Central New Yorkers who typically look forward to the Taste of Syracuse Festival will still have a chance to get $1 samples this summer, even if it’s not at the traditional festival. The festival has been reimagined as Picnics in the Park at Onondaga Lake Park this year.
Galaxy Media Director of Events Marketing Britteny Christie says it’s a way to bring some of the festival to Syracuse, but staying within State coronavirus health guidance.
“We want to keep the brand alive. We don’t want people to forget about it because we do plan to come back next year,” said Christie. “We do hope 2022 will be a regular event season, and I say regular like we’re going to be able to have 250,000 people at an event.”
But this year will focus on the smaller event. There will be live music, and Christie hopes to bring in children’s entertainment later on in the summer. People can reserve picnic benches, and the food vendors will rotate each week. While the food trucks may be different from all the booths typical to Taste of Syracuse, Christie says it gives businesses who aren’t usually at the festival a chance to take part.
“They don’t either have the work load capacity to do it. They’ve never been able to be a part of it. So this is really great because they’re getting an opportunity to see what that is kind of like, with the dollar sample and be a part of something of that nature,” said Christie.
Along with the $1 sample, each vendor will also have a full menu available. The first Picnic in the Park will be this Thursday from 11 am to 2 pm. Christie says she knows that the weekday lunch window is not perfect for everyone. However, she believes the event will give people a safe, fun, outdoor place to get together. The first picnic will feature Cluck N Burger, The Soul Food Extension, Skippy’s Ice Cream, and more.
For information on parking and a full schedule of vendors and musical acts, visit tasteofsyracuse.com.
