F all is here, and in Phoenix, that doesn’t mean it’s time to bundle up and go inside. Instead, the opposite is true, and Arizona’s food festival producers are ready to celebrate with events that make the most of the cooling temperatures cooling. It’s festival season, and we’re excited to hit the town to enjoy everything from craft beer to pizza and chili. Add these events to your calendar, and prepare for an awesome autumn. SEPTEMBER Rockin’ Taco Street Fest Sept. 14 178 E. Commonwealth Ave., Chandler Twenty restaurants and food trucks will pull up to downtown Chandler’s Dr. A.J. Chandler Park for the 13th Annual Rockin’ Taco Street Fest. Creative tacos will be available for purchase alongside aguas frescas, margaritas, micheladas and more. After you guac out at the food stalls, get ready to rock out with a round-up of musi- cians, including the headlining Van Halen tribute band Bottoms Up. Intrepid festival- goers can test their mettle on the mechanical taco ride or enter the taco- eating contest. The festival also is packed with a variety of chill, family-friendly activities, including yard games and a play area. Tickets can be purchased online and are $15 for one, $22 for a pair or $44 for a group of four. Prices will increase as the festival date nears. Admission for children ages 12 and younger is free. Arizona State Fair Sept 20-Oct. 27 1826 W. McDowell Road There are countless fun, kitschy and nostalgic things to do at the Arizona State Fair. But, have you really done your visit right if you haven’t eaten something that’s on a stick, deep fried or dusted in Hot Cheetos? Arizona takes the (funnel) cake for some truly weird and whimsical dishes. While we don’t yet know who will be serving at this year’s fair, we’re sure it will be delicious and decadently over the top. The fair runs every Thursday to Sunday from Sept. 20 to Oct. 27. Tickets are available online and are $15 for those ages 8 years and older. Arizona Restaurant Week Sept. 20-29 Multiple Locations While not a festival per se, Arizona Restaurant Week is one of the biggest, and most customizable, dining events of the fall. For 10 days, approximately 200 restau- rants around the Valley and beyond will offer prix fixe menus for $33, $44 or $55 per person, or, in some cases, per couple. Restaurants often curate these special menus around their most popular dishes or use it as an opportunity to showcase unique specials. Some restaurants that will participate this fall include Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails, Fire at Will, Pa’La Downtown, The Mission Kierland and Wally’s American Gastropub. Reservations are recommended and can be made directly with each restaurant. 11th Annual Queen Creek Garlic Festival Sept. 21-22 and 28-29 25062 S. Meridian Road, Queen Creek Queen Creek Olive Mill will offer garlic lovers two weekends to fill up on all things allium. Although the mill specializes in crafting olive oils, when fall rolls around, garlic comes into focus. The mill will offer a variety of garlic-inspired dishes and products over the course of the event, including garlic-infused olive oil and garlic-stuffed olives. The mill’s Del Piero Kitchen will serve a garlic-inspired menu, and the mill’s co-owner Perry Rea will host live cooking demonstrations. In addition to food, the Queen Creek Garlic Festival will feature live music, a market of local arti- sans, games and a garlic-themed tractor tour. Admission is free, and no reservations are required. Oktoberfest Celebrations Multiple dates and locations Oktoberfest is a classic reason to celebrate in the fall, and breweries across metro Phoenix will present their own festivals throughout the season. The oldest and largest Oktoberfest in the area is Tempe’s Four Peaks Brewing-hosted version, running this year from Oct. 11 through 13. But Oktoberfest fans who can’t wait to get a pretzel and brat can get an early start on the festivities at Downtown Chandler Oktoberfest on Sept. 27 and 28, Pedal Haus Oktoberfest on Oct. 5 or any number of smaller fests happening throughout the Valley. Prost! OCTOBER Schnepf Pumpkin & Chili Party Oct. 3-31 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek Even if it still feels a bit like summer outside, Schnepf Farms is ready to help you dive head-first into autumn with its Pumpkin & Chili Party. Probably the Valley’s closest thing to a traditional fall festival, the event includes a pumpkin patch, hay rides, a corn maze and a petting zoo. There are also pig races, carnival rides, a ropes course and much more fun for the whole family. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, check out the vendors selling brats, roasted corn, barbecue and funnel cakes, or head to the farm cafe for a sit-down meal. End a fun day at the farm with a fireworks show. This festival takes place every Thursday through Sunday in October, and tickets, available for $25.95 per person, can be purchased online. Food, rides, music and more on tap for the 2024 Arizona State Fair. (Photy by Melissa Fossum) Left: Pretzels, bratwurst, potato salad and strudel are among the German foods available at Four Peaks Oktoberfest. (Photo by Jacob Tyler Dunn) Right: Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails is one of the nearly 200 restaurants participating in Arizona Restaurant Week this fall. (Photo Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails) Test your mettle on the mechanical taco ride at Chandler’s Rockin’ Taco Street Fest. (Photo Rockin’ Taco Street Fest) >> p 15 BY TIRION BOAN & SARA CROCKER Fill up this fall at Phoenix food festivals.
