Grand Rapids tees up food truck season

Food truck season in Grand Rapids is no longer just a Friday-night thing. That is the real shift here. GR8 Food Trucks is using its 10th anniversary to turn one popular weekly event into a full summer calendar at North Riverside Park — with Food Truck Fridays, a new six-week Taco Tuesday series, an international food festival, and a two-day championship weekend. The point is bigger than tacos. It is about turning a recurring crowd into a steadier market for local vendors. (wzzm13.com) ### What actually starts first? The first big date is May 9, when GR8 Food Trucks opens the season with “Taste of Summer” at Riverside Park. That kickoff runs from noon to 8 p.m. and uses smaller portions priced at $3 to $6, basically so people can sample a bunch of trucks without committing to one full meal. Then the main weekly series starts Friday, May 15, from 5 to 9 p.m. and runs every Friday through Aug. 14. (wzzm13.com) ### What is changing for the regular Friday event? The Friday setup is now a 14-week season with more than 20 food trucks, trailers, and tents each week, plus live music, a merchant village, and a beer tent that supports local nonprofits. That matters because it makes the event feel less like a pop-u(wzzm13.com)it means you can treat it like a habit. (wzzm13.com) ### Why add Taco Tuesdays? Because one successful night a week leaves money on the table. The new “Truckin’ Taco Tuesdays” series runs six Tuesdays — May 26 through June 30, also from 5 to 9 p.m. — and mixes classic taco trucks with vendors that do not usually sell tacos but are building one-off taco(wzzm13.com)t summer sales. (wzzm13.com) ### What is Forks Without Borders? It is the new international food festival on June 6, running from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at North Riverside Park. GR8 Food Trucks is pitching it as a broader showcase of Grand Rapids’ global food scene, not just a truck rally — restaurants can join too. The idea is simpl(wzzm13.com)format. (wzzm13.com) ### How does the season end? With the “Grand Food Truck Championship” on Sept. 4 and Sept. 5. Organizers say it will celebrate the vendors from the whole summer and crown winners in multiple categories, with voting happening through the Heart of Food app. That gives the season a playoff structure — a little gimmicky, sure, but also a neat way to keep people engaged past the weekly routine. (wzzm13.com) ### Why does the parking change matter? Because logistics can kill a good event. Organizers said they rearranged the layout and moved trucks so marked grass parking is allowed next to the event space in 2026. That sounds minor, but anyone who has circled Riverside on a busy summer night knows it is not. Easier parking means less friction, and less friction usually means bigger crowds that stay longer. (wzzm13.com) ### How big has this gotten? Pretty big. Alan Tomlinson said the event started 10 years ago with 12 trucks in a small Riverside Park parking lot. GR8 Food Trucks now says its events have helped local businesses generate more than $3 million over the last nine years, with a goal of pushing past $4 million in 2026. That is the clearest sign this is not just a fun summer hang anymore — it is local small-business infrastructure. (wzzm13.com) ### Bottom line Grand Rapids is not just bringing back Food Truck Fridays. It is scaling the whole model. The 2026 season turns one proven weekly crowd into a broader summer platform for food trucks, artisans, nonprofits, and neighborhood foot traffic — and that is why this anniversary year matters. (wzzm13.com)