Las Vegas has long been a bastion of culinary excellence - some of the world's greatest chefs hold court over rooms throughout the Strip (Boulud, Robuchon, Batali, Keller...). So it's a surprise that even with its proximity to the capital of wacky street food (Southern California), Vegas' street food scene is very much in its infancy. Fortunately the fine folks of the Slidin' Thru truck are trying to change that one massive festival at a time!
Currently Las Vegas' civic policies generally forbid food trucks from doing what they want to do. They must find private property to sell their wares, and are forbidden from parking on public property (aka, streets). Sound familiar? It should. Most cities are in the same boat.
So as their way of garnering public favour, and hopefully getting the attention of city hall, they've organized the Vegas StrEATS Festival, a monthly celebration of street culture. With the help of the El Cortez Hotel in downtown Las Vegas, a non-descript walkway across the street turns into an bumpin' party of beats and eats all night long. Performers and DJs feed your ears, and the food trucks feed your belly. Most of the city's big name food trucks are here, and a few others tag-in and out every month.
I was fortunate that my visit coincided with the first one this past March - so I just bundled it up with my traditional Fremont Street Experience visit! The line-ups at each truck was long, but friendly - the music kept everyone chill, and I'm glad my friends came out with me to enjoy the night.
I picked up one of these awesome shirts to show my support! Gonna wear it in-pride when the new food trucks hit Vancouver's streets this summer!
The next Vegas StrEATS Festival is THIS Saturday April 9 so if you're in Vegas - make it part of your plans!
Keep updated with Vegas StrEATS on their Facebook page and on Twitter (@VegasStrEATS)! The El Cortez Hotel is located at 651 East Ogden Ave in Las Vegas, right by the Fremont Street Experience.
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