It’s festival season in Huntington, West Virginia, and summer 2023 brings a new festival to downtown Huntington in “Taco Fest” on August 26.

Taco Fest is planned to be at Harris Riverfront Park. The festival is free and open to all ages. There will be numerous activities for kids including games, prizes, inflatables, contests, and a video game van hosting a Fortnite competition.

For adults, there will be a margarita area featuring multi-flavored margaritas and various Mexican beers.

The festival comes from Huntington resident Bleu Young, who says that tacos seem to be a popular food in the Jewel City. “I’ve lived here for a while and noticed that one thing the whole town can agree on is good food. Also, tacos have no parameters. No matter who you are, somewhere down the line, there’s a taco you will like.”

Several vendors have already signed up to sell food and artisanal goods. Food vendors are required to offer at least one taco, burrito, nacho, or quesadilla to fit the “Taco Fest” theme. Each vendor can enter their most imaginative taco in the Best Taco contest for cash prizes. Four thousand people have already responded to the Facebook event, as of this writing.

Creativity will be the key with food offerings. Karubees Jamaican cuisine, for example, will be serving Caribbean tacos with jerk chicken, curry chicken, or pineapple salmon options.

“Who doesn’t love tacos? Everyone loves tacos! But wouldn’t it be fun if some of your favorite local restaurants had a day where they served tacos? What if your fav Italian restaurant served Italian tacos? Or if your favorite BBQ spot had a barbecue smoked quesadilla. Or maybe your favorite ice cream shop decided to bring back choco tacos or the local bakery served banana pudding nachos? I’m sure you’ve seen fruit pizzas, but what if it was a fruit taco? Yeah, the possibilities are endless. Literally. Something at Taco Fest is definitely going to catch your attention,” Mr. Young said.

There are a few vendor spaces still available. To secure your spot, email TacoFestHuntington@gmail.com by August 15, 2023. The festival will take place from noon-8PM, August 26, 2023 at Harris Riverfront Park in downtown Huntington, WV.