FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
GENERAL
Weekends are especially busy for most restaurants. We hold the festival on a weeknight so that a wider range of your favorite restaurants can participate and we can ensure you have many delicious bites to try.
Don’t forget your umbrella because Taste of Alpharetta takes place rain or shine! This means that even if the weather’s wet, we’ll still be there serving up some of the South’s most impressive food and fun.
Of course. We’ll have several seating areas within the festival grounds. You’re also welcome to BYOC (bring your own chair) to use on the lawn of the Town Green or the areas near the live performance stages.
We expect to host over 70 restaurants this year.
For the safety and comfort of all of our guests – and to keep our food areas as sanitary as possible – we ask that you leave your pets at home.
Instead of using printed tickets, Taste of Alpharetta will use a digital currency – TasteBucks – which guests can redeem for food and beverage (non-alcoholic) samples and activities in the Learn Zone area. To buy TasteBucks, download the Taste of Alpharetta app.
Vendors will collect your Tastebucks by scanning a pre-loaded QR code that will be sent to your phone after you purchase Tastebucks online. If you buy a Fun Zone ticket, you’ll be able to redeem your wristband at the Fun Zone entrance on Old Roswell Street.
For more information about ticketing and our options, click here.
Each of TOA’s food samples or activities will cost between one to six TasteBucks, depending on what’s being offered. Every restaurant or activity sets its own TasteBucks prices, so it really depends on what kinds of foods and activities you want to try – and how many.
We recommend purchasing at least 40 TasteBucks per person, which would get you approximately 3-5 samples and a few beverages. If you run out, you can easily purchase additional Tastebucks on the app to reload your account.
Leave your adult beverages at home. The City of Alpharetta’s alcohol ordinance limits open container wines & beers to purchases made from downtown restaurants – or from festivals with special permitting, like TOA.
Beer and wine will be available for purchase in our Beverage Garden as well as in any of the beverage stations located throughout the event.
You can purchase water or soda at any of the drink booths located throughout the event. Just look for a beverage station tent near you to quench your thirst.
There is no specific bag policy for this event. Attendees are generally allowed to bring their bags onto the premises. However, please note that alcohol is not permitted on the premises.
We recommend that attendees bring only what they need to the event, and keep any bags or backpacks small and easy to carry. Overall, we want all attendees to enjoy the event in a safe and responsible manner, so we ask that everyone follow the rules and guidelines set forth by the event.
Lost and Found will be located at the Info / Ticket Booth at the corner of Milton Ave / Main Street/Hwy9. You can also send an email to specialevents@alpharetta.ga.us.
Tickets
There are two ways to buy your tickets – online (web or mobile app) or in person at a ticketing booth.
To purchase your tickets online:
- Visit our taste of tasteofalpharettaga.app or download the app on Apple Store/ Google Play stores.
- Enter your email address on the login page. Then check your email for the login link we just sent to you to confirm your registration.
- Select the ticket option you want to purchase (Kidz Zone or TasteBucks) and pay via credit card.
Check your Dashboard in the app to find your scannable QR code that’s fully loaded with everything you’ve purchased. All you’ll need to bring on the day of the festival is your phone and an appetite.
If you prefer to skip the app, you can stop by any of our Ticket Booths and get a printed QR card that you’ll reload at the booth with the assistance of our event staff. You can load your QR card using a credit card – which the event is optimized for – or cash in an emergency.
You can purchase TasteBucks, our festival currency, and Kidz Zone passes at tasteofalpharettaga.app or on the Taste of Alpharetta app.
Ticket sales are on sale now, and purchasing ahead of the event will help you jump right into the action day-of. You can also buy tickets on the day of the event.
TasteBucks cost $1 a piece.
All participating restaurants or vendors will charge anywhere from 1 to 6 tickets per sample, depending on what they’re offering. It’s up to each restaurant or vendor to set its own price.
- Tastebucks can be used with any restaurant vendor to purchase food samples, for select activities in the Locally Grown Area, and for all beverage purchases.
