Get your grub on this weekend: Panama City Beach Food Truck and Craft Beer Fest returns for 5th year

Ebonee Burrell, The News Herald
·4 min read

PANAMA CITY BEACH — There's only one place this weekend you'll find Japanese-style fried chicken in the same venue as grilled cheese spaghetti sandwiches — the Panama City Beach Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival.

The festival returns for its fifth year to Aaron Bessant Park, 500 W. Park Drive, from 12 p.m. noon to 5 p.m. on Feb. 5 and 6. Ticket holders will have access to more than 30 food trucks and 50 craft beer selections.

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Panama City Beach Food Truck Festival will be held Feb. 5 and 6 at Aaron Bessant Park in Panama City Beach.
Panama City Beach Food Truck Festival will be held Feb. 5 and 6 at Aaron Bessant Park in Panama City Beach.

Voted "the 2021 Finest Food Truck on the Emerald Coast," My Ohana will make its first appearance at the festival with handmade sauces for its pan-Asian cuisine, which includes Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Hawaiian.

Owner Michael Ledford plans to feature one of My Ohana's most popular dishes at the festival — karaage, Japanese-style fried chicken tossed in a homemade Korean sauce and topped with Kewpie mayo, a Japanese mayonnaise.

“I’m looking forward to meeting other vendors in the food truck community," Ledford said. "It’s always nice to meet other people that share the same logic."

Founded in 2012, Food Truck Festivals of America has created 80 festivals throughout the U.S., combining dozens of food trucks and craft breweries. According to the FTFA website, the company has a goal to introduce communities across the country to the phenomenon of gourmet food trucks and support the small business owners who run them.

“Two years ago, our event attracted 10,000 people and this year we are expecting 5,000 to 10,000 attendees,” FTFA Marketing Director Bethany DaSilva said of the Panama City Beach festival, which is planned for rain or shine.

The fifth annual Panama City Beach Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival returns Feb. 5 and 6 at Aaron Bessant Park.
The fifth annual Panama City Beach Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival returns Feb. 5 and 6 at Aaron Bessant Park.

Family-friendly activities for all ages will commence throughout the festival, including music, axe throwing, face painting, a mechanical bull and other outdoor activities. Attendees are encouraged to follow social distancing and other health-related safety recommendations.

“We will be handing out masks to those who don't have one but would like one, there will be hand sanitizer provided at all of our stations and tents. We are asking the trucks to have hand sanitizer ready and available for guests as well,” DaSilva said. “We will also be taking precautions of spacing the trucks so attendees can stand a comfortable distance of 6 feet apart while standing in line.”

Tickets to the festival are available online; purchase in advance for a discounted price. General admission are $5 for a single day and $8 for both days if purchased online; $10 per day at the gate on the day of the festival. All first responders and active or retired military are free with valid ID at the gate. Children age 12 and under are also free. Admission price does not cover the cost of food and drinks.

Specialty beer, foodies, and VIP packages are available online, and include a range of perks, such as, signature koozies, unlimited bottled water at the festival, early admission, beer tickets, free desserts, and more. For more information on tickets, bundle deals, and more, visit www.showpass.com/ftfa-pcb/.

FTFA doesn't only pull food trucks from across the region. Local trucks will be on scene serving up the bounty of food truck cuisine from across Bay County; to name a few: El Weirdo's unique spin on Mexican street food (Sunday only), RibCrib's Memphis-style barbeque, fresh pineapple drinks from Pineapple Island, and Curry in a Hurry's Indian cuisine.

More festival food trucks

  • Bee Smoothie

  • Blackflamingo Culture Cuisine

  • Cafe Rico

  • Chazitos Latín Cuisine

  • Copper Grille

  • Ernie's Hot Dog Stand

  • Fier Thai Fusion

  • GetChewaBox

  • Lydia's Mexican Food

  • Maria's Kitchen

  • Melissa’s Kusina

  • Patches On the Go

  • Scoops, Sweets, and Treats (Saturday only)

  • Smokin Butts

  • South Coast Grill

  • Sunshine Asian Fusion

  • Thai 2 Go

  • Thai Taste Express

  • That’s What Cheese Said

  • The SnoBar Truck

  • The Spice is Right

  • Tropical Paradise Cuisine

  • Who Cut the Grilled Cheese and Cheesecake

50 + craft beers from these companies

  • Drift

  • Anheuser-Busch

  • Back Forty Beer Co.

  • Elysian Brewing Co.

  • Fairhope Brewing Co.

  • Faubourg Brewing/Dixie

  • Funky Buddha

  • Grayton Beer Co.

  • Islamorada Beverages

  • Oyster City Brewing Co.

  • Proof Brewing Co.

  • Props Brewery

  • Swamp Head

  • Vermont Hard Cider

  • Wicked Week

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Beach Food Truck, Craft Beer Fest returns with 30 trucks