Tucson FoodieCelebrating local food, drink, and community.
What to Eat & Drink at the 2025 Tucson Folk Festival (April 4 – 6)

Tucson Folk Festival (Photo by Rex Scofield)

What to Eat & Drink at the 2025 Tucson Folk Festival (April 4 – 6)

Apr 2, 20252 min read

The Tucson Folk Festival is back for its 40th year on Friday, April 4 – Sunday, 6. 

The free-to-attend Tucson Folk Festival is a weekend of live and original music featuring more than 150 performances across six stages at/near Jácome Plaza in downtown Tucson.

(Photo courtesy of Tucson Folk Festival)

There will be culinary options and unique crafts in the community marketplace, a KidsZone with musical and arts experiences, raffles, and a store. So, you’re bound to get hungry!

Here are the food and beverage vendors setting up at this year’s fest.

Food & Beverage Vendors

  • La Bufadora – Seafood delights with Baja-style fish and shrimp tacos
  • Eatgypt – Healthy and gluten-free Egyptian dishes, including koshary, ta’ameya (Egyptian falafel), sweet goulash, and traditional hibiscus lemonade
  • Lovin’ Spoonfuls Vegan Restaurant – Vegetarian and vegan-friendly comfort food, including barbecue “beef” sandwiches, tacos, gluten-free chili with cornbread, falafel wraps, hummus appetizers, and a selection of vegan desserts
  • Col. Mustard’s Hot Dogs / Mr. Ice Guy Italian Ice – New York-style hot dogs, bratwurst, polish sausages, and refreshing Italian Ice made in Tucson
  • Pupuseria Rositas – Salvadorian food specialties such as pupusas, tacos, and quesadillas
  • Yum Yum Pocha Korean Cuisine – Asian flavors with Korean-style ramen noodles, stir-fry, fried rice, and mandu (dumplings)
  • Fiesta Filipina – Filipino cuisine with dinner bowls and plates, lumpia, empanadas, shrimp tempura, and pancit
  • Fresh Fruit Raspados – Authentic Mexican raspados, street corn, churros, and more
  • Gus’s Gyros – Classic Greek and American favorites, including gyros, Philly cheesesteaks, hamburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, pretzels, funnel cakes, and fresh lemonade
  • 3 Margarita’s Kitchen – Authentic Mexican food, featuring carne asada tacos, birria burritos, hot dogs Sonora-style, fiesta fries, and more
  • BlackJack Citrus Infusions – Fresh lemonade and fruit-infused beverages
  • Hot Pops Kettle Corn – Freshly popped kettle corn, caramel corn, and cheddar popcorn
  • Hungary Express – Freshly made Hungarian-style funnel cakes with a variety of toppings, served hot and crispy
  • JoJo’s Restaurant Taco Truck – Serving authentic street tacos, burritos, and Mexican favorites with fresh ingredients and bold flavors
Tucson Folk Festival (Photo by C. Elliott Photography)

All stage venues are within walking distance of Jácome Plaza (corner of Stone and Pennington).  

You can check out the full lineup and schedule here.

The Tucson Folk Festival is happening near the Jácome Plaza, 101 N. Stone Ave. For more information, visit tucsonfolkfest.org.

Article written by:

Matt Sterner

Matt Sterner

More about Matt

At a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.

He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.

If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.

Get our free Tucson Foodie weekly newsletter

New openings, events, dish recommendations, and guides — every Wednesday. No spam.

Take us with you.

Discover the best local spots, browse the dish database, build and share your to-visit lists, support local, and join the Foodie Club when you're ready.

