Get the most out of your taco festival experience.
Festival season is here and with it fiestas of every sort. That includes taco festivals, such as the one I curate, Taco Libre in Dallas, Saturday, April 27, 2019. You should go. It’ll be fun. Tickets are available here.
To increase your chances of a great taco festival experience, I have put together a list of best practices.
Consider the crowd. Taco festivals draw large crowds. Lines are given. If you’re going to a taco festival, go early. The lines will be shorter and you’ll be happier.
Again, lines are given. Go early. Go with friends. While you’re waiting in one line, have a friend in another taco line. Order enough tacos for the group. A third friend should be in the bar line. First get water. Next come the silly drinks. Then get more water.
More about water: If there are water fountains on the grounds, save purchased, empty water bottles for free refills.
Don’t take your dog, especially if the festival has a Chihuahua pageant or race (terrible ideas, those things).
Go in with a plan. A great taco festival will have announced its lineup early. That’ll allow you to research potential menus, including what tortillas will be used and what vendors might have longer lines.
Leave room for tacos from unfamiliar or small-scale vendors.
Expect kids. Don’t step on kids.
Locate the bathrooms. Consider bringing antibacterial lotion or hand wipes.
Back to those lines: Don’t complain about anything if you arrive late and have to wait in long lines. That’s on you.
Expect to experience foods outside of your comfort zone. Ditch your preconceived notions. It’s a festival. Have fun. Take a deep breath. There will be lines. There will also be tacos.
Wear comfortable clothes. Bring a hat, a long-sleeve shirt, and maybe sunscreen for burn prevention. Those things won’t protect you from the burn of salsa. That’s the good kind of burn. Keep tacoing.
Get your Taco Libre Dallas tickets here.
The Taco Trail 