Taco-festival producer has drawn complaints. Will its Boise fest go off without a hitch?
What could be more fun than going to a weekend festival featuring tacos, margaritas, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band and Mexican pro wrestling?
That’s what AZ Food Festivals promises for the first-ever Boise Taco & Margarita Festival to be held Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Revolution Concert House & Event Center in Garden City.
But the company from Oro Valley, Arizona, a few miles north of Tucson, has left a trail of broken taco shells in cities across the nation. Angry guests, who paid $10 to $45 for admission, complained about long lines and lack of food and entertainment at Taco and Margarita Festivals in Pittsburgh, Buffalo, New York, and Des Moines, Iowa.
The Oklahoma City Dodgers, an AAA-minor league baseball affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, canceled a festival scheduled for Saturday after learning AZ Food Festivals is facing complaints in at least five cities and is under investigation by the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office.
Another festival scheduled for Sept. 25 in Redmond, Oregon, has also been canceled. Geoff Hinds, director of the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center, pulled the plug after learning of complaints about other AZ Food Festivals and speaking with the company.
More than 1,000 tickets have been sold for the Boise festival, said Creston Thornton, owner of the Revolution Concert House and Event Center. AZ Food Festival executives have assured Thornton that the event will take place as advertised, he said.
“We’re making sure with the promoter that the food’s dialed in,” Thornton said by phone. “They’re absolutely taking extra care of it and flying in a day early and making sure this goes on without a hitch.”
The $10 ticket is only good for admission to the festival and entertainment. Tacos, margaritas and other food and drink items are extra. The $45 VIP ticket includes admission, a T-shirt, two tacos and two margaritas. For $75, ticketholders get all that plus admission to a VIP balcony and private bar for a performance by Garratt Wilkins and The Parrotheads.
The Revolution was responsible for lining up the entertainment and is providing security, Thornton said.
“We have 15 and possibly 20 vendors,” Thornton said. “Garratt Wilkins and The Parrotheads are confirmed. They’re doing two full sets for three hours of music. We have a DJ. We have live pro wrestling.”
Adam Dobres, owner of AZ Food Festivals, did not reply to messages left on a webform on his company’s website and a private message sent to its Facebook page. A phone number could not be found.
Pittsburgh television station KDKA posted a video from an AZ Food Festivals late last month at a minor league ballpark in Washington, Pennsylvania. It showed a couple of food tents and a drink tent. The promoter had promised 10 taco and food vendors, a half-dozen margarita choices, live bands and DJs.
At a May 1 festival in Fargo, guests faced long lines and only a couple of food vendors to serve hundreds of people. Following complaints, the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office mediated two complaints and secured full refunds.
Thornton, who serves as president of promoter LIve Nation’s mountain region, regularly schedules major concerts in the Treasure Valley. Imagine Dragons will appear March 2 at ExtraMile Arena at Boise State University. He’s confident the Boise festival won’t have the problems faced in other cities.
“We’re pleasantly surprised by how well ticket sales have gone,” he said. “It’s going to do really well, and we’ll sell a lot of food, and people are going to have a great time.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
