The Whole Vine Festival takes place Oct. 21-22 in Fresno. Whole Vine image

Central Valley food lovers will have their hands, and possibly mouths, full next month when not one, but two food-based festivals make their way to Fresno on the same weekend.

New festival at Fresno State

Oct. 21 will see the inaugural Whole Vine Festival held on campus at Fresno State.

The event, meant to spotlight the Valley’s bounty — specifically vine-based produce and products — will take place Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 21-22. Whole Vine Festival founder Vickie Goudreau said that her cultivated love for the Valley is what brought the event to life.

Goudreau hopes to see the event gain a similar namesake as its spring counterpart festival Vintage Days.

Unlike Vintage Days, however, the Whole Vine Festival will center its focus around vine-based produce and products.

“This is really important to me [because] the whole thing needs to be authentic,” Goudreau said earlier this year in an interview with The Business Journal. “I have to have people who are involved in the grape, raisin and wine industry as a core of this festival.”

The Whole Vine Festival’s website has also undergone drastic changes since its launch last fall.

Partnered with Butler Branding, Goudreau said that the process of putting together the festival has taken a complete team effort.

“It is really the input of brilliant people and supporters that are going to make this happen,” she said.

The Whole Vine Festival will be held on the north eastside of campus near O’Neill Park on October 21 and 22.

Taco Truck Throwdown 12

 

The 12th Taco Truck Throwdown will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21, bringing the rich culture of Central Valley street cuisine under the lights at Chukchansi Park in Downtown Fresno.

Featuring hip-hop groups Cypress Hill, Tha Dogg Pound and The Mexican OT, as well as DJs from Teezzy Radio and Prince tribute band The Purple Ones, Taco Truck Throwdown hopes to build off of last year’s momentum, which saw crowds of more than 10,000 turn out to enjoy the annual event.

Fresno Grizzlies President Derek Franks said that the entertainment for this year’s event sets a new bar for the annual festival.

“The level of talent at Taco Truck Throwdown gets better year after year and, by bringing in Cypress Hill, we feel the bar has been raised yet again,” he said.

President of Fresno Street Eats Mike Osegueda, who has partnered with the Fresno Grizzlies since the inaugural event, said that entertainment has played a key role in driving community interest and involvement.

“From day one, this event has always been about putting the great tacos of the San Joaquin Valley in the spotlight, and we look forward to doing that again,” said Osegueda. “Cypress Hill is a bucket-list type act for this event. Adding them to our already great lineup of taco trucks is going to make for an unforgettable night in Central California.”

Tickets to Taco Truck Throwdown start at $39 for general admission and $99 for VIP tickets. VIPs will receive 10 taco vouchers, five drink vouchers and an event t-shirt.

For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit fresnotacos.com or the Chukchansi Park ticket office located at 1800 Tulare St. in Fresno.