After drawing nearly 20,000 attendees last year, Taste of Bloomington organizers are introducing several changes to improve crowd flow and the overall visitor experience for this year.
A lead organizer, Jordan Davis, said the 2026 festival will feature a larger footprint, redesigned layout, and operational improvements.
Last year's festival marked the event's return after four years and exceeded organizer expectations. Davis said the biggest challenges include crowd congestion, trash collection, and overcrowded vendor areas.
Davis is using that experience to guide planning.
"This year, we've made several changes," Davis said. "There are minor improvements that are going to make the guest experience so much better."
Among the biggest changes is the full closure of Dunn Street, which was the festival's most congested area last year.
Organizers also expanded the festival farther north along Grant Street to Sixth Street to help spread out visitors.
The children's area has been moved from People's Park to the Monroe County History Center, giving families access to indoor and air-conditioned space if temperatures climb.
A third live music stage has also been added at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
Organizers also upgraded behind-the-scenes operations, with nearly 150 staff members.
They will handle waste collection, and restaurants will display high-mounted menus.
This year's festival will go from 3-10 p.m. Aug 1 and feature 75 food vendors, up from 50 last year. Food will continue to cost $5 or less.
"The main point is to highlight their business so that way people can try a place, try a ton of different places, and then go back and visit their brick-and-mortar for a dinner date, a lunch meeting, or you name it," Davis said.
