Food enthusiasts have even more to look forward to at this year’s Taste of Okotoks festival.
The popular street festival will take over McRae Street from Lineham Avenue to Centre Avenue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 25.
Booths from 18 to 20 restaurants will offer up culinary treats for visitors to sample as they make their way down the street, enjoying live entertainment and artisans from Okotoks and Foothills Market Square.
“The whole concept is really to showcase and support our local restaurants,” said Okotoks community events co-ordinator Mark Doherty.
Among the featured restaurants will be some new faces to the festival – Cha Cha John’s and Roma. There will also be three food trucks from Calgary.
Since some local restaurants were unable to commit to the event this year due to understaffing, Doherty allowed food trucks to enter the festival this year.
“Last year we saw well over 8,000 people,” he said. “We want to support local restaurants first, but we also need to provide enough food to make the festival a success.”
Visitors can purchase tickets for $1 each at two ticket booths and vendors will provide samples for between one to five tickets.
In addition to food samples, Doherty has partnered with Heartland Café to operate a pop-up patio offering a beer and wine gardens for the first time.
“We’ve always had positive feedback from the festival, but one comment we got a lot last year was to have a licensed gardens, so we’re adding that this year,” Doherty said.
Crystal Krentz, general manager of Heartland Café, was happy to work with the town and add a new element to the festival.
“We think the patio will help entice more people to the Taste of Okotoks and help get more people into Olde Towne Okotoks to see what we have to offer,” she said.
The 72-seat beer and wine gardens tent will be located on the landmark site at the corner of McRae Street and Clark Avenue.
Around the Olde Towne Okotoks plaza, festival-goers will enjoy live entertainment, from singer/songwriters and bands on the plaza stage to street performers. At the opposite end of the street, the Okotoks Art Gallery will host musical performers like blues guitarist and singer John Rutherford and a line-dancing troupe.
“There will also be bouncy castles down here and of course the exhibits at the museum and the art gallery will be open and free to the public,” said Allan Boss, cultural and historical team leader for the Town of Okotoks.
Lining the street between the plaza and the art gallery will be about 80 vendors, ranging from handmade artisan products to home-based businesses like essential oils, clothing and even some non-profit groups.
“There will be a lot of jewelers, women’s clothing, people who offer health products and some cool and unique imports,” said Adriana Bratu, an organizer of Market Square.
Among the imported goods are fair trade vendors with products from India, Asia, and Africa. With so many food and artisan vendors and a full day of entertainment lined up, Doherty expects that the Taste of Okotoks will be as well-attended as last year.
