Plans are coming together for the 27th Annual “TASTE OF OMAHA” Festival of Great Foods & Entertainment, Returns to the Riverfront! to be held Friday, May 31st through Sunday, June 2nd, 2024.  The “TASTE OF OMAHA” is a 3-day extravaganza and outdoor food festival open to the public and free to attend, thanks to the many partners and sponsors that support the Event.

There is tremendous excitement for this year’s “TASTE OF OMAHA” regarded as the area’s Annual Kick-off to Summer. The Festival was one of the first festivals to call the Riverfront home, was held on the Riverfront for 22 years, and continued to grow with various expansions.  After 4 years and $300 million renovation, the Festival has a unique opportunity to be one of the first community festivals to be hosted in the Parks since its reopening.

“Feature Foods from many of Omaha’s top restaurants, good entertainment and family activities for the kids… and you have the recipe for the TASTE OF OMAHA,” says Mike Mancuso, Festival Director and Event Producer.  “Omaha has a tremendous reputation for fantastic restaurants and food companies”.   The Festival has become one of the biggest Annual Events for our city bringing together a dazzling selection of great foods and culinary delights, uniting food lovers from throughout the Midwest area, to TASTE, relax and enjoy as a family activity.

This year’s Community Celebrations will showcase outstanding Restaurants with exciting live entertainment daily.  All Entertainment during the 3-day extravaganza is free to attend. The Taste of Omaha offers continuous Free Concerts all weekend long including Top National Entertainers including REO Classics featuring Terry Luttrell, Original Lead Singer for REO Speedwagon and Mick Adams & The Stones, named top 10 Tribute in the World, combined with the best popular area bands and musicians will again be continuously performing throughout the Festival. Swing to the beats of top bands from Rock and Classics to Country and Jazz, such as, The Persuaders, High Heel, Rhythm Collective, Bluehouse & Rent to Own Horns, The Finest Hour, US Air Force Heartland of America Band – Raptor, The Clockstopper, and Blues Agent Band, Plus more …

In addition, Between eating food bites and enjoying the music, you can watch cooking demonstrations, browse the festival displays, taste wines in the Barefoot Wine Gardens, or simply relax in the Beer Gardens overlooking the lake and fountain with LED laser light show, all at one time and one place.  There is also plenty of Family Entertainment in the Family Village, including amusement rides for the kids, balloons, and face painting.  Again this year, the KidZone Stage will offer continuous performances of comedy, magic, exotic animals and more entertainment for the children including:  The Amazing Lindy, Exotic Animals by Wildlife Encounters, Nebraska Native Raptors, Stomp Chomp Roar & Anthony’s Ballistic Balloons.

The Festival boils down to one thing, and that’s the food.  Restaurants of all varieties will pitch their tents at the Festival grounds for 3 days, cooking the specialty items that have made them some of the favorites in the Omaha area.  All types of food will be served at the “TASTE” – from Omaha’s pizza to juicy barbecued ribs. So put your taste buds on alert now because they will get a workout at the “TASTE OF OMAHA”.  The Festival offers each person an opportunity to taste a wide selection of Omaha’s beloved restaurant dishes including Mexican, Italian, Greek, Oriental, Mediterranean, Polish as well as Continental and American cuisine. The Festival will also highlight Omaha’s rich ethnic diversity at the World Pavilion featuring unique Ethnic restaurants and foods with music, dancing and performers from colorful Flamenco and Irish Dancing to Fire Spinning Performers.  After tasting all of these delightful foods, you’ll probably want to top it all off with one of the fabulous desserts offered, from your favorite ice cream flavor to cheesecake, that is sure to make your day at the “Taste” complete.

The Award-Winning Festival has been voted Best of Omaha for 14 years in a row, Choice Award Winner for 2 categories for Annual Event and Festival, as well as Special Event winner by Downtown Omaha Inc.  Taste of Omaha has become a signature summer celebration in our community, providing a terrific opportunity to join with family and friends for a fun-filled weekend of food and entertainment.

The “TASTE OF OMAHA”, Festival of Great Foods and Entertainment, will be open Friday, May 31, from 5 PM – 11 PM, Saturday, June 1, from 11 AM to 11 PM and Sunday, June 2, from 11 AM to 8 PM.  The Festival is Free to attend thanks to Community Sponsors and Partners.  The TASTE is sponsored in part by Cox Mobile, Rotella’s Bakery, Pinnacle Bank, Nebraska Lottery,  Warhorse Gaming, Bass Pro Shops, Capital Vacations/Travel Smart, VTG, K-Designers, LeafFilter, LeafGuard, Barefoot Wines, LIQs, Coke and Douglas County.