Some cities have ways to have fun with food trucks, not bash them. Tampa’s mayor is participating.
The second World’s Largest Food Truck Festival, a weekend of gourmet food, live music, petting zoo, and rides and games for the entire family, will take place at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 29 from noon to 8 pm and Sunday, March 30th from 11 am to 6 pm. Presented by Generation Food Truck and the Florida State Fair Authority, the World’s Largest Food Truck Festival Ever, Part II, which is the official name of the event, will attempt to officially break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS for the Largest Food Truck Parade. Admission to the event is free, and parking is $6 per vehicle. Rides and games range are an additional cost. The Florida State Fairgrounds is located at 4800 U.S. Highway 301 North, Tampa, Florida, 33610.
This year’s event expects to see participation from over 200 food trucks with delicacies from throughout Florida and the U.S. Food Truck offerings include nearly every kind of food imaginable from ceviche to shaved ice, and jerk chicken to gelato. Last year, the festival broke the record for the largest food truck parade with 100 trucks participating. This year, an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Adjudicator will be on hand to record and verify the event, and if accomplished, present a World Records certificate in a special ceremony on Saturday.
The weekend festival will begin Saturday morning with Tampa’s Mayor, Bob Buckhorn, announcing the start of the official Food Truck parade around the perimeter of the Florida State Fairgrounds. Gates will open to the public at noon with a total of 14 bands including 3D Burn, Drastic Fall, Carlisle and Variance, courtesy of musical sponsor, 98 Rock. Activity areas include a Kid’s Play Zone with bounce houses, pony rides, a petting zoo and kiddie rides. Adult thrill rides and games include bumper cars, a giant wheel, the RC48 roller coaster and mobile gaming trucks.
Patrons will also be encouraged to cast a vote for their favorite food truck. The People’s Choice Awards will be presented on Sunday to three recipients. Customized awards are courtesy of Rhineland Cutlery.
A single day event that began last year with a vision to break the previous food truck parade record in Miami, and provide positive entertainment to local patrons, turned into whopping success with 100 participating food trucks and attendance topping 18,000. This year’s two-day event attendance is expected to exceed 35,000.
Based in Tampa, Florida, Generation Food Truck is a promotional company run by gourmet food truck owners. The company promotes, books, consults and coordinates food festivals, and is known for hosting the Next Gen Gourmet Food Festivals at various locations throughout Tampa Bay.
“We are so excited to partner again with the Florida State Fair Authority, and to have GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS here for the Festival,†says Jeremy Gomez, Co-owner of Generation Food Truck. “With the caliber of gourmet food and entertainment that we offer, I’m not surprised the event has grown by leaps and bounds!â€
