SASKATOON — The Beer and Food Truck Wars organizers have chosen Lions Arena and McEown Avenue as the permanent home of the annual festival. They see it as a convenient and suitable location due to the space.
The event was on Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27, and more than 50 vendors, including over 15 food trucks, participating. It was a culinary experience as hundreds enjoyed various dishes and sampled different drinks while entertained by local artists.
Rick Mah said combining both events was well received by the community. They considered space the main reason for the location change, as it made it more convenient, with paid parking and limited spot spaces no longer being an issue.
"Everybody I talked to was pleased that we combined the Food Truck Wars and the YXE Beer Wars. They liked the new location, and parking around the venue is free. Parking was one of the reasons we looked for another location," said Mah.
"When we held the festivals downtown, parking was limited, and you had to pay. There's more parking at our new location, and it is all free."
He added that they needed to find an alternative and suitable venue, especially for the YXE Beer Wars. They found Lions Arena, an enclosed space at the Nutana Kiwanis Park on McEown Avenue.
"There wasn't [a site] downtown that we felt we could make work. We looked around and stumbled on Lions Arena, which worked well. We decided this would be the new location for both festivals, seeing how well it was received," said Mah.
"We will move there to make it our permanent home, and we will probably lengthen the festival by an extra day for next year. We always hold it towards the last weekend of July. The Food Truck Wars will run for three days, and the Beer Wars probably for two."
Mah said they are still tabulating the judges' scores and will release the winners of this year's events within this week.
It was the 10th staging of the Food Truck Wars while the fifth for the YXE Beer Wars.
