In its fifth year, the annual Farm-to-Fork Festival has become a beloved and delicious tradition. Last year, the free event brought over 50,000 attendees to Capitol Mall from throughout the Sacramento region and beyond.
The day-long festival boasts a delicious selection of Farm-to-Fork offerings that are produced and available in the Sacramento region. It’s a day where attendees can indulge their taste buds with food, wine and beer from regional eateries and purveyors, take in the live music from an impressive line-up, learn a few new tips from the live cooking demonstrations, interact with local grocers, farms and ranches, and let the kiddos wear themselves out in the Kids Zone.
What: 5th Annual Farm-to-Fork Festival
When: Saturday, Sept. 23, 11am to 6:30pm
Where: Capitol Mall between 3rd and 8th streets
A Few “Not to be Missed” Recommendations:
The Music Lineup: Blind Pilot is this year’s headliner and will hit the stage at 5:25pm. The Lone Bellow, The White Buffalo, Chuck Ragan, Joe Pug, Inland, and Manzanita will also be taking the stage throughout the day. The live music kicks off as soon as the gates open at 11am. For more information about the music schedule, click here.
Cooking Demonstrations: There will be four stages with live cooking demos happening throughout the entire event.
- Danny Johnson of Taylor’s Market will do a Hog Butchering demo at 2pm on Stage 1.
- Michelle Tam, the New York Times bestselling author of Nom Nom Paleo will take the Whole Foods stage at 1:15pm
- Giant Orange will demo burgers and fried avocado on Stage 3 at 4pm. (I cannot confirm that the audience will be allowed to taste test, but if so, I will be first in line.)
Kids Zone: There is no shortage of activities for the kiddos this year, from a rock-climbing wall and obstacle course to a kid’s demonstration stage featuring interactive presentations from Food Literacy Center, Jesuit High School, the Funny Farm and Slow Food Sacramento to a monster farm-to-fork themed mural that they can help to create to a petting zoo, and more. For more information about all the kid-friendly festival fun, click here.
Getting There: If you are going by car, there is plenty of street parking and/or parking lots and garages within a few blocks of Capitol Mall surrounding the festival footprint including Downtown, Old Town and even West Sacramento. Click here for information on City of Sacramento parking. Just be prepared for slow traffic coming off I-5 and J Street. If you are going by way of bike, the American River Parkway makes it rather convenient to bike into downtown from the North or from the East. A free bike valet will be located at Eighth Street. If you are coming from the Bay Area – Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor is super convenient as it takes the worry out of driving in traffic and parking. After a leisurely 2-hour train ride (with free WiFi) you’ll be dropped off at the Amtrak station in downtown just a couple of blocks from the entrance to the festival. And Amtrak is offering a fabulous deal right now on weekends and Monday holidays – with the purchase of one regular-fare ticket, you can purchase up to five more for just $5 per person each way.
————-
Read up on Sacramento365’s September Featured Artist, Casey Shideler, Executive Chef at Taylor’s Kitchen!
While every chef has a story, Casey Shideler’s is one that needs to be shared. An introvert in an industry full of colorful characters, she lets her food do most of the talking. And it speaks volumes.
On September 24, 800 guests will get to taste this firsthand during at the Tower Bridge Dinner, where she is the only female on the six-person lead chef team.
Dig in and learn how the resilient Kansas-native has made it big in the Farm-to-Fork Capital: http://bit.ly/2xPfhK6
Featured photo by Octavio Valencia