An event promising to unite food lovers across Greater Cincinnati with some of the best tacos in the Queen City returns to The Banks this spring for its fourth year.
The Real Taco Fest will be held Saturday, May 10 at Smale Riverfront Park in two, four-hour sessions: noon to 4 p.m. and 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 day-of. You’ll choose between the afternoon or evening session when you buy online.
“Our mission from the beginning has been to create a definitive and inclusive showcase of arguably the most universally loved food dish to ever be adopted in this country, where every local taco enthusiast can be steps away from discovering their new favorite taco (and taco-maker) in the area!” festival producer Ben Howard said in a press release.
Last year, the festival sold over 13,000 tacos, organizers said. This year, the festival will feature over 15 different local restaurants and food trucks, including Mazunte, El Taco Veloz, Jenn’s Hot Tamale, What the Taco?!, Streetpops and more. To drink, there will be plenty of margaritas; Especial, a Mexican lager brewed by sponsor Fifty West Brewing Company; and ready-to-drink canned beverages from sponsor Canvus Premium Cocktails, made by Boone County Distilling.
The event is also family-friendly, and children 10 and under can attend for free. Entertainment includes a DJ and an assortment of lawn games, plus access to Smale’s playground.
And, for those with tastebuds and stomachs of steel, this year’s festival will also host its first-ever spicy taco-eating challenge. Aspiring participants will place their names in a hat at the Farmer Nate’s booth and be chosen at random to speed-eat five tacos doused in a specially formulated “criminally hot” sauce. Winners will be awarded to-be-announced prizes.
When you arrive at the festival, you can buy food and drink tickets for $4 each, and one ticket will equal one taco. You can also buy a “Super Taco Pack,” which will give you 11 food and drink tickets for the price of 10. Also, the first 250 people through the gate at each session of The Real Taco Fest will receive a 2-oz. sample bag of Covington Gold Dust by Farmer Nate’s Sauce.
Tickets are on sale now at CincyTicket. A portion of the proceeds will go toward its nonprofit parter, The Ion Center for Violence Protection, which helps survivors who have been impacted by power-based personal violence (sexual and/or intimate partner violence) through 24/7, free and confidential responsive services and survivor-centered advocacy programs.
Smale Riverfront Park, 166 W. Mehring Way, The Banks. More info: realtacofest.com.
This article appears in Mar 5-18, 2025.
