Burlington Food Truck Festival moving from Spencer Smith Park - here’s why

The popular Burlington Food Truck Festival (BFTF) won’t be at Spencer Smith Park going forward.

The event has taken place each July at the dowtown waterfront venue for the last seven years, but council’s environment, infrastructure and community services committee voted to have it change locations at its Thursday meeting.

Since the pandemic, BFTF event has been before Council several times due to concerns expressed by the Burlington Downtown Business Association (BDBA) and the Burlington Restaurant Association (BRA), who say the event negatively impacts their business. 

Earlier this year, Council directed the director of recreation, community and culture to work with the event organizer to look for alternative options for the location of the festival outside of the downtown and to report back to council.

Some of the suggested locations include: Hidden Valley Park, City View Park, LaSalle Park, Lowville Park, Burloak Park, Central Park, Burlington GO Station parking lot,and Nelson Park.

Ben Freeman of the Canadian Food Truck Festivals said Spencer Smith Park is the ideal location for BFTF, and they will face difficulties finding  another location that will meet  power and water requirements. Vendors would have to have generators to power fridges for food storage, and potable water for their operations to run.

Having been established at the popular lakefront park has been instrumental in drawing crowds who enjoy the location, he said, noting 39,000 people visited this year’s festival

Freeman provided results of a survey they conducted at this summer’s event, and noted that the majority of attendees had shopping bags from downtown – proving they support local business while grabbing a bite to eat. In addition, he said many also sipped on coffee purchased at local establishments.

Freeman said the festival is popular, bringing in revenue and thousands of tourists who explore the downtown core and shop at the businesses.

“We sent our own staff to take photos of the street, the businesses. The hotel rooms were sold out and 72 per cent of respondents said they planned on visiting downtown businesses. I think that’s a pretty significant number.”

He said there are food trucks at both the Sound of Music and Ribfest.

“Why is it that one food festival is the little darling and the other is the enemy?” Freeman said. 

"We’ve done everything we can to bring everybody on board to work together. It doesn’t make sense why this event is being vilified. It is our hope to continue and to stay in Spencer Smith Park and not be moved to another location.”

Brian Dean of the Burlington Downtown Business Association and Craig Kowalchuk of the Burlington Restaurant Association said any location other than Spencer Smith Park is their choice, adding, “We’re beyond the kumbaya stage,” when it comes to being amenable.

Rory Nisan, Ward 3 councillor, didn't feel the constituents factored into the committee discussion.

“I have thousands of residents in Ward 3 who go to the food truck festival…and they're all having a great time and we're providing them with a great event. Now, if I thought that we were going to find another place for it in Burlington, then I would support this motion for sure.”

Nisan is concerned the organizer will leave the city altogether.

“He's not going to find another place that is suitable because he is also working on tight margins,” he said. "So it's not looking good. Maybe not impossible for him, but it's definitely not looking good. And we all know that around this table right now.

“It's a very, very good chance that we will not have a food truck festival in 2024 because of the decision that we're taking right now. So, it will be on us. It will absolutely be on us.”

Nisan asked the city to work with the organizer to find another location.

Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns argued that the city is trying to make wise decisions when it comes to festivals, finding the right location, at the right scale and right size.

“That's how we do development. This is how we also do festivals,” she said, and corrected the record when it comes to not engaging about festivals and events.

“I'm delighted to hear that thousands of Ward 3 folks are excited about food trucks and we have the beautiful Lowville Park and we have other places that it can be.”

She said many places use church parking lots for food truck events that raise money for the community.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said the festival went on for years even after local businesses had already voiced their concerns to council.

“I will point the finger back at council,” she said. “When we have a situation where a festival has been allowed to proceed for a number of years and really set up their brand, over the objections every single year from the local BIA and businesses, because it was too far along in the process that year and the year after year.

“How did this get so far down the path is really the bigger question for me because I recall as a council member having very significant conversations around food trucks in general and the challenges that that poses for our bricks-and-mortar businesses in a BIA.”

Meed Ward said there are additional burdens on those businesses, including a special levy, administered through taxes to be part of that BIA. They also pay into the parking levy to provide 1,400 spaces that are shared by all of the businesses.

“To ask them to do joint marketing for an organization that is directly limiting their business is asking them to participate in their own demise,” she said. "Let's face it, every single organizer wants to be in Spencer Smith Park. Everybody does. Of course they do. It's beautiful, but what are we saying no to? There are cultural events that we are aware of that want to have space. There are arts events and other events that have not been able to get space because it's booked. So we have to be really careful about what we say yes to because as soon as we say yes, we’re saying no.”

Last year, the organizer listened to feedback and concerns, and subsequently offered to work with the BDBA and BRA to help market local area businesses through their campaign. 

In addition, they changed the recipient of their fundraising to Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation in 2023 resulting in a total of $9,370 being donated. Staff, in their report to the committee, noted that this donation was made despite the event not having returned to pre-pandemic capacity.