Milpitas Art and Wine Festival

This festival changed its name to Celebrate Milpitas. This was very packed and very happening… Then suddenly it wasn’t so much… and cancelled it this year. The real story??? They changed the people planning the festival, and the traffic died and then no more… the economy probably added to it. The new people planning it didn’t advertised it as much… it was a balloon over the Wells Fargo building on Calaveras… that was it! They didn’t continue any of the signs all over Milpitas and in high traffic areas… real sad!
Hopefully in 2010 they’ll revive it…

This festival started out a couple of years ago as a really good one to enjoy. This year though, it was barely better than doing ones laundry. The amount of vendors selling crafts has gone way down and those participating here have to jack up their prices because the Milpitas Chamber was sucking 10% off the top for all money made by the vendor. This is a perfect way to keep the little guys away and to make the big guys really gouge the customers. As to beer or wine? What a joke. We are in the middle of Micro Brewery America and are offered Michelob and a couple of other tap choices. Wine was worse. If it wasn’t for Schlossadler Wines being there as a booth trying to sell wine by the case but offering tastes of their great line, the fair only had Beringer which is about $ 13.50 a bottle. At the festival it was $ 5 for half a plastic glass.
I go to an Art and Wine festival for the arts and crafts and for some wine. Milpitas lacked in every regard here. Try to do better next year. More variety for the wines and foods. Do something to attract as many vendors as you had three years ago.