Back to Features

Tasty Tacoma

Killer booze, food and tunes at Point Defiance Park

Enjoy more than 30 local and regional eateries at this year’s Taste of Tacoma. Photo credit: TasteofTacoma.com

Email Article Print Article Share on Facebook Share on Reddit Share on StumbleUpon

This weekend, Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU) and Emerald Queen Casino present the annual Taste of Tacoma celebration at Point Defiance Park. More than 30 local and regional eateries offer a variety of delectable dishes, along with more than 70 vendors of commercial and handcrafted items. Enjoy live music and other entertainment on four stages alongside cook-offs and demos hosted by TV Tacoma's Amanda Westbrooke and presented by Albert Lee Appliance under The Taste Cooks! banner. There, at the festival's north end, Tacoma chefs and other culinary aces will square off in Chopped-style, mystery-basket battles judged by the audience.

Attendees stressed by foodie fisticuffs may enjoy the craft beer tasting garden. Cocktails made from local spirits are available in the beer garden, including signature concoctions featuring Heritage Distilling Co.'s Batch No. 12 vodka, straight from Gig Harbor. Or check out Taste of Tacoma's newest addition, a Rose Garden wine bar boasting affordable glasses and flights from Canoe Ridge Vineyard, Ste. Chapelle Winery and three other vineyards. BECU members with proof of membership receive special deals on alcoholic beverages throughout the festival.

Food offerings on display run the gamut from the familiar to the enticingly exotic.

"While there's so much to try at the Taste," said Megan Postiglione, media director for the event, "guests should start their day at New Orleans Cookery to try the alligator on a stick, as that item sells out every year. So if you're the adventurous foodie, that's a good starting point."

New to this year's festival are Barbar Shawarma, Keli's Hawaiian Foods and Stacks Food Truck, joining repeat vendors offering everything from flame-broiled salmon to deep-fried PB&Js. To incentivize sampling completists, each vendor offers a smaller portion of every dish for a mere $3.75.

Digest all those exotic eats while enjoying close to 100 live entertainment acts. The BECU/Rock 98.9 Stage offers classic rockers like Rural Route 3, Stacy Jones Band and a cool dozen tribute bands, while the Movin' 92.5 Pond Stage highlights such singer-songwriters as feminist alt-rockers The Morning After and The Voice star Siahna. The Family Fun Stage, located in the bowl around the Point Defiance pond, presents kid-friendly entertainment throughout the festival, including acoustic-pop singer Sarah Holman, American Idol challenger Lovey James and theatrical-pop dancers Tweenland. That venue, perfect for picnickers, is sponsored by KMPS New Country 94.1. Then, once lunch settles, hit the midway presented by Funtastic Carnival and Amusement Rides. A discount packet of six ride tickets sells for just $16.

A free shuttle carries visitors every quarter of an hour from the Park & Ride at Tacoma Community College to the park festival, with the last shuttle returning half an hour after closing each night. In accordance with health-and-safety codes, a strict no-pet policy must be in effect throughout the festival.

Taste of Tacoma, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, June 24 and 25; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday, June 26, Point Defiance Park, 5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma, free admission, 425.295.3262 x117

Read next close

Reviews

Mondo meals in Lakewood

comments powered by Disqus