It's the end of the summer festival rush in Richmond. To be honest, I didn't know there was such a time, but with the Filipino Festival, Caribfest and the very popular Carytown Watermelon Festival all happening in the same weekend it seems like a sign of the times.

The great thing about all three festivals is that they're scheduled in such a way that you don't have to miss out on a single one.

Filipino Festival

In its third year, the Filipino Festival kicks off at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Church (8200 Woodman Road), and lasts all day, serving up Filipino cuisine and good times until 8 p.m.

"We decided to hold it on every second Saturday in August," said Dr. Emmanuel Eugenio, director of the festival. "We were looking for a parish event where people will work together, enjoy the activities and earn some money for our social outreach ministries and our school. Decision was then made to feature the unique cuisine and cultural heritage of the Philippine Islands."

Food items will be in the very reasonable price range of $2 to $6. Besides food there will also be cultural displays and activities.

"There will be vendors of oriental arts and crafts imported from the Philippines like bags, special cloths, decors, jewelry; the famous 'parol' or star-making; exhibits of Philippine rural scene; learning Filipino games of skill and strategy in addition to bouncers, kid's inflatables and kiddieland," Eugenio said.

Caribfest

A celebration of Caribbean food, drink and music, Caribfest is taking over Brown's Island on Saturday from noon until 10 p.m. There will be live entertainment, a Caribbean marketplace, children's activities and much more.

Admission is $10, children under 12 free, and that admission gets you the real Caribbean experience featuring arts and crafts and live music.

The festival is a project of the Virginia Jamaica Education Exchange Foundation and citycelebrations.

"We feel extraordinarily delighted to be a part of the internationalization of Richmond," said Beryl Walters-Riley, chairperson of the festival. "Richmond is becoming a really, really wonderful city."

Things will really kick off at Caribfest at 1 p.m. sharp with the Parade of Nations' Flags.

"What that will include," Walters-Riley said, "is the ambassadors and other dignitaries will be on stage receiving their respective flags borne to the stage by children of Caribbean descent. The city of Richmond's flag will be borne by a native Richmond child."

This festival is very child friendly, but one of the highlights is something for adults only. Headlining the event is The Mighty Sparrow, a legend in Caribbean calypso music, along with local Richmond salsa band Son Quatro.

Walters-Riley said there will also be a very special lecture by Dr. Franklin Knight from Johns Hopkins on the history of rum, a Caribbean staple.

There will be traditional non-alcoholic beverages available as well; however food and drink will be available at an extra charge, separate from admission.

Caribfest has worked hard with local Richmond businesses and the countries it celebrates to make the whole thing happen. Sponsor countries include Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti, St. Lucia, Belize, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago and many more. Twenty total Caribbean nations are involved with the festival.

Carytown Watermelon Festival

After a full day of multi-cultural revelry on Saturday, it will be time to take in a summertime Richmond tradition on Sunday.

The annual Carytown Watermelon Festival is back, celebrating 25 years.

Carytown will be bustling all day Sunday, the street lined with vendors and watermelon decorations galore. If you haven't been to the Watermelon Festival, you're either new to the area or have a fear of crowds. The Watermelon Fest is a refreshing end of the summer celebration known to draw a crowd of more than 100,000, making Carytown even more impossible to approach than on a normal Sunday.

If you don't live within walking distance of Carytown, your best bet is to carpool with friends and beat the traffic by parking a dozen or so blocks away and trying out a pair of your most comfortable shoes.