As organizers and participants of the 40th annual Taste of Edmonton prepared for the summer food festival’s July 18 kickoff, they made a very tough decision.
Vendors are faced with increased costs across the board. Food prices are skyrocketing. Prices for plates, bamboo forks and environmentally friendly straws have gone up. Even hand sanitizer is pricer than ever.
But, in a town hall meeting, the participating restaurants had a message for Taste of Edmonton’s organizers — that, despite the forces eating away at their bottom lines, they had to hold the line on what they charge festival-goers. This year, a sheet of 40 tickets is still $59.50, if purchased at the early bird rate before the end of day on July 17. The 40 tickets are normally priced at $69.50.
Ticket prices haven’t increased since 2018.
“So, we are all depending on volume,” says Weslee Qualie, Taste of Edmonton’s production manager.
But, regular visitors to Taste of Edmonton will notice some changes. In previous editions, vendors were limited to offering three items. And, one of the offerings had to a be a two-ticket item. But, this year, vendors can offer up to four things, and there is no formal rule to ensure a two-ticket item is available.
Qualie says, just as the restaurants pushed to hold the line on prices, the majority are making sure that two-ticket items survive. Qualie says the majority of the vendors are going to have two-ticket tastes on offer.
“The two-ticket items have just been so popular,” says Qualie. “And the restaurants are aware of the economic pressures we’re all facing.”
All told, there will be more than 50 restaurants participating in this year’s Taste of Edmonton, which runs till July 28. Nearly 180 food and beverage items will be available. This year, there will be 88 food items that will be new to Taste of Edmonton. So, if you’re worried about “same old, same old,” — don’t.
The festival will once again take over Churchill Square, but the footprint is expanding. A dozen food trucks will be on 100th Street between 102nd and 103A Avenues. That part of 100th Street will be totally closed off to traffic — in previous years, we saw partial lane closures on that street. (If you’re a downtown driver, plan ahead, or, better yet, leave the vehicle at home and use alternate transport options to get downtown.)
At 100th Street and 103A Avenue, visitors will find THE MARKET by Wholly Handmade. It’s a makers’ market, with a little more than 30 rotating vendors each day.
The stage will have acts from noon-close. And, by popular demand, Court Jester Dueling Pianos will headline each night from July 18-25. On the 26th, you can see if you can remember all the words to the Canadian pop classic “Don’t Forget Me” when Glass Tiger takes the stage. The night of the 27th is headlined by the hip-hop stylings of Classified.
Twelve people can head to the top of a Sea-Can to dine and have a bird’s eye view of the entertainment. Those spots for the KLM Sky Lounge can be reserved ahead of time at the Taste of Edmonton website.
