Taco and margarita fans, get your appetites ready.
The second annual Atlanta Margarita +Taco Festival, presented by Tortillas La Banderita, will be kicking off bigger than ever as a two-day event on 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 19 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, May 20 in Old Fourth Ward Park.
Credit: Lauren Booker
Credit: Lauren Booker
Jim Shumake, Food-o-Rama events principal owner, organizes the festival and projects there will be twice as many people to come out this year based on the more than 41,000 people on Facebook who say they are interested in joining the merriment.
"It's these neighborhood festivals that bring us together as a community," he said. "We come to celebrate, have fun and have a weekend of eating tacos, a favorite food for millions and billions of people.
Here are the five things you should know about the free admission, rain or shine Atlanta Margarita + Taco Festival.
The festival is a cultural celebration.
Shumake said it's a priority to showcase the different aspects of Hispanic culture through music, cuisine and art.
"I think that Atlanta has such a diverse international population," he said. "Central Americans and South Americans have such an important role to play in how Atlanta has grown."
Hispanic artists such as Roni Medina Music will be featured at the event. She will be performing at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 20.
"We could not put on these events without the help of that culture," Shumake said. "We are trying to get artists that are Mexican descent, Columbian descent...to really make this a festival about supporting our community here in Atlanta that is Hispanic."
The event will be located in a bustling area of Atlanta.
The festivities will happen in the historic Old Fourth Ward Park, 680 Dallas St., which is known as an "urban oasis" for its lake filled with wildlife and 17 acres of green space. Attendees will also be in close proximity to other popular locations, such as Ponce City Market and the Atlanta Beltline's Eastside Trail. Event goers will have access to parking on the streets surrounding the park or they can commute via the Beltline or MARTA.
Credit: Lauren Booker
Credit: Lauren Booker
Margaritas will be flowing.
About 12 bars will be doling out a smorgasbord of margaritas for attendees to enjoy. To partake, event goers will need to buy a $6 drink wristband. The "Best Margarita" winner from last year's festival, On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, is one of this years drink vendors and will be bringing their blended Watermelon Margarita.
Taco vendors will be at (almost) every turn.
Plan to taste an array of savory, appetizing tacos at the festival, because there will be more than 20 different taco merchants. Let's Taco About It, Tin Lizzy's, Taco Tent and Mezcalito's Cocina are some of the restaurants that will serve vittles at the event. If you aren't a fan of tacos, there will be mouthwatering quesadillas in the vicinity. Other food sellers include Chazitos, El Azteca, Filipino Food Truck and Smith Gourmet.
Live music will be performed throughout the day.
With vibrant sights, energetic sounds and delicious foods, festival goers will get an immersive cultural experience. There will be live DJs spinning tracks during each event day. On Saturday, Backyard Birds, which is a British pop band, will close out the festival beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday.
A previous version of this story included some misinformation about the festival’s music and agenda. We apologize for the error.
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