Inaugural Topeka Food Truck Festival Coming This August to Gage Park

A group of local food truck owners announced the inaugural Topeka Food Truck Festival is coming this summer to Gage Park. This highly anticipated culinary extravaganza will take place on Sunday, Aug. 27 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Foodies, music lovers, and families are invited to indulge in a day of delectable treats, live entertainment, and exciting activities to round out their summer fun.

The 2023 Topeka Food Truck Festival — a fresh, new event that builds on previous festivals held locally — will showcase more than 15 diverse and delicious food truck vendors, serving up a wide range of mouthwatering delights. Festival goers can look forward to enjoying gourmet grilled cheeses, juicy burgers, sizzling fajitas, flavorful street tacos, refreshing Dole Whip, irresistible kettle corn, delightful donuts, protein-packed power bowls, finger-licking barbecue, crispy fried fish, and more. Participating food trucks will be unveiling new menu items exclusively for the event that are sure to satisfy the senses.

Adding to the ambiance, Topeka Food Truck Festival will feature live music by The Paradize Band, known for their captivating performances and contagious energy. Attendees can also enjoy fun, family-friendly activities, including a photo booth, face painting, a balloon artist, and bubble foam pit.

In the spirit of community, the festival will host raffle basket giveaways, with proceeds this year benefiting Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka. The festival expects to support a different charity or nonprofit in the Topeka area each year it’s held. The event aims to not only celebrate the city’s vibrant food truck scene but also to support small business owners and entertainers who contribute to the cultural fabric of Topeka and Shawnee County.

“We’ve been hard at work in recent months bringing the Topeka Food Truck Festival to life and can’t wait to showcase the incredible culinary talents and entrepreneurial spirit of our local food-truck vendors,” said Aaron Parrish, a festival organizer and co-owner of Poppin Squeeze. “This festival is a labor of love for food trucks like ours that want to give back to the community, while offering a unique event experience that brings people together for live music, great company, and a variety of delightful bites.”

“Mark your calendars for Aug. 27, and plan to join us at Gage Park for a day full of fun,” said Stacy Cook, a festival organizer and co-owner of Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese. “Community and connection are a big deal for small-business owners like us, because we rely on the community as much as they rely on us. I’m excited to see new and familiar faces help us make the Topeka Food Truck Festival an undeniable success. Don’t forget to bring your appetite for good food and lively music!”

“This is going to be a great family event for the Topeka community, as well as visitors to the area looking for some late-summer fun,” said Sean Dixon, president of Visit Topeka. “The variety of food options being offered by participating local food trucks is a beautiful reflection of the culinary diversity seen across our city. I look forward to attending with my own family and encourage people of all ages to support this event, which is bound to grow in the years to come.”

Topeka Food Truck Festival is free to attend. The festival organizing committee includes the owners behind such favorites as The Burger Bus, Flavor Wagon, Poppin Minis, Poppin Squeeze, and Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese. More information about the Topeka Food Truck Festival can be found here on the event’s Facebook page. 

The organizing committee would like to thank this year’s sponsors for their support: KSNT (media sponsor), Reser’s Fine Foods (stage sponsor), T-Shirts Etc. (shirt sponsor), and The Burger Bus (photo booth sponsor).