Taste of Muskegon, the highly anticipated annual event attended by food and beverage lovers of all kinds, have adjusted their 2021 schedule in response to the current gathering restrictions, with the hope that they will be more relaxed come fall time. The festival, which usually takes place in June, is now scheduled for September 24-25, returning to Hackley Park for its 15th year.
"We talked with many of the restaurant and food truck owners and it was very clear that returning the event to the park was everyone's first choice," said Ann Meisch, Director, Taste of Muskegon. "To make that happen in June would mean a significant decrease in the size of the festival. We hope that by moving to the fall we can gather in greater numbers.
The date change is expected to be temporary, with the festival returning to the third weekend in June of 2022. To mark the week Taste of Muskegon has always occupied, the festival will host a virtual Taste of Muskegon event from June 12-19. It will feature Taste flights being offered at restaurants, as they did during Taste of Muskegon 2020.
"It's so exciting to think of being together as a community again," Meisch added. "Just think of all the fall flavors Muskegon's best chefs will be able to incorporate into their Taste menus!"
The past year has been especially difficult for locally-owned independent restaurants. In response, Taste of Muskegon has added mini-events to encourage patronage, including Taste Bingo in December, cooking demos and the current promotion of Rock the Restaurants in collaboration with Rock 101.7 and iHeart Radio. Taste will soon be premiering Taste of Muskegon Minced, a take on the Food Network show Chopped.
To learn more about the restaurants and events at Taste of Muskegon 2021, visit Taste of Muskegon.
Written by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for West Michigan Woman.
Photos courtesy of Taste of Muskegon.
