By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Rio Food Parque, food truck festival, will take over the outside of the Link Mall in Barra da Tijuca on Saturday, October 10th, Sunday, October 11th, and Monday, October 12th, from 12AM to 9PM on each day. The festival will feature food trucks, food bikes, gourmet tents and craft beer vendors plus workshops and attractions for children in celebration of ‘Dia das Crianças’ (Children’s Day), the international holiday that celebrates children and falls on October 12th in Brazil.
The attractions for children during the Rio Food Parque festival will include a Parquinho Infantil (Children’s Playground) space with toys from the Alugue & Brink company including a slide, trampoline, pool balls, a mini fashion dressing room, pinball and XBox with football games.
Additionally there will be an Especiais e Importantes – Ideias Artesanais Lúdicas e Circenses (Special and Important Stand – Craft Ideas) that aims to “rescue analog play” by providing toys including juggling pins and games that don’t require a screen. There will also be a workshop to teach children hatmaking and tricks of the trade.That workshop will be led by milliner Denis Linhares.
The Food Trucks during the festival will include La Calaca (Mexican), Graviola (health Food), Del Toro (barbecue and grilled), Mon Petit (crepes), Monsieur B (burgers), Al Taglio (pizza and Belgian potatoes), The Black Box (burgers), Lab Burger (burgers) and Forasteiro (German hot dogs and ham sandwiches).
Food truck newcomers will include Os 3 Espeteiros (kebabs), Espírito de Porco (pork specialities), Mineiroca (sandwhiches and handmade sausages), Plano B (stuffed delicacies), and Chopp Time (snack and sandwiches) will also set up during the event.
The food bikes present during the festival will include Brownie Bistrô, Gusto Sonheira, Marias Fouet, Real Cakes, Super Paleta, Brigadeiro Chef, and Thi’s Cakery, while the tents set up during the festival will include The Burger Experience, Mil Sabores, Defumados, Levae, and Pain d’Piece. Additionally, craft brewers Mohave, Klein, Irmãos Ferraro, Hellinger, and Wensky will be on hand during the festival.
Organized by Robert Guimarães and Fernando Molinari, the creators of Babilônia Feira Hype, the Rio Food Parque food festival began as part of the fair and ran concurrently with it for five editions before the organizers held a solo edition at Shopping Downtown which attracted more than twelve thousand attendees.
The festival will be open from 12AM to 9PM during each of the three days of this edition and entry will be free with the exception of the Denis Linhares hatmaking workshop which will be R$15 per attendee.
What: Rio Food Parque
When: Saturday, October 10th, Sunday, October 11th, and Monday, October 12th, 12AM to 9PM.
Where: Link Mall, Av. Ayrton Senna, 2600 – Barra da Tijuca
Entrance: FREE
Price for Denis Linhares hatmaking workshop is R$15 per child.