Durango Foodies' Paradise at Taste of Durango

The Taste of Durango is back after a two-year break on Sunday May 15 in historic Downtown Durango! The Taste is one of my favorite events, and it is an amazing showcase of local restaurants for foodies. It’s also the start of Durango’s summer event season. There will be up to 40 booths serving food and libations this year, and the popular kids area will also be included.

There are several new things this year that the event is implementing, and other things to remind you about, so that you are prepared for and enjoy the event. Here are my tips for the 2022 return of the Taste of Durango.

When is it?

Sunday May 15 from 11 am to 4 pm (alcohol sales end at 3 pm). Mark your calendars now!

Where is it?

The Taste of Durango is always held in Downtown Durango, and this year will be on Main Ave. from College to 11^th Street. Main Ave. will be closed the night before to parking, and will close to traffic around 5 am. 7^th, 8^th, 9^th and 10^th Streets will be closed from Main to Narrow Gauge on the west and to the alley on the east. Do not leave your car in these areas overnight Saturday or you will be towed.

How much is it?

In the past tokens or tickets were sold that you used to purchase your food and drink. How many of you still have some old tokens laying around? I do! This year paying will be much easier. Instead of buying tickets or tokens, buy a wristband for only $10 and then you can load any amount of money on it that you want through your credit card. You will be able to do this in advance through a link on the Taste of Durango website, which will save you tons of time entering the event. What if you run out of money on your wristband halfway through the Taste? No problem, you can always reload and there will be staff inside the event area to help you. What if you have money left on your wristband when you leave? No problem, you will have a few days after the Taste to refund that money back to your card. The Taste of Durango does NOT TAKE CASH for the wristband payments. Credit cards only!

More info on wristbands

1. https://tasteofdurango.com/
2. Click REGISTER NOW button
3. Set up account, each person who wants a wristband has to get their own account and each wristband requires a unique email
4. Verify account on your email
5. Then purchase an initial amount of money for your wristband
6. The wristband costs $10, so put more than $10 on it. Most food costs $5 and drinks cost $6 or $7. $40 to $50 is a good amount to start with.
7. At the event, bring the email you got confirming how much you put on your wristband. There is a QR code in that email that they will scan to associate your money with your wristband. They will give you the wristband on site.
8. You can also purchase wristband and put money on it on site, but better to do that in advance as it will save you time.
9. If you want to put more money on your wristband, you can do so at the event. There will be people inside the event area that can help you do that. Have your credit card with you.
10. After the event, if you have money left over, you will have a few days to have it put back on your card

How do I get there?

With the large area the event covers, make a plan in advance for parking if you drive to the Taste. Park at the Transit Center lot, or any of the three parking lots on E. 2^nd Ave, for FREE! All metered parking in Downtown is also FREE on weekends, so try E. 2^nd Ave and Narrow Gauge towards the north end of Downtown for easy parking.

All City buses are free all day Sunday thanks to the Ride Responsible program! This includes the Main Ave Trolley.

If you drive and indulge too much, you can leave your car overnight in the Transit Center lot or any of the three parking lots on E. 2^nd Ave overnight. Just remove it by 11 am Monday May 16.

Who runs the Taste of Durango?

The Durango Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association manages the Taste of Durango. Your payments for wristbands, and food or drinks, at the Taste first help to offset the costs the restaurants incur to bring their food to the event. The Durango Chapter of the CRA also generates some funding for its work for the industry. Then there are six nonprofits that also benefit.

Since the Taste is one of the largest events in Downtown, it needs volunteers to help make it happen. The following nonprofit organizations are providing a collective 120 volunteers for the event, and in return receive a donation:

Durango Derailers

United Way of Southwest Colorado

Young People in Recovery

American Indigenous Business Leaders

4 The Children

Durango Daybreak Rotary Club

Check TasteOfDurango.com and Facebook.com/TasteOfDurangoCRA as we get closer to the event date for more information. I hope to see you in historic Downtown Durango for this year’s Taste of Durango on Sunday May 15!

Tim Walsworth, Executive Director

Durango Business Improvement District