1) the location - along the canal banks in Old Town Scottsdale - is ill-suited to the crowds. Cramped. Half the width of the walkway is taken up by the pop-up tents where the vendors are, leaving a narrow alley for people and their wandering kids to attempt to pass one another going in each direction. Bottlenecks very easily. This got highly annoying. The layout is a bit screwy, sort of a T-shape.
2) A ton of concrete around here and no grass... if it's a pleasant day, then it's just nice to be out wherever you are. If it is not a pleasant day, if it is a little warm... you will really feel it. The year I went, it felt like 100 degrees when it was probably in the mid-80s. Still kind of warm for spring, but the concrete everywhere did not help things.
3) The food and drink was a little pricey. I guess because Scottsdale.
4) Getting in with the Groupon discount was handled poorly by the ticket staff; disorganized. Though perhaps that is part of making the experience authentically Italian?
5) There are few places to actually sit and enjoy the entertainment. Especially the "main stage", everyone just stands around and then there are people trying to pass through from one side to the other. I can stand for a long time but it's not really a relaxing way to spend one's day.
The few positive things I can say: the entertainment was good and authentically Italian. The food was OK.
It is one of those things that you do it just to say you've done it... then you never go back again. I hope they can come up with a better location someday.