Saturday might be the biggest taco-eating day of the year in Wichita
Eight years ago, the owners of event business Festive ICT wondered if Wichita might respond to a taco festival, where they could gather in one place and try samples of tacos from lots of local restaurants.
Wichita responded more enthusiastically than the event’s planners ever imagined, and the event was pretty chaotic: Around 7,000 people crowded into the area around Union Station in downtown Wichita for the first festival, which was marked by long lines and sweaty, hungry customers.
After that first year, though, Festive ICT owner Nnanna Okpara and his crew knew what they were dealing with and planned for it. Though the event took a two-year COVID-19 break in 2021 and 2022, it’s continued annually ever since but at much larger venues. Over the years, organizers have tried Wichita’s baseball stadium, Cowtown and Andover’s Capital Federal Amphitheater,
The 2025 edition of the Wichita Taco Fest is from 3 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and it will be at yet another new venue: the Fountains at WaterWalk. The highlight of the event will be the $2 tacos for sale at booths occupied by a long list of local restaurants and food vendors. Chips and salsa, beer and margaritas also will be sold.
There will also be a Tequila Expo from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m, which requires a separate ticket that’s $75 the day of the event, plus lucha libre wrestling, cultural dancers and a kid zone that will include art stations, face painting and yard games.
A jalapeno-eating contest, which comes with a $100 prize, will happen on the main stage at 6:15 p.m. It’s $10 to sign up if spots are still available the day of the festival.
Tickets are $25 at the gate. Children 5 and under will be admitted free. Attendees are encouraged to bring cash for tacos and to dress for the heat.
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 11:54 AM.
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