Best of the West Wing Fest - Colorado Springs, Colorado

Jedi Esparza

My first experience attending was the 2023 2nd Annual Best of the West Wing Fest, as a surprise birthday present. We had such an amazing time that we returned for the 3rd Annual and we'll return for as many if the future enters as we can. It's a fun event to compare wings from around the state and surrounding areas.

There have been grievances about some of the wing competitors not showing up, and to a point that's valid and it sucks that there are not as many tasty rolls to try out and compare, but that, to me, reflects more poorly to the competitor and not fully on the event's organizer's. Hopefully they can find ways to contractually obligate the competitors to be more responsible.

Regardless, the event is great and fun for the whole family. Highly recommend attending if you like entrainment, discovering local vendors, and of course eating delicious food.

Carissa Selena

This is my third year being part of Best of the West Wing Fest. It has been amazing watching this chicken wing festival grow! Such hard work and dedication have to happen to pull of this kind of event. This year was an absolutely fantastic event with a huge turnout!! SOLD OUT!! It was well organized, fun, and the perfect day for a festival. The location was great, there were many different vendors and a great variety of wings. Every festival has its hiccups. I saw any issues handled as well as possible and was thankful for attendees for their grace. Overall, the day was full of community, fun for the whole family and there was a wonderful representation of musical talents and entertainment. Can’t wait for next year!!!

Heather Gilbert

I tried the Wing Festival for the first time this year. I’m a student at CU Denver, putting myself through school and I made the choice to spend on this event and to bring my boyfriend, a disabled veteran who loves wings. I was so excited for the experience and to share the time with him.

After traveling all the way from Lakewood CO for the event, we quickly found the event had been misrepresented. Immediately on entering the festival we were told that two vendors didn’t even show: Single Barrel and Taste Bud Bullies. These two vendors were responsible for 5 different wing tastings out of the total 18 which accounts for about 30% of the total wing tastings.

Other vendors at the event either ran out of food or weren’t able to serve wings due to various reasons. In the end, we were only able to sample 6 wings, this is only about 30% of the advertised quantity. With a GA ticket of $64, this would be over $10 per wing. My ticket below shows the various vendors that were unavailable as well as the limited number we were able to sample. There were no drink tickets and only one water station.

We only lasted at the event for one hour because of poor programming and organization. When I confronted the business about the misrepresentation they responded saying my feedback and my desire to write an accurate review was blackmail. This event is a scam and I will be contacting the city of Colorado Springs so others aren't taken advantage of in the future.

Jean Walton

I absolutely love attending the Best of the West Wing Fest! Not only do you get to sample delicious food from a variety of restaurants and determine the best of the best, but there is also fantastic entertainment with live bands and plenty of vendors offering unique and interesting products. I have been to the festival for the past two years and each time it has exceeded my expectations. I cannot wait for the next one as I know it will be even bigger and better. If you're a fan of good food, great music, and a fun atmosphere, this festival is definitely worth checking out. Highly recommend!

Crysta Kehren

This event is fantastic! Live music, wing-eating contests, community building, everyone loved it! Flip and Maritza work so hard to put this on and I can’t wait to see even more restaurants, vendors, sponsors, and visitors next year!!!

Adam Oliver

I've been a part of the Wing Fest since day 1 and it just gets better and better! The entertainment is always a blast and unique, the food is of course amazing, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend my weekend! Bring your family, friends, anyone who wants to have a great time. Can't wait for next year.

Emilia Mendez

Had a delicious time at Wing Fest 2023! The day was filled with fun activities, spectacular performances, awesome local vendors, creative & mouth watering chicken wing perfectly complimented by the fabulous Mountain View.

Cant wait to make it again next year!

Meghan Cromie

I've been waiting months to write this review to see if I would care less over time, but I feel that the Best of the West Wing Fest may be a scam since it was so disorganized. We purchased VIP tickets for my husband's birthday and had friends fly in from Texas. I'm annoyed that we drove from Denver and wasted a beautiful Colorado afternoon on mediocre wings, waiting in long lines, and paying extra for drinks, despite opting for the VIP tickets. While the vendors were kind (but overwhelmed), it felt the event organizers spent serious money on marketing instead of getting vendors that are better suited for such large events. I don't understand how there are so many positive reviews. The vendors were almost all local Colorado Springs businesses and a couple larger corporations that sell wings in addition to other items. We are serious wing eaters and were not impressed with the selection. Perhaps save your Saturday and do a "wing hop" around Denver and surrounding suburbs to have a better experience that will likely cost the same.