Town council approved a proposal from administration to plan for hosting a food truck festival this summer. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Culinary showcase

Battleford to host Food Truck Festival in August

Jan 27, 2022 | 10:04 AM

The Town of Battleford is planning to host a food truck festival this year in the hopes that it will become an annual event in the community.

Council passed the motion to begin planning for the Food Truck Festival and Trade Show, which would take place Aug. 26–28. This would involve 10 or more food trucks outdoors, with a large number of venders for the accompanying trade show inside the Alex Dillabough Centre. In the past, the centre has accommodated 55 tables for trade shows, but would allow for 35 tables with social distancing.

A screen shot of the location for where the festival will take place. (Town of Battleford)

The key point of the decision is attracting visitors. Community Planner Paige Hundt told council that food festivals have incredible track records for local economies. The Battlefords reportedly has around 30 food trucks in the region, making the likelihood to get the participation needed fairly high.

Hundt added that it would be a good opportunity to get residents out to enjoy food while showcasing local businesses.

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“I think this would be really nice, a safe way to get out and enjoy the community,” she said.

The food truck component requires benches, picnic tables, portable toilets and other infrastructure for the weekend. Hundt noted that live music could be arranged, as well as a beer gardens, while the trade show side could have activities like face painting and balloon animals as well.

Other requirements would include volunteers and safety measures. All provincial COVID-19 mandates will be followed.

Mayor Ames Leslie told battlefordsNOW that both town council and adminstration are pleased to start planning this new event, adding they support any events that bring people into Battleford and benefit residents.

“This is very exciting, council’s in full support,” Leslie told battlefordsNOW. “Anything to promote the community and give people something to do.”

At this time, there’s no confirmed financial implication, though the estimate done by adminstration shows around $850 in revenue. This comes from $3,050 in registration fee revenue ($30 registration fee for venders, $200 for food trucks) and $2,200 in expenses (Porta-Potty rentals, hand washing stations and miscellaneous supplies).

Should the weekend go well, Leslie said they could make it a yearly staple for the community.

“Hopefully we can have a great turnout for the first annual food truck weekend.”

Adminstration will begin advertising for the festival in the coming weeks and months.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW