The annual spring Food Truck Festival returns to downtown Aurora beginning at 5 p.m. Friday.
The four-hour event will again be held along Benton Street between River and Broadway and will feature three dozen food and drink options offering a wide range of cuisines, event organizers said.
Originally launched back in 2016 by the former Aurora Downtown group, the event now organized by the city of Aurora Special Events Division has grown to include a fall version and features a range of vendors from throughout the area.
Christina DiCristofano, coordinator for this year’s fest, said there will be plenty of food options at the event on Friday.
“We have 36 trucks this year which is one of the biggest totals we’ve had,” she said. “The list went out this past Sunday on the city’s social media sites. We have a lot of our regular vendors back as we try to stay local but we also try to showcase as many new businesses as we can.”
DiCristofano said the event helps give local businesses exposure while getting people out to enjoy the city’s downtown.
“We hope we have lots of people trying new food for all of those living here in town, but also visitors from other places,” she said. “We want to create a sense of community and be in a place where visitors can have fun and be there with each other and celebrate in a way that’s positive. We also hope people will enjoy some awesome food and get to know the vendors we have available, and, overall, have a great time.”
The fest, DiCristofano said, will probably draw between 4,000 and 5,000 people if the weather is good.
“I’m not sure if that total is typical but last year in the fall we had about that many,” DiCristofano said. “It’s dependent on the weather and the vendors and the availability of people.”
Food options among the three dozen vendors will include barbecue, tacos, pizza, pierogis, hamburgers, frozen drinks, funnel cakes, bakery items and much more, organizers said.
A complete list of vendors can be found at www.facebook.com/cityofaurorail
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
