The town of Addison has put a cork in its upscale food festival.
Fork & Cork, which debuted in 2014, will no longer exist and will be replaced with the town's former food fest, Taste Addison. Attendees to the reinvented festival in May will see lower ticket prices and less of a focus on "cheffy" events than the now-defunct Fork & Cork.
"We heard from the community -- and we're here to serve our community -- and they would really like [Taste Addison] back," said Mark Acevedo, director of general services and events for the town of Addison.
"We took a two year hiatus and tried something new, and we had fun with it. ... But we heard people wanted Taste Addison."
The festival will take place May 13, 14 and 15 in Addison Circle Park. The date was strategically picked so families wouldn't have to compete with Mother's Day, on May 8, said spokeswoman Autumn Reo.
It'll still be "all about the Addison restaurant scene," Reo says, which means pay-per-bite samples and a laid-back, family-friendly atmosphere. Unlike Fork & Cork, Taste Addison will have special ticket rates for children and special areas to entertain them. (The lack of kid-friendly options at Fork & Cork was a sticking point for some families.)
To help Taste Addison make a splashy return, country mega-group The Band Perry will perform.
Whereas some past Taste Addisons invited throwback artists like Blue October and Third Eye Blind, booking The Band Perry shows the festival's focus on being current. The date of The Band Perry's performance hasn't been announced yet. However, patrons will be able to listen to the concert for free if they have an admission ticket; there's no upcharge.
Advance tickets to Taste Addison will cost $15 for adults, $10 for kids ages 4 to 12, until May 13. Ticket prices increase to $20 for adults at the door; kids remain $10. Once inside, patrons will pay $3 to $5 for food and drinks from local restaurants.
The lower ticket prices could be a significant draw, as Fork & Cork cost as much as $100 for a single evening ticket. Event organizers say there's plenty of room for big crowds in Addison Circle Park, too; as many as 75,000 have fit in the park before.
City officials saw the allure of returning to the familiar Taste Addison festival: "I think they just liked the vibe better," Acevedo says.
