Arizona Taco Festival returns in November at new Mesa home after hiatus

PHOENIX — The Arizona Taco Festival is set to return this November after a two-year hiatus, offering more than 100 different tacos to try and various other attractions.

The event takes place Nov. 12-13 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at its new home of Bell Bank Bank in Mesa at Ellsworth and Pecos roads near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

“Bell Bank Park is proud to be the host of the 13th Arizona Taco Festival,” Chad Miller, CEO of Legacy Sports USA, owners of Bell Bank Park, said in a press release.

“For years we’ve watched this event grow into a world class event, and where better for the largest taco event in the country to be held, then at Bell Bank Park.”

Early bird single-day general admission tickets are available online for $15.

It is expected more than 200,000 tacos will be served to over 35,000 attendees during the annual event, with choices including chicken, pork, beef, seafood and veggie tacos.

Restaurants, chefs and food trucks from all over the country will also put their tacos to the test for money and awards as a panel of more than 50 judges will determine the best-of-the-best by comparing each for presentation, taste and texture.

People can also sign up for a taco eating contest that is scheduled to take place each day.

Tacos may be the focus of the event, but there are also many other attractions that celebrate Hispanic culture.

Attendees can enjoy tequila tasting, a hot sauce expo, Lucha Libre wrestlers, a chihuahua beauty pageant and a hot chili pepper eating contest.

The event will also serve as the wedding venue for two couples in a “Day of the Dead Wedding,” with each being adorned in make-up and regalia.

Constant live music will accompany the taco eating, with genres ranging from surf to salsa, event organizers said.

More information on the event, including how to sign up for the various activities, can be found on the Arizona Taco Festival website.

The event had been on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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