Efforts by civic boosters to rebrand Civic Center from a homeless hangout to a vibrant slice of downtown have largely proven successful over the last couple years — due in large part to the weekly food truck gatherings known as .
That trend continues on July 23 with the first , a free-admission event featuring more than 30 restaurants and food trucks, vendors, beer garden, performances, DJs and interactive art.
The family friendly festival will also feature cultural displays, games, health and wellness activities, and a kid’s village, according to organizers.
The event kicks off at 10 a.m. and culminates in a 4-8 p.m. benefit for Project Angel Heart, which provides free meals to people battling life-threatening illnesses. Before and during that, there’s yoga, volleyball, meditation groups, “silent disco” (we’re as curious as you are), tai chi, cricket and more.
The kid’s village, which boasts its own website at , will offer not only free “archaeological digs,” face painting, balloon animals, global games, art stations and bubble stations, but visits (i.e. photo opps) with costumed characters such as Jasmine (“Aladdin”) and Spider Man at 11 a.m., Elsa and Anna from Disney’s “Frozen” (1 p.m.), Star Wars characters (3 p.m.) and Captain America and Cinderella (5 p.m.)
վ for the full lineup of offerings and performances.
