Celebrate tacos and all that goes with them at Minot’s first ever Taco Fest. Taking place on Saturday at the Minot Municipal Auditorium, attendees can take part in a variety of activities. Doors will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The event will feature 10 different food vendors and an assortment of non-food vendors alongside different activities and a Hot Pepper Eating Contest.

Kristen Haverluck of Engage Marketing was inspired by other similar events around the state and decided to work with The Spot to put the event on in Minot. She first posted about the event back in 2018 and people quickly showed interest.

“Within 90 minutes of being posted we already had over 1,200 people interested. Currently there are over 6,700 people going or interested and the event has reached almost 86k people,” she said.

The event is family friendly with a variety of events ready for kids including pinatas to be broken at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. There will be live music provided by Manuel Delgado and Josh Herman Music and yard games outside.

For those over the age of 21, there will be a tequila tasting as well.

Those who have a taste for spice can take part in the Hot Pepper Eating contest. Anyone above the age of 18 can take part to see who can stand the heat.

“The current pepper list is Jalapeno, Thai Chili, Serrano, Catanne, Habanero, Ghost, Carolina Reaper and Poblano as the tie breaker,” said Haverluck.

The list is based on availability and could change.

The winner of the contest will receive $50 in food vouchers for Taco Fest and full bragging rights, according to Haverluck. Second and third place will receive Spicy Pie and Taco Johns certificates.

The event will host a variety of different tacos that attendees can enjoy and try out. Each vendor will also be judged by a local celebrity judge panel to decide “Minot’s #1 Taco.”

“They will taste tacos from each vendor and rate each taco on taste, spice, presentation and ambiance,” said Haverluck.

Admission costs $5 for adults and those 17 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased in advance on Eventbrite or at the door of the event.