Taco Fest 2022
Shortly after moving to the Wichita area back in 2018 my family and I attended Wichita Pizza Fest. Pizza Fest was held at the Festival Plaza at the Exploration Place and was such a fun day. I remember loads of amazing pizza, wine tastings, live music and smiles all around. At Pizza Fest I did a quick YouTube interview with Debbie from Festive ICT and I’ve had an eye on their events ever since!
Festive ICT is an event production company based here in Wichita. According to their website, Festive ICT was established for the purpose of creating joyful experiences in our local community and beyond. Some of their events include Taco Fest, Pizza Fest, Margaritas and Mojitos, Sneaker Fest and Hoop Jam.
Today I am going to share my experience at Taco Fest as well as give some tips for those attending next year. Taco Fest was held at the Capitol Federal Amphitheater in Andover. The event included food vendors, taco booths, fresh drinks, live music, dancing, a DJ, a jalapeño eating contest, and even Lucha Libre wrestling.
My friend and I had already been planning to attend Taco Fest as a double date with our spouses, but quickly found out a handful of our friends were also planning to attend. For months, Taco Fest was already shaping up as THE PLACE to be this Summer. As if I wasn’t excited enough, a couple days before the event, the Taco Fest team reached out to the (3YUM6) squad and threw in some VIP passes - score!
Speaking of tickets, I highly suggest you buy them early. I saw them as low as $10 for super early bird, only $15 for regular early bird and I believe they were around $20 the day of. One thing to know going in is that your ticket price only covers entry into the event, food and drink is separate. I saw some negative chatter regarding that online, but at a $10 entry ticket and tacos around $2 each - I personally did not mind the pricing structure at all.
In addition to buying early, I also suggest you get to the event as early as possible! We got there right about 3 pm when the gates opened. There were already lines at the taco booths but they were nothing compared to the lines later in the day.
My first stop was to the bar where I got a yummy margarita.
The first tacos we got were from El Ricardo’s. I got the pastor tacos while my husband got the carnitas.
From there, we spent some time in the VIP area. VIP tickets were $40 presale and $50 the day of and they included 10 tequila tastings as well as your own bar, seating area with misters, and restrooms. I only managed 6 tequila shots but I thoroughly enjoyed all the VIP amenities and highly recommend it next year!
The next taco stop was at Taqueria El Vago where I got pastor tacos again and my husband got their asada tacos. These tacos knocked our socks off!
As amazing as all the tacos were, I’d be doing you a disservice if I did not mention the real MVP of this event. These amazing pineapple slushie drinks from Bongo Fruit Smoothies were a hit. Everyone I saw either had one, was in line to get one, or was looking for one. Definitely put it high on your list for next year!
To the Festive ICT group, thank you for putting on a great event and for having us out! We look forward to more fun together!
XO - Olivia
