A Los Angeles-based event combining food trucks, movies and music touched down at Margaret T. Hance Park last Saturday drawing in a crowd of over 1,800 Phoenix residents.
Steve Allison, producer of Street Food Cinema, said he expected a crowd of roughly 1,000 and was pleasantly surprised by the end turnout. Phoenix was the first city outside of Los Angeles to host this event, and the group is aiming to bring four shows to Phoenix each year, Allison said.
“We were pretty much overjoyed by the response,” he said. “It was wonderful.”
Allison said the production company was looking for a central, urban-based community, for expanding the event.
“It’s so wonderful to see what’s happening in downtown Phoenix — this big hipster, youth movement with all these young restaurant tours and businesses all starting up in downtown,” Allison said.
The event featured several Arizona food trucks, live music from Tempe-based band MRCH and a screening of “The Princess Bride.” Community members were encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and their four-legged friends to make the most of the night.
Allison said that apart from a few key management players, the company hired and trained local Phoenix residents to work at the event.
He and his wife, Heather, launched their first Street Food Cinema event in 2012.
“We experimented back and forth with bands, comedy and magic before the event and how to integrate it. We boiled it all down to a music, food and movie event,” he said.
Marcia Karasek, executive director of Hance Park Conservancy, said the event was a great learning experience because she saw how powerful a community organization could be when it is in alignment to deliver a fun and community-oriented event. She said she took advantage of community relationships and social media to get the word out about the event.
“It was the first time anything like that had been done in the park for a long time,” Karasek said.
Courtney Mally, an event attendee, said the event worked out well.
“The weather was perfect, and I think it’s a great way for the community to come together,” Mally said.
Arizona food trucks such as Burgers Amore!, Cousin’s Maine Lobster, My Waffle Crush and The Grilled Cheese Truck fed the audience, and Downtown Phoenix Inc. helped make the event happen.
The next Arizona Street Food Cinema event will be November 19 at Steele Indian School Park and “Mean Girls” will be the featured movie.
Contact the reporter at JLott3@asu.edu.
