The city of Aurora will host its first-ever Fall Food Truck Festival beginning at 5 p.m. Friday on the Benton Street Bridge between Broadway Avenue and River Street downtown.
A spring food truck fest has been held in the city for years, but this is the first one to be held in the autumn.
The lineup for the four-hour fest includes 25 food trucks from the Chicago area including many popular vendors seen in Aurora throughout the summer months, event organizers said.
A press release from the city said the food trucks will offer “American fare from hot dogs and burgers to ribs and pizza and cultural cuisines from authentic Mexican and Greek to Caribbean and Soul Food.”
Clayton Muhammad, chief engagement and equity officer for the city of Aurora, said the Aurora Downtown group has had great success hosting a food truck fest in the spring and elected to try one of its own.
“This is the first-time fall fest. Aurora Downtown has always done it in the spring and it’s gotten bigger and bigger each year and they were kind of at their capacity in handling one big event,” he said. “We saw the popularity and thought why not do this at least twice a year? Food trucks were very open to it, of course, given they get thousands of clients and it’s just going to give a nice vibe to go into the fall season.”
Muhammad called the total of more than two-dozen trucks “very significant for a first-time event,” noting that since the roster was completed others have continued to make inquiries about participating.
“It’s very significant. If we had more room on the bridges there, we could have added more,” he said.
“We have a strong working relationship with our mobile food vendors in Aurora and we keep in communication with them with updates on policies and things of that sort and there is a lot of communication which leads to an enhancement both of our events and their sales hopefully for the year,” Muhammad said.
Muhammad added that there was a deliberate curating of the food trucks that will be participating.
“We 100% wanted to make certain we had things that would really hit all the taste buds so we have that traditional American fare with hot dogs and hamburgers and pizza and chicken but we hit some of the cultural pieces as well with authentic Mexican cuisine, Caribbean, Soul Food,” he said. “We wanted to make certain when folks come down they can taste their liking or try something brand new as there is everything from appetizers to main courses and desserts.”
He said that food will not be the only offering of the evening as a live DJ, line dancing, giveaways and more will be part of the festival.
“We’ll have a DJ right in the middle of Stolp Avenue and just kind of turn that into a dance location as you go from the north bridge to the south bridge,” he said.
Muhammad said food trucks remain a very popular draw for residents, especially those who like to eat outside.
“We still remember COVID well and we take those opportunities to be outside with family and food it kind of builds that backyard type of feel – family, food and fun,” he said. “Now you take it from the backyard out to the community and people like to try new foods. Everybody has a little bit of foodie in them.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
