I'm still trying to wrap my brain around what happened yesterday. This is technically my second time going to this event... the first time, I was with my girlfriend at the time. Neither of us could handle being there for more than a few minutes, so we got our entry fee refunded and ate at a Mexican food place nearby (which was pretty disgusting if I remember correctly).\n\nThis year, I was determined to check it out. I went with a few friends, and we wisely decided to get drunk before going. \n\nThe Scottsdale Culinary Festival is a misnomer... it's neither culinary, nor a festival. At least it's actually in Scottsdale. It's more like a parade of drunk douchebags. My friend spent the day giddily taking pictures of d-bag shirts and dumb hairstyles. It's very different seeing them outside of the clubs. \n\nThe food here was a joke... mostly chain restaurants. There wasn't anything culinary about it aside from the fact it was food. This city has some amazing unique restaurants, and it seemed like the sampling at the event wasn't representational of the kinds of fantastic \"culinary\" experiences one can have here.\n\nThere's nothing really festival about this either. It's definitely an event, but apart from security, port-a-pottys, \"beer gardens,\" and wrist bands - it's just some boring food and drink. \n\nMy biggest problem with it is that you have to pay to get in, then you have to buy tickets so you can buy food and drink. They should just raise the price of admission, and have the food be free plus a drink ticket or two. I mean, this should be about restaurants showing off what they can do to get people interested in eating there. \n\nThe vendors at these booths all paid to be here. People pay to get in, and I'm sure the promoter makes a portion of the overall ticket sales. Whoever runs this thing is probably making bank off it. It's a huge sham when you think about it. Red Bull paid a ton to be there and have a premium spot - they weren't even giving their drinks away (which they often do at events like this).\n\nOverall, it was a big joke - but we managed to have fun. It was interesting people-watching, but beyond that there wasn't any reason to come. If I had to do this totally sober, I would've been miserable.\n\nEdit: After browsing the other reviews, it seems like I didn't completely understand the event. I wasn't aware proceeds went to charities, and I didn't see a lot of the restaurants other people listed. I guess at an event like this, everyone is going to have a different experience.