Advertisement

Follow @TucsonFoodie136.1K followers
Scratch-made Japanese ramen goes far beyond instant noodles, with rich broths like tonkotsu, miso, and shoyu. Tucson has more specialty ramen shops than you might expect. Here’s where to find them around town.🍜

@ikkyu.tucson 
@jaramencurry 
@kiwamiramenbar 
@kukai___ 
@marujapanesenoodle 
@maruplusaz 
@obonsushi 
@raijinramen 
@theramenbartucson 
@tossfriedchickennramen 

More guides on Tucsonfoodie.comScratch-made Japanese ramen goes far beyond instant noodles, with rich broths like tonkotsu, miso, and shoyu. Tucson has more specialty ramen shops than you might expect. Here’s where to find them around town.🍜 @ikkyu.tucson @jaramencurry @kiwamiramenbar @kukai___ @marujapanesenoodle @maruplusaz @obonsushi @raijinramen @theramenbartucson @tossfriedchickennramen More guides on Tucsonfoodie.com
@Scentedleaf is opening a new location in the former Starbucks at Speedway and Country Club!!🥰

The locally owned tea shop celebrates its grand opening tomorrow, October 10, from 11 am to 9 pm, with 50% off all tea drinks and 25% off loose-leaf tea and merchandise.

📍3025 E. Speedway Blvd.@Scentedleaf is opening a new location in the former Starbucks at Speedway and Country Club!!🥰 The locally owned tea shop celebrates its grand opening tomorrow, October 10, from 11 am to 9 pm, with 50% off all tea drinks and 25% off loose-leaf tea and merchandise. 📍3025 E. Speedway Blvd.
The grand opening is TODAY, Oct. 8! 🎉

@istanbultucson is expanding with a second location, @istanbulmediterraneanexpress, at 5660 W. Cortaro Farms Rd. 

The fast-casual spot will feature about 75% of the original location’s menu, plus two exclusive dishes: build-your-own Turkish stuffed baked potatoes, known as Kumpir, and fresh-ground doner made in-house. The falafel plate and stuffed potatoes can also be made vegan. 

“The first restaurant taught us what our customers love most, so at Cortaro we’re focusing the menu around our most popular dishes while making the experience a little more casual and convenient. Most importantly, we’ve learned that no matter how much we grow, the quality of our food has to stay high every single day.” — Kamran Esar

Daily hours: 11am - 9pm

Read the article on Tucsonfoodie.comThe grand opening is TODAY, Oct. 8! 🎉 @istanbultucson is expanding with a second location, @istanbulmediterraneanexpress, at 5660 W. Cortaro Farms Rd. The fast-casual spot will feature about 75% of the original location’s menu, plus two exclusive dishes: build-your-own Turkish stuffed baked potatoes, known as Kumpir, and fresh-ground doner made in-house. The falafel plate and stuffed potatoes can also be made vegan. “The first restaurant taught us what our customers love most, so at Cortaro we’re focusing the menu around our most popular dishes while making the experience a little more casual and convenient. Most importantly, we’ve learned that no matter how much we grow, the quality of our food has to stay high every single day.” — Kamran Esar Daily hours: 11am - 9pm Read the article on Tucsonfoodie.com
Phoenix bakery @Proofbread is popping up in Tucson! 

Starting Friday, Oct. 9, the Phoenix-based sourdough bakery and stone flour mill will take over the two former @Cafefrancaisaz locations for a Tucson pop-up.

Expect naturally leavened country loaves, chocolate croissants with 81 layers of laminated dough, morning buns, ciabatta and more. 🥐🍞

📍 7831 E. Wrightstown Rd. 
📍 3855 E. Broadway Blvd. 

Both locations will be open 7 am-2 pm throughout October. If the pop-up is a success, Proof Bread says it could become a permanent Tucson operation. 

Read the article on Tucsonfoodie.comPhoenix bakery @Proofbread is popping up in Tucson! Starting Friday, Oct. 9, the Phoenix-based sourdough bakery and stone flour mill will take over the two former @Cafefrancaisaz locations for a Tucson pop-up. Expect naturally leavened country loaves, chocolate croissants with 81 layers of laminated dough, morning buns, ciabatta and more. 🥐🍞 📍 7831 E. Wrightstown Rd. 📍 3855 E. Broadway Blvd. Both locations will be open 7 am-2 pm throughout October. If the pop-up is a success, Proof Bread says it could become a permanent Tucson operation. Read the article on Tucsonfoodie.com