³⁄₅
— $ 5 for a cold, bread-​y, mushroom & olive calzone from JR’s fine Italian Cuisine. The gal apologized to us that it was cold and took it back to reheat it. That didn’t do much to make it better, but my Italian boyfriend ended up finding a glimmer of satisfaction in it. ³⁄₅
Oh yeah, and to the lady that uses terrible sales tactics at the front entrance, harassing us to buy a groping session with your dancing monkey… ain’t nobody got time for dat!

If, and only if you have kids… about the only thing worth it here is the $ 30 for the kids to ride unlimited rides all day. Otherwise, the ticket prices are a complete ripoff at $ 1 a piece when every ride is 3 – 5 tickets. Don’t let them get near the games either. It cost me $ 10 for my son and his cousin to throw 8 darts, 4 each. They each hit two balloons with the darts and the lady gave ‘em both some crap cheap plush crayon. I asked her how they can get something bigger and she said «just give me more money»…her exact words! I mean really?!
I can’t believe they can still get that many people here… it was packed. They charge $ 7 just to get in, $ 10 for a stuffed artichoke with no meat in it, $ 10 for a bland sausage sandwich, $ 5 for a tiny slice of cheese pizza and it seems like every other vendor raises their price for this event too. Everything is just a complete ripoff! I’ll stay away next time they’re in town.

I’ve never been to San Gennaro and I doubt I will return. I am thankful I won tickets from Jelli radio. I will make a list.
1. Everything here is overpriced. Each ride is $ 3 to $ 5 per person or $ 10 for all day access to bounce houses!
2. Most places charge $ 9 to $ 15 for items. ($ 9 for a sausage and pepper hoagie)
3. The layout is horrible and clustered.
4. Some of the vendors don’t belong there. (Scientology, politicos, sports teams bathing suites, a petting zoo)
5. The majority of the vendors were serving the same damn thing.
6. The BEST food was from a little place called FAT NINJA and it wasn’t Italian at all.
7. The talent wasn’t really talent. (Although the little girls singing Sunday afternoon were so dang cute!)
8. There was no festivities or anything celebratory.
9. There was nothing really Italian about it.
I really did enjoy spending with my friend, her son, and my sister. Very disappointed.

This was the absolute worst festival I have been to in Vegas.
1) The rides were super expensive
2) there was almost no authentic Italian food, everything was fried, they even had a mexican booth.
3) there were no small portions (which in one sense is actually in line with the theme) making it impossible to sample more than one or two venders.
4) the layout was horrible.
5) the food they did have was mostly horrible.
6) there were people charging 8 – 10 dollars so kids could go into a ball on a 6×6 tub of water. Just another ripoff.
One saving grace, there were a lot of local studios performing even if almost no one watched them.