Sausage and Suds Festival

you could go crazy trying to find a parking spot !!!

Is it small? Yes. Was the kiddie area tiny? Yes.
However, we go to a lot of festivals & this was one is a little different– not a bunch of arts & crafts being sold. We just look but don’t buy the artsy stuff anyway. A lot of people enjoying their drinks & the music.
What we liked about it are the prices… Everything — kettlecorn, food, drinks was a little cheaper than the Tri-​Valley, Palo Alto or Fremont festivals. Last week, we paid $ 13 for kettlecorn. Same stuff here was $ 9. At other festivals, you can’t get anything for less than $ 10. Here, most of the sandwiches were about $ 7. What our kids loved most was the FREE face painting & balloons. Make sure you drop them a tip… they are really working out there & we want them to come back next year! The face painter was dressed as a clown– my girls LOVED that & she gave them a «Frozen» inspired face with a jewel & glittery paint. Yes, there aren’t a lot of booths, but the booths that are there & worth the trip.
Lower your expectations for a huge festival & you’ll have more fun!

OK giving 3 stars. Lot’s of Beers which is Great! They say kid friendly. Don’t brings kids. not much of kids stuff. More gears towards adults who drink. (Really want to bring your kids there?) As for sausages. Really not as many as there used to be. But still same. It’s OK.

Sausages, beer, wine and live music – what more could you want on a warm day in the East Bay! This is only our 2^nd time at this event, the 1^st time being their inaugural event, and it was fun. This event is held every year in downtown San Leandro. We were able to park a couple of blocks away, and was greeted by live salsa music when we got there. There were about 5 food booths selling different kinds of sausages. One sold Aidell’s sausages on a stick, another linguica and foot long hot dogs, another pulled pork on a roll, and another corn dogs and spicy and mild sausages. There was also a Kettle Corn vendor. We purchased a linguica sausage, foot-​long hot dog, and garlic fries from the Englander booth. Yum! I even enjoyed the garlic steak fries even though I prefer the shoestring fries variety. Some of the booths also sold lemonade and other non-​alcoholic drinks.
The beer tent was packed. There were lots of young, tanned people drinking beer and taking selfies. You can choose from a wide variety of beers – from mainstream beers like Corona, Bud Light, Sam Adams to craft beers like Firestone and Deschutes. San Leandro’s own local brewery, Drake’s, was there and was selling 8 different kinds of beer. We had the Firestone Union Jack (bitter but refreshing) and the Drake’s 7X70. A festival pint glass and 2 drink tickets cost $ 20. Drink tickets were $ 6 each. There were tables and chairs under the beer tent for those who wanted to sit down and eat their food.
This is a small outdoor festival that is kid-​friendly and easy to get to. Bart is a couple of blocks away and there are lots of street parking nearby. It’s not overwhelming like other food festivals and for $ 30, you can have a couple of pints and a sausage on a roll.

Being a SL native I have been to this festival many times.
Every year there is live music, a few food booths, countless beer brands and types and few wine options.
It is family friendly with a kids fun zone area located in a blocked off parking lot with a climbing wall, bounce house and games.
The SL police make their presence known so other than a few «drunk in publics» not much happens, it is pretty safe. They have a booth set-​up and also walk through the crowd.
No outside alcohol and no furry dogs allowed. Bring cash and your ID if you want an adult beverage.