As a die-hard foodie and taco lover, the recent Burnaby Taco Fest was the biggest disappointment I’ve ever experienced for a festival. Only six vendors actually served tacos (less than 50 per cent) and each had huge lineups, seemingly run by amateurs. We tried two different vendors and, while the food was good, it was not worth waiting 45 to 60 minutes for each one for the prices we paid.
Judging by the comments on the Taco Fest Facebook page, it’s clear that the only people that enjoyed the festival are those that went specifically for the music, particularly heavy metal and punk rock. While I am a big advocate of music and the arts and feel that music festivals should be promoted whenever possible, call it what it is. If it is intended as a music festival, then promote it as such.
For future, here are some lessons learned that the promoters need to consider:
- If you’re going to call it a “Taco Fest,” and if it is going to be promoted as such, then stick to the theme namesake.
- If music is going to be the focus, then promote that aspect without prioritizing the food theme. Or state that there will be tacos or other great food vendors as a bonus, not a focal point.
- If you’re going to continue promoting this as a Taco Fest, which I (and many foodies) hope you don’t, unless you completely rejig your approach, then you may want to consider the following:
- Lose the punk and metal music and focus on music catering more to foodies. If people are there for food and waiting 45 to 60 minutes, heavy metal/punk music will generally not do much to soothe hungry, impatient foodies expecting good food waiting in long lineups under the hot sun.
- If this is too nauseating to consider, then ensure that the majority of food vendors (i.e. more than 50 per cent) actually sell tacos, stay till the very end, and are competent about service.
- If you run out of food, put some signage at the gate so people don’t feel misled once they pay to enter.
- Finally, if you’re going to continue with the same approach next year in terms of insufficient taco representation with a focus on punk/heavy metal music, just be upfront about it. This means in the promotional material, on the website before people buy tickets, and signage at the gate. The more transparent you are, the less people have to complain and feel misled about.
While $20 for a festival is not unreasonable, the manner in which this event was promoted and the goods delivered was very misleading. I would like to think that the promoters would want to avoid the bad publicity in future. The easiest way to do this is simply don’t call it a Taco Fest.
Brent M is a Burnaby resident (surname withheld).
