By Jim Young, Partnering Aldershot
In October, Burlington City Council voted four to one that there will be no more summer Burlington Food Truck Festivals in Spencer Smith Park. With councillors Paul Sharman (Ward 5) and Kelvin Galbraith (Ward 1) absent, only Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan spoke in favour of the popular event, which attracts some 40,000 thousand residents and tourists each year and brings in approximately $11 million in visitor spending. Echoing the Downtown BIA, whose restauranteurs feel the food truck competition is unfair to them as tax-paying businesses, council rejected Spencer Smith Park but suggested that a food truck festival would be welcomed at other city venues. Staff were unsure if water or hydro connections at other city venues would be suitable for the event.
One venue’s disappointment is another’s opportunity. Partnering Aldershot (PA), a west-end advocacy group that promotes local businesses, residents, and the Aldershot economy, was intrigued by this opportunity. We reached out to Ward 1’s Councillor Kelvin Galbraith to ascertain if any west-end venues might facilitate such a festival. He suggested LaSalle and Hidden Valley parks as big enough and offered to check on water and hydro connections. Andrea Dodd, CEO of Aldershot Village Business Improvement Area (ABIA), was approached to establish how Aldershot businesses might view the impact on local restauranteurs. She felt that both venues, being some way off Plains Rd., might not face the same resistance as downtown and, in fact, local retailers might welcome 40,000 visitors to the area on a summer weekend.
With PA, ABIA, and Ward 1 Councillor Galbraith on board, we reached out to Street Eats Markets, a food truck events promotion company that works with local Aldershot seasonal and community events, to seek their advice on the logistics of hosting a Food Truck Festival in Aldershot. Philip Suos, Street Eats founder and CEO, an Aldershot resident, eagerly stepped in to provide food truck and festival expertise. He is confident that with the self-contained facilities of modern food trucks, the existing amenities at LaSalle Park may well be sufficient for the city to host an Aldershot Food Truck Festival.
The deadline for 2024 festivals and events permits was September 15, 2023, but city events staff were approached to see if, due to the popularity of the event and the city’s apparent willingness to hold it at another facility, the deadline might be extended. Street Eats Markets has now applied to hold the 2024 Burlington Food Trucks Festival at LaSalle Park in Aldershot. City festival and events staff will meet with Philip Suos of Street Eats Markets, Ward 1 Councillor Galbraith, Andrea Dodd of ABIA, and PA next week to discuss the application and consider peripheral issues such as parking, portable washrooms, garbage containers, and the types of preparation and clean-up that would have been required at Spencer Smith or any other venue for the event.
We are hopeful that an Aldershot Food Truck Festival can go ahead in 2024 with the blessing of local businesses, residents, city council, and festival and event staff who have made the effort to engage, listen, and consider alternatives from the community. A big thank you to all involved. PA will keep readers informed as the Aldershot Food Truck Festival application proceeds.
