Food truck festival back on the table in Burlington

Is the food truck festival set to make a return to Burlington?

Sources say a new group has entered the picture to bring the festival to Burlington next year after original organizers were forced out of Spencer Smith Park.

The new group is looking at LaSalle Park as a possible location but other destinations haven’t been ruled out. City of Burlington staff have been brought into the discussions to try to make it work, according to the sources.

Food truck festivals are built around mobile vendors who set up in a location and offer a variety of food choices for customers.

Last month the original Burlington Food Truck Festival (operated by Canadian Food Truck Festivals) was forced to leave town after City council told organizers that Spencer Smith Park was no longer available. Councillors made the decision following complaints from downtown merchants that the festival was taking business away from local restaurants during peak summer hours.

The original festival usually took place in July for three days and had been held at Spencer Smith for seven years. They said the festival attracted 40,000 people and created an $11 million boost to the local economy.

Canadian Food Truck Festivals was offered Burloak Park as an alternative but that option was ruled out because of renovations that will take place there next year.

The new group believes that LaSalle Park or possibly Hidden Valley Park is far enough away from existing businesses to not pose a competitive threat.