To get a true taste of all that the festival had to offer, I made my way toward the culinary delights where I talked with some of the incredible vendors.

Erva Brew Co.

I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Erva Brew Co. Co-Founder Tiffany Scalia. Scalia said that Erva is an independently owned yerba mate brand based out of Los Angeles.

“We cold brew yerba mate and mix it with all organic herbs and fruits, citrus, a little bit of sugar and some of the blends, and we serve at farmers' markets, music festivals,” Scalia said.

Erva also operates a yerba mate bar located in Pasadena, California. Tiffany worked M3F alongside her sister Chloee Scalia who lives in Arizona. Tiffany expressed her gratitude for Chloee’s help, as it is Erva’s first time in Arizona!

You can find Erva Brew Co. on Instagram and TikTok at @drinkerva.

KJ’s Smokehouse

I spoke with KJ Crouch, the owner of KJ's Smokehouse, who shared insights into the Kansas City-style barbecue that inspires his craft.

“From our meat being prime, to the chicken we source, air chilled, organic. We just want to give the best quality food while sustaining the best quality customer service,” Crouch said.​​

The Kj’s Smokehouse food truck can be found in places like Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler and Phoenix.

They are also out of a ghost kitchen in downtown Mesa, which can be found at ​​659 E Main St.

You can find them on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook as @kjsmokehouse, where they post their weekly locations every Sunday.

Hot Bamboo

Alexis Arce said Hot Bamboo started a little over 10 years ago, initially operating only at farmers markets.

They're all handmade steam buns, and they have now expanded the menu and do fun characters and flavors!

Hot Bamboo can consistently be found at the Scottsdale Farmers Market as well as at First Friday in downtown Phoenix. They also travel to nearby states as well and participate in most major festivals all around the Valley.

Their Instagram is @hotbamboo, and their website is hotbambooaz.com. They constantly post where they are at, and where they are going to pop up.

Fry Bread

I talked to the owner of the Fry Bread Stand's daughters Lina and Tio. They said the stand’s fry bread is based off of the Apache fry bread recipe, and they offer an assortment of flavors.

They said their dad started selling it in the 70s, and they typically sell at local fairs and festivals.

They said they do not have any social media as their dad is “old school,” but that people often remember the fry bread after seeing it again at an event!

Bulldog Burgery

Next, I spoke to Alexis from the Bulldog Burgery. The business started in New York City, and after a couple of years they decided to expand and move outside of the state. They mainly sell at festivals, and serve chicken tenders, burgers and fries.

“It’s all fresh. Freshly cut fries, we prepare the chicken and then the smash burgers,” Alexis said.

You can find them on facebook and Instagram at @bulldogburgery.

Jake’s Donuts

I talked to James Jacobson from Jake's Donuts, a fun local treat trolley out of Tucson. Jacobson said his dad started this business about 25 years ago out of a tent, and they now have two trailers and are keeping the family business going.

Jake’s Donuts sells funnel cakes, mini donuts, cotton candy, shaved ice, lemonade and all sorts of fun deep fried treats. They participate in shows across southern Arizona and will appear next at the 4th Avenue Street Fair and the 2025 Pima County Fair in Tucson.

With free admission for children 12 and under, M3F has a Family Zone to explore. Here, they offer areas to draw, a mini arcade and an area where you are taught how to make your own light up flower!

As you walk enjoying all the festival has to offer, you will see all sorts of uniquely coordinated individual and group outfits!

My personal favorite set of the entire festival was from Beach Weather. The band, best known for their hit “Sex, Drugs, Etc.,” drew the crowd in and had everyone feeling their music. It was funny to hear how most of the band actually lived in Phoenix!

They definitely made me into a fan, and I will be purchasing tickets for their next concert in Arizona.

Girl Talk’s DJ set is one that I will never forget. Girl talk is a singular DJ named Greg Gillis, however his stage was flooded with people.

The amount of people on the stage brought his set’s stage presence to another stratosphere as they were getting the crowd hype by dancing, singing, jumping around.

It had been pretty apparent that M3F’s music wasn’t necessarily directed towards the “younger crowd,” however, Girl Talk did a fantastic job combining new school songs with old school songs. He went from 90’s hip hop, to 2024 rap, to 2000’s pop so seamlessly. The audience loved every second of it as everyone came together dancing, laughing and screaming lyrics as loud as they possibly could.

Closing off the night was the iconic French duo Justice. The biggest crowd of the entire weekend by far was for their performance. Their electronic disco music and crazy visual lighting effects had everyone entranced and fully immersed in the experience.

As the sky grew darker, you could see the featured art start to glow. Whether it be the giant flowers, or the beautiful lights reflecting across the lake.

M3F is unlike any festival I have seen before. I have never felt safer at an event like this. I felt I could be myself with no care in the world, and it all came down to the people attending. Everyone was so kind, and I will definitely be attending the festival for years to come.