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The Columbus Food Truck Festival has been a popular summer event for 12 years and continues to grow and evolve in 2023. Columbus is full of foodies, and luckily the food truck offerings can support the diverse needs of Columbus’ eager diners.
This year’s fest is held on Aug. 19 and 20 at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Hilliard and is open from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.
The festival features more than 50 food vendors and two stages showcasing 15 musical acts, as well as a flea market, vintage exchange and Longbranch bourbon’s mobile ranch.
Tickets for admission are on sale now and cost $5 until Friday, Aug. 19, when the price raises to $7 a ticket.
Chas Kaplan, co-creator of the festival, has been working in Columbus’ food and entertainment industry for over 20 years. As a food and music lover himself, he started this event to showcase small businesses and create a family-friendly experience for central Ohio to enjoy.
“I do all this to take people away from their daily lows of life,” Kaplan says. “Grab a bite, grab a drink, grab a Longbranch bourbon, listen to some good music, hang out and enjoy.”
The Main Attraction: Food & Drink
The food truck offerings will have something for everyone, serving up cuisine from all over the world. Those with dietary restrictions or allergies don’t need to worry, Kaplan says most of the vendors available will offer vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
Kaplan also puts an emphasis on keeping the festival fresh with new food truck options every year. Some of the new vendors this year include Ruta 40 Argentina Grill, Sweet P’s Handcrafted Ice Pops, Empanadas and More, Glaze’Em Gourmet Funnel Cakes, Uncle Bacon’s Barbeque and For the Love of Dough Handmade Cookies and Treats.
“It’s incredibly important for us to use our platform and the festival to promote and boost up as many new vendors as we possibly can,” Kaplan says.
Also new this year, is the Longbranch mobile ranch. Longbranch is bourbon created by Wild Turkey Distillery, made in collaboration with movie star Matthew McConaughey. The mobile ranch is a trailer that folds out into a bar with a lounge area squared off by turf. Attendees can try the “Arch City Sunrise,” a combination of Longbranch bourbon, orange juice, lemon juice, grenadine and bitters, made special for Columbus. Those who prefer to have their bourbon straight can have their drink neat or on the rocks.
To ensure that attendees can try dishes from as many different trucks as possible, Kaplan says vendors are required to offer at least one item under $6 as a “sample size.”
Many of the trucks do sell out certain items during the weekend, so it is best to go early if you’re aiming to visit a certain truck or snag a certain item.
Discover A New Treasure
New to this year’s food truck festival is a vintage exchange where attendees can browse through vintage shoes, clothing, video games and other highly sought-after items from 30 different vendors.
Returning to the festival will be the retailers and crafts area which is separate from the vintage exchange. 20-30 vendors will be offering clothing, hand-made crafts, accessories and other new, unused items for sale.
Dinner with a Show
After you grab your food, you can relax and listen to an array of local bands playing in a wide range of styles, from bluegrass, country and Americana to rock, jazz and hip-hop.
“Music and food equally feed the soul,” Kaplan says.
There are two stages on the festival grounds, a main stage and an acoustic stage.
On Saturday the first band of the day starts at 11 a.m. on the main stage, with five other bands also on the lineup. Each band is slotted for around two hours, with the headliner, The Linear Notes, taking the stage at 9 p.m.
Shows at the acoustic stage start at 3 p.m. and end at 7 p.m., with a total of three bands taking the stage, each for a two-hour time slot.
Sunday’s lineup includes four bands and begins at 11 a.m. with the headliner, The Winnie Cooper Project, taking the main stage at 5 p.m.
The acoustic stage features two shows, one at 2 p.m. and one at 3:30 p.m.
Giving Back
It is safe to say that Kaplan has achieved his goal of supporting small businesses. The opportunity for them to set up shop at the festival exposes businesses to thousands of people who may not have discovered them otherwise. In addition, businesses that participate can bring in a large profit over a short two-day period.
“I pride myself on the simple fact that we help these small business owners bring in millions of sales dollars to their business every single year and I don't say that lightly, and I'm not overestimating it by any means,” he says.
To Kaplan, supporting the community is just as important to the festival as the food and music. Some of the proceeds go to the local organizations Music Loves Ohio and Ronald McDonald House. Over the years the festival has donated $75,000 to these local nonprofits.
“If we can’t give back, what are we doing?” Kaplan says. “Last year we donated $1,000 to the Ronald McDonald house alone.”
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
