After two-year hiatus, popular Taco Fest returns this weekend at a near-Wichita venue
During its initial three-year run, Festive ICT’s Taco Fest proved to be one of the Wichita events most likely to draw a big crowd.
But the pandemic hit, big crowds became a big problem, and the Taco Fest took a pause.
This weekend, though, the event — which last happened at Old Cowtown Museum in August 2019 — will make its big return. Organizers have found another new venue for the big taco party, which debuted in 2017 at the Union Station plaza before moving to the former Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in 2018 and then Cowtown in 2019.
The 2022 Taco Fest is set for 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Andover’s Capital Federal Amphitheater, 1607 E. Central.
Nnanna Okpara, the owner of FestiveICT, canceled the event in the summer of 2020 and decided in 2021 that the COVID-19 landscape was still too uncertain to put on big events. But when the party returns this weekend after its two-year hiatus, he said, crowds will see that the wait has been worth it.
Okpara said he’s excited about the new venue, which he found after he tried and failed to work out a deal to put on the festival at Riverfront Stadium. The Andover amphitheater will allow the festival to really spread out.
“Their park has never been used the way we’re using it,” he said. “We’ll be using more ground than they use for their events.”
Attendees will have to buy tickets to get into the festival — they’re $15 at www.festiveict.com/wichita-taco-fest until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday and then will be $20 at the door. Once inside, people will be able to buy $2 tacos from around 25 vendors, who also will be selling elote, chips and salsa, smoothies, desserts and more. Among the vendors scheduled to be there are Wichita restaurant favorites like Los Compadres, Taco Locale and Puerto Vallarta. (The full list of vendors will be announced on Friday.) Set up throughout the event will also be nine bars, where attendees can buy beer, margaritas and bottled water.
New this year: Attendees will be entertained by Lucha Libre wrestling, featuring four top Hispanic wrestlers who travel the country and wrestle in costume at festivals. Matches start around 6:30 p.m.
“It’s something we’ve been wanting to add for a while, and we felt like this year would be the right year to bring it in,” Okpara said.
Taco Fest also will feature live music from the 10-piece Latin band Tumbao plus tunes spun by DJ Magnum and DJ Metiche. Attendees also will find merchants selling items like salsa and jam as well as face painting, a caricature booth and more. The event will also include a jalapeno eating contest.
The Taco Fest is known for its big crowds and long lines, and Okpara said he’s expecting at least 7,000 people this year. Attendees should bring cash for food as well as lawn chairs. The festival won’t be allowing outside food or beverages or reusable water bottles through the gates, but water will be for sale throughout the event, he said.
People should also be aware that taco prices have gone up since 2019: They used to be $1 but this year will be $2. The hike was necessary because of inflation and higher food prices. Ticket prices also went up $5.
But Okpara said the festival is still an affordable way to fill up on tacos and have fun while doing so.
“Taco Fest is really showcasing the diversity in culture we have in Wichita,” he said. “A lot of people don’t expect a place like Wichita to have a lot of culture or to be a melting pot, but we are hoping Taco Fest is a place where we can showcase that.”
This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 12:32 PM.
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