Taste of Omaha

Taste of Omaha is the city's big kickoff-to-summer food festival, held over a weekend on the downtown RiverFront. It has called Heartland of America Park home since 1997, apart from a COVID pause and a temporary move to Ralston in 2023 while the riverfront parks were being rebuilt. The 2026 edition was the 29th.

More than 40 restaurants and food companies set up booths, serving everything from barbecue and Mexican food to Indian, Mediterranean, Irish fish and chips and Lithuanian baked goods. You buy sheets of food tickets and graze your way through small portions, which makes it a good way to sample a lot of local spots at once.

Three stages keep things moving: live music, a world stage with multicultural dance and fire spinning, and a kids stage with magicians and animal shows. Admission is free, so it works for a quick lunch stop or a full afternoon by the river.

Highlights

• 40-plus local restaurants and food vendors
• Free general admission
• Three entertainment stages including a kids zone
• Riverfront setting near the Old Market
• Long-running festival, 29th edition in 2026

Tips for going

• Food and drinks are paid with tickets; in 2026 a sheet of eight cost $5, and booth staff suggested about four sheets per person.
• Go at lunchtime on Friday or early Saturday for shorter lines.
• Stay in or near the Old Market and walk over to avoid downtown parking.
• Bring sunscreen; much of the park is open lawn.
• Check the festival's social pages for the final dates, which shift between late May and early June.