Even in the crazy Charlotte heat, the turnout was pretty good. Any festival in Uptown tends to draw a big crowd.
They make you buy tokens at designated booths which can then be redeemed for products on the street. Ostensibly this is so that the vendors don't have to handle cash and so that the festival can be certain that it takes its full percentage cut. But this system also has the effect of locking you into your purchases before you realize how poor the selection is.
The standouts: some crazy Indian food and the homemade peach ice cream
The disasters: corporate sponsors trying to sell me tiles, toilets and patios.