ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke’s Taco’Ritas festival is back — and in its fourth year, it’s bigger than ever. The annual event returned to the Berglund Center, drawing crowds from across the region for a day packed with food, live music, shopping, wrestling and more.
Dozens of food vendors lined up to serve everything from street tacos to sweet treats. But for many attendees and vendors alike, the event was about far more than what was on the plate.
Robert Knight, Berglund Center director of marketing and sales, said bringing the community together was the driving force behind the event.
“There’s just so much stuff here to do and we’re hoping to just bring everybody together,” Knight said.
New businesses, familiar faces
For one vendor, Taco’Ritas served as the perfect launching pad. Shay Richardson, manager of Chariot Social, chose the festival to debut her new business — Saturday marking her very first day serving customers.
“I figured this would be the perfect debut,” Richardson said.
Even with the pressure of a first-day launch, Richardson stayed upbeat while working the line.
“I’m killing myself but it’s worth every minute of it,” she said. “Amazing people I’ve met throughout my career and now with my cooking I can continue meeting more people. I just love it.”
Something for everyone
The festival drew a wide crowd — families, friends and even pets turned out to enjoy the day. Festival-goer Janaiya Hill said the event had something for everyone, including her younger cousin, Kaelani.
“I like margaritas, I’m of age, but she’s younger and there’s things for her to do,” Hill said.
Kaelani had no trouble finding ways to keep busy.
“What kind of things have you been doing?” Janaiya asked. “I rode the bull,” Kaelani replied.
Live entertainment was a major draw as well — including a live wrestling match courtesy of Big Money Inc. Aubrey Wright, a wrestler with the organization, said the group is a regular presence in Roanoke.
“We do a ton of shows in the Roanoke community. We were asked to come here today to do what we do and what we do best, which is kick people in the face,” Wright said.
Listening to the community
The expanded lineup wasn’t an accident. Knight said organizers took last year’s attendee feedback to heart — and the event has grown every year since its debut.
“Last year the feedback was more activities and we’re like, alright, we hear you — so that’s why we have a whole wrestling match going on behind us,” Knight said.
Organizers also made a point of ensuring the festival reflected the full fabric of the Roanoke community — including the Williamson Road corridor and the area’s Hispanic community.
“That was something that was important to us — Williamson Road, the Hispanic community — we want people to feel like this is their building,” Knight said. “So much planning goes into it but we actually love it and we love seeing all our friends in the community here.”
As Taco’Ritas heads into its fourth year of growth, so does its impact — bringing more visitors into the area and giving local businesses a chance to shine. From the food to the music to simply spending time with friends, events like Taco’Ritas are giving people a reason to get out and enjoy their community.