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Hey, remember the Portland Taco Festival, which took place last summer at Portland Meadows? Shit was fire, wasn't it?
Or maybe it's more accurate to say that it was "Fyre"—as in, an epic clusterfuck similar to the Lord of the Flies scenario caused by that scam music festival in the Bahamas.
If you recall, last August in Portland, a crew of Colorado-based organizers attempted to throw a celebration of Mexican cuisine and culture at the North Portland horserace track—or at least, a celebration of whatever bastardized version of "Mexican culture" its organizers figured they could sell, which of course is mostly lucha libre masks and chihuahuas. It wasn't the inevitable calls of cultural appropriation that sunk the festival, though. Vendors ran out of food in 90 minutes, the police were called to manage the crowd, and the second day of the two-day event got cancelled. The LA Times reported news of Portland's taco riot with ill-contained glee.
But don't worry, taco aficionados. We're going to get another chance at a racetrack taco fest. Another, entirely different outsider taco festival is coming to Portland this year to give it another go. And this one involves the dude who wrote "Pretty Fly for a White Guy."
That's right—on May 13, the Sabroso Craft Beer, Taco and Music Festival is hitting Portland Meadows, and it's sponsored by Gringo Bandito, a brand of hot sauce founded by Dexter Holland of Orange County skate-punk vets the Offspring. Surely, someone who grew up in Southern California would have a much better handle on how to respectfully present a Latino-themed food festival than those guys from Colorado…
… ah, shit.
Well, at least they've got a better organizational track record. This is actually the fifth annual Sabroso Festival, which has gotten big enough to leave its SoCal home base and visit six cities this year. Lucky us!
In addition to (hopefully plentiful) helpings of "top chef created tacos" (the specific vendors have not yet been announced) over 100 different craft beers are also promised (participating breweries are also not confirmed). There will also be a pro-wrestling tournament featuring "some of the world's most famous wrestlers from around the globe" (participants also TBA, but fingers crossed for La Parka). What we do have the details for right now is the music. It's a very Monsters of Warped Tour lineup, with Pennywise, Unwritten Law, Against Me for some reason, Lit (who are still around?), and of course, the Offspring.
Tickets went on-sale Friday, January 26, and can be purchased here. We're sure everything will go smoothly, but maybe pack a backup lunch, just in case?