Picking a weekend...Food&Wine Festival OR Grad Nites?

[Whistlebee]

So, we usually go during the week and during the "low season". In 2015 we went weekdays the first week of November and we enjoyed low crowds. We'd like to take a trip this Spring but can't go during the week. I'm leaning towards April 22-24. This will be during the Food and Wine Festival at DCA. I'm guessing this brings in a lot of people so I'm wondering how crowded it will be. Will it be like a Marathon weekend, like a holiday (July 4, Christmas, etc), or not that bad? My other choice would be the 2nd or 3rd weekend in May but then we would have grad nights. Which is lower crowds, weekend grad nights or the Food and Wine Festival? We are used to low crowds but we always rope drop so I'm hoping we can manage with the higher weekend crowds. Thank you for your opinions!

 

[figment_jii]

I don't think at this point anyone really knows how the F&W Festival is going to impact crowds. I think DCA will see an increase in attendance because this is the first time the F&W Festival has happened since 2010, but by the same token, I don't know if it's really going to result in huge crowds in both parks. My guess is that there will be an increase, but I doubt it's going to be holiday-level crowds (accounting for the fact that the parks seem generally crowded all of the time).

In terms of the Grad Nites, I'm in the group that doesn't really mind the Grad Nites. I haven't really felt like they impacts the parks all that much. There were probably more teenage groups than on a non-grad nite day, but I didn't feel like the parks were over-run with teenagers. There was some misbehavior, but it seemed like the same stuff you see on any given day in DLR (bad language, rude behavior, etc.) by guests of all ages.

Personally, I would probably risk the potential for higher crowds and go in April when the F&W Festival is happening, but I'd be going because of the F&W Festival. It sounds like fun to me.

 

[Whistlebee]

Thank you figment. Yes, the F&W festival sounds like fun to me too! I was thinking if I have to pick between grads or wine I'd choose wine, lol. It will be a quick trip tho so I don't know how much time we could really spend on the festival itself. Also, I have an 8 & 6 year old who aren't going to be interested in the festival. The festival does sound like fun tho!