Nearly 60 local farms, food trucks and community organizations will fill the Ann Arbor Farmers Market on Thursday, Aug. 27, for the fifth annual Local Food Festival.
The free event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at 315 Detroit St. in Kerrytown, according to the City of Ann Arbor's event page. The festival has grown to attract more than 1,000 visitors annually, according to Concentrate Media. It's a rain-or-shine affair with live chef demos, food tastings, composting demonstrations, live music and hands-on art projects for kids.
"There’s a difference between hearing about local food and actually meeting the people behind it, tasting it, learning about programs that exist to make it more accessible and affordable,” sustainability analyst Azella Markgraf of the Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations told Concentrate Media.
Markgraf's office co-organizes the festival with the Ann Arbor Farmers Market and Argus Farm Stop. The event supports Ann Arbor's A2ZERO carbon-neutrality plan by promoting a more sustainable, plant-rich local food system.
Two chef demonstrations anchor the evening. At 5:30 p.m., Chef Kori Kanayama of Purslane Commons will prepare a shiitake salad with pea shoots using ingredients from Two Tracks Acres. At 7 p.m., registered dietitian Mary Balog of Argus Farm Stop will make a zucchini ribbon salad with creamy herb tahini dressing. Free samples follow both demos.
A tasting table will feature produce from Nature & Nurture Seeds, Kapnick Orchards and Tantre Farm. The University of Michigan Library's Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive, described as the nation's largest community cookbook archive, will display historical Michigan recipe cards. Attendees are encouraged to bring a locally sourced recipe to swap.
Food vendors include Baan Phadthai, Jamaican Spice Food Truck, La Amapola, Samosa House, Shawarma Chef, TeaHaus, Mindo Chocolate Makers and more than a dozen others. Community exhibitors range from Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels and People's Food Co-op to the Huron River Watershed Council and VegMichigan.
Kids can try veggie stamp art and DIY cookbook zines in the Craft Zone, taste local honey with the Community Farm of Ann Arbor, or learn about wild edible plants with Will Forage for Food.
The festival is a zero-waste event. Organizers ask attendees to bring reusable utensils, cups and containers. Waste stations with compost, recycling and landfill bins will be set up throughout the market.
What to know before you go:
- When: Thursday, Aug. 27, 5–8 p.m.
- Where: Ann Arbor Farmers Market, 315 Detroit St.
- Cost: Free admission; food and drink available for purchase
- Parking: The market lot will be closed. Use the Ann & Ashley or Fourth & Washington garages. The market is four blocks from Blake Transit Center, served by multiple AAATA bus routes.
- Pets: Only licensed service animals allowed due to food safety rules.
- Weather: Rain or shine. Check @a2zero2030 on Instagram or @A2Zero on Facebook for severe-weather updates.
The Ann Arbor Police Department has also warned that scammers have targeted festival vendors with fraudulent emails requesting payment to participate. Vendors with questions can contact organizers at [email protected] or call AAPD at 734-794-6920.
