Long lineups, crowded square: Taste of Edmonton pays price of success

Taste of Edmonton is experiencing growing pains.

The food festival has grown so much organizers saythe event will need to move out of Churchill Square.

Organizers are looking for a new home in 2017 due to the closure of 102nd Avenue for construction of the Valley Line LRT.

But the popularity of the festival is also becoming a factor.

• Valley Line LRT work to shut down 102nd Avenue for 4 years

Revenues at Taste of Edmonton have grown by 40 per cent over the past three years.

People are facing long lineups to purchase tickets required to get food, particularly between noon and 1 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.A CBC reporter waited 14 minutes in line over the lunch hour on Tuesday.

"We're outgrowing the square really badly. We need to move," said Paul Lucas, general manager of Events Edmonton, the non-profit group that runs the annual outdoor food event.

"When we do move, we're hoping to get more infrastructure in place, so we'll have more ticket wickets."

Lucas said the festival has tried to speed things up by sendingstaff to take payments with portable debit machines from people waiting in line. Tickets can also be purchased at nearby Tix on the Square.

"We've tried very hard over the last three or four days to manage that and keep the crowds down as much as possible," he said.

The festival expects to see 480,000 visitors over the 10-day event.