Washington, D.C. is home to some of the finest food options in the country, including those found on four wheels. Instead of having to track down where the best finds are braking today, the Truckeroo Food Festival offers a caravan of more than 20 food trucks in one location for a get-together held once every month from April through September.
The location for this summertime foodie gathering is the fairgrounds on Half and M Street in SouthWest, located near the Navy Yard Metro Station and Nationals Park. Open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., the festival offers free admission and live music all day long, as you meander through a sea of hungry patrons and food trucks serving BBQ, pizza, seafood, cupcakes, burritos and cuisine from different cultures.
Enjoy food in the sun or the shade at Truckeroo — Photo courtesy of Truckeroo
Notable past participants include seafood favorite Red Hook Lobster Pound, mobile pizza kitchen DC Slices, cheesesteak and spiedies staple Bada Bing and Midnite Confections cupcakery.
If you're not from the Washington, D.C.. area or a major metropolitan city, the only food truck you may be familiar with is one that brings ice cream. Over the past five years, food trucks have become go-to destinations for hungry tourists and local residents.
These wheeled food mobiles offer everything from lobster BLTs to Hawaiian dishes to sandwiches with global flavors but produced with local ingredients. A majority of these brightly colored vessels even have their own Twitter accounts to alert patrons where they are in the district. Some have thousands of followers, and where they park, the fans will come.
The Truckeroo Food Festival began in 2011 by Bullpen bar owner Bo Blair as a way to bring in customers to the area when the MLB baseball team is out of town for away games. The bar is open during the festival so patrons can wash down their tasty meals with a beer or other popular drinks.
This is an outdoor festival, but there are plenty of picnic tables and seating options in the shade where you can savor your food choices. The Truckeroo Food Festival also offers cornhole and other games to work off a few calories before going back for more samples.
The final two festivals for 2014 are set for Aug. 8 and Sept. 12. Make sure to bring an empty stomach and a hearty appetite.
For more information - including a list of participating food trucks - visit the Truckeroo website.
