All trucks will have $3 samples as well as full-sized options. This is the fifth year for the event, which launched in 2017 but skipped 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Admission is $5, and kids 12 and under, along with parking, are free.
Christa Esquibel, the owner of Get Local Arizona Events, co-created Foodstock with the Peoria Diamond Club and Peoria Sports Complex to host the large event.
“Last year was probably the record year we’d ever done,” Esquibel says, noting that around 10,000 people attended, and they’re expecting a big crowd again this year. With such a large group, Esquibel says it's important to have a strategy.
“People do need to expect when you’re at a big event like this you want to divide and conquer," she says. "Get in line, get there early, go to the trucks you really want first.”
An online map will be updated on the day of the event as trucks arrive. “We have to park them as they show up, in order,” Esquibel explains.
Many of the trucks that participate in Food Truck Friday West, Get Local Arizona Events’ weekly Friday rotating roundup, will attend, as well as trucks that have been at Foodstock in the past.
“We have a lot of returning ones,” Esquibel says, “but we have a lot of new trucks.”
And some trucks might throw a new spin on their cuisine. For instance, East Coast Joe’s usually dishes up lobster, but it’s devising a menu of crab items for Foodstock.
“They all get some creative freedom on what they want to do,” Esquibel notes.
After making the rounds, attendees can go to the information booth and vote for their favorites. Awards are given in 10 categories, including best sample, best taco, best barbecue, best dessert, best customer service, and best overall.
Bring blankets or chairs and spend the day at Foodstock, which also offers kids' activities and live music.
Get Local Arizona Events
And just like during ballgames, the stadium seating will be open. Camp chairs and picnic blankets for sitting on the grass are allowed, too. The Fighter Country Talent Squad will provide live music.
A kids’ area will include a playground and a splash pad, so Esquibel recommends bringing towels, and there’ll be free bounce houses, barrel train rides, and face painting. While the event is family-friendly, she adds that it's great for groups of friends and dates as well.
“There’s a space and atmosphere for everybody,” Esquibel says.
The event is great exposure for the trucks, says Suni Taylor, owner of Waffle Love, which has participated in Foodstock several times.
“It’s such a fun way to introduce a small local business,” she says, adding, “It’s just a fun family event and it’s perfect spring weather in Arizona right now.”
And Foodstock feeds more than just the thousands who attend. Proceeds raised at the event are donated to charity to help those in need. Last year, it raised about $30,000 for the Peoria Diamond Club, which gives grants to community nonprofit groups.
This year, it’ll benefit HART Pantry, Zuri’s Circle, Trilogy Food for Kidz, Valley View Community Food Bank, and Operation Homefront.
“We chose to help those who were food insufficient,” says Roz Shanley, general manager of the Peoria Diamond Club, which provides volunteer staff for Foodstock. “There’s just so many kids that need help.”
Of the 41 public schools in Peoria, she adds, 22 are Title 1, with 40 percent of the student population needing food subsidies.
In the past, Shanley notes, the group gave grants mainly to fund sports equipment and uniforms. While they will continue those efforts, she says, food and shelter are the priority now.
Taylor of Waffle Love says, “I love that they donate that to feed hungry children in the Valley. I think it’s such a great thing to give back to the community.”
Foodstock
4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 1516101 North 83rd Ave, Peoria
getlocalarizonaevents.com/foodstock
