The 2021 Taste of Syracuse, one of downtown’s largest and most popular annual events, has been cancelled for the second straight year due to Covid-19.
Syracuse-based Galaxy Media, which has produced the event for 25 years, decided to postpone it until 2022, said the company’s chief operating officer, Carrie Wojtaszek.
Taste of Syracuse typically draws 200,000 people to downtown Syracuse over its two-day run, usually on the first Friday and Saturday in June. It features about 140 food and beverage vendors in and around Clinton Square, plus both local and national music acts on multiple stages.
“Unfortunately, due to current state guidelines, the idea of having 200,000+ people within our downtown area just doesn’t seem realistic at this point,” Wojtaszek said in a new release today.
Instead, Galaxy will put on a series of events called “Picnics at the Park” at Onondaga Lake Park.
Those will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for 13 consecutive Thursdays in June, July and August. They will feature a limited number of food vendors and food trucks, plus some of the local music acts that have often played at the full Taste of Syracuse.
There will even be Taste of Syracuse features, like the $1 samples.
Based on current state guidelines, reservations will be required for those wishing to set up a picnic area on the lawn at the park, Wojtaszek said. No reservations are needed for those taking food “to go.” Covid protocols such as masks and social distancing will be enforced.
The schedule of dates and entertainment will be posted at a later date.
Galaxy hopes to bring back the full Taste of Syracuse in 2022.
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.