What to expect at the Columbus Food Truck Festival next weekend

When The Columbus Food Truck Festival returns this year after being canceled in 2020, it will host 50 food trucks in an all-new location.

The 10th Columbus Food Truck Festival is slated for Aug. 21 and Aug. 22 at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Hilliard. Promoters and Creators Chas Kaplan and Mike Gallicchio said the event will include acoustic and electric stages for music, as well as arts and crafts.

“It’s always fun to try the new trucks,” Gallicchio said. “I’m excited to be in a new place, frankly.”

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While the festival had been held annually along the Scioto Mile downtown, this year’s switch to the fairgrounds was made because the city of Columbus wasn’t issuing permits until June.

“It takes six to nine months to organize and operate a festival of this magnitude,” Kaplan said. “We can’t wait that long to make our logistical decisions.”

While the festival has a new location, it also has a new ticketing structure, implemented to help manage attendance and provide a clean, safe event. A mobile vaccination clinic will also be on site Sunday, with possible hours Saturday as well.

One benefit to the new location, Gallicchio said, is that the space offers the ability to spread out.

“You can be spaced out really easily,” he said.

This year, the event will include over 160 picnic tables, and a new, covered food hall that will house the event’s main stage, Kaplan said. The tent features 13 bay doors that open 20 feet high. Inside, guests will be able to sit at over 120 tables.

And the collection of food trucks will offer a great deal of variety, with desserts, sandwiches, seafood, vegan, vegetarian and more.

For a full list of food trucks, click here.

If you like this, read: Well-known Columbus food truck to open permanent storefront inside BrewDog

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