Taste Addison, the long-running food festival that has promoted Addison restaurants for three decades, will be discontinued, city officials confirmed. At a City Council work session on Tuesday, Jan. 6, the council directed staff to end the event, which had been scheduled for April 2026.
The city will no longer host Taste Addison in its current format and plans to redirect resources toward new, year-round efforts to support local restaurants. Council members noted that while the festival once drew dozens of restaurants and major musical acts, participation and overall quality have declined.
Deputy Mayor Chris DeFrancisco said the event may no longer be delivering sufficient return on investment, questioning whether large outdoor food festivals have run their course. According to city data, Addison lost approximately $760,000 hosting the event last year, though Mayor Bruce Arfsten acknowledged the festival generated valuable media exposure.
Some council members, including Howard Freed, expressed support for alternative concepts such as a restaurant week or smaller, targeted events focused more directly on local businesses. City staff has been asked to develop new ideas to promote Addison’s dining scene moving forward.