- The Kidz Zone wristband allows children to step into a world of inflatables, obstacle courses, and more! Pick up the Kidz Zone pass wristband at the Kidz Zone entrance (or any of our ticket booths) and show it to access unlimited fun.
Yes. We will be accepting TasteBucks and credit cards at the Beverage Stations throughout the festival. You will need a valid photo ID to purchase alcohol.
- Download our app Taste of Alpharetta on Apple Store/ Google Play stores OR Visit our tasteofalpharettaga.app.
- Enter your email address on login page. Watch your email for the login link we just sent to you to confirm your registration.
- Once logged in, click Dashboard (top right) to access your QR code.
- Check or reload your balance at any time and see a history of transactions.
Yes! You can transfer unspent money to friends and family by entering their email addresses or scanning their QR code. Just as easy as handing off unused tickets!
Yes! You can gift TasteBucks and Wristbands to your family and friends by using our app and clicking on Share TasteBucks and Wristands on the menu. You can enter the person’s email address or scan their unique QR code and click transfer. If the recipient doesn’t have a phone, you can go to a ticket booth to purchase your tickets and load your QR card without a phone.
We only recommend sharing your QR code with your family and friends if you are all spending from the same pool of tickets. By sharing your QR code, they will be able to spend on your account. So keep an eye on those funds to reload as you go!
Guests without phones can purchase a printed QR card at any of our six ticket booths. This would allow you to load their accounts with their Kidz Zone ticket and as many TasteBucks as you’d like.
Tickets are non-refundable and valid for the current festival year only. However, you can share/gift unused TasteBucks to your friends, colleauges or family by going to the menu dropdown and clicking share Tastebucks.
PROGRAMMING
TOA hosts a main stage on the Town Green, as well as three satellite stages throughout the event, bringing you live music to dance to all night long!
For more information about stages, bands, and specific performance times, head over to our Live Music section on the Entertainment page.
Help us award the People’s Choice Awards for Taste of Alpharetta! Vote for your favorite restaurant through the event app or look for signage throughout the event with QR codes to link directly to the voting page. Voting happens on the day of the festival from 5 pm-midnight. Winners will be announced after the event on the Taste of Alpharetta social media pages.
Taste of Alpharetta will also have a Culinary Competition during the event with top food critics, former Alpharetta chefs, City representatives, food bloggers, and Taste of Alpharetta’s Biggest Fan winners serving as judges. They will be scoring blind entries from participating restaurants. Winners for the Taste of Alpharetta Culinary Competition will be announced on the Main Stage at 6:30 p.m. Want to try food from the winners? Look for restaurant booths on-site that have special signage indicating they are a Culinary Competition winner!
Locally Grown is an educational play area that features various organizations dedicated to the sustainable agriculture movement. Learn about where your food comes from and what makes it taste so good! Stop by this area located on Market Street near the Main Stage to enjoy hands-on activities, giveaways, and educational displays. Some participating vendors will also have food or products for sale that can be purchased with TasteBucks.
Restaurants
Check out our full restaurant lineup at tasteofalpharettaga.com/restaurants/.
The event is limited to brick-and-mortar restaurants with stores in Alpharetta or nearby areas such as John’s Creek, Milton, Roswell and Sandy Springs.
Restaurants interested in participating can visit https://tasteofalpharettaga.com/restaurants-join/ for more information.
PARKING & TRANSPORTATION
Nothing. TOA’s parking and festival shuttle service are both free. (And so is admission to Taste of Alpharetta!) Check our parking page for more details.
If you’d like to park and walk, feel free to use any of the following complimentary options:
- City Hall Parking Deck (2 Park Plaza)
- Milton Ave Parking Deck (92 Milton Ave)
- Alpharetta Community Center (175 Roswell St.)
- Wills Park Pool Playground (1815 Old Milton Parkway)
If you’d like to park and ride our free festival shuttle, it will run every 10-15 minutes from 5-10 p.m. Complimentary parking for the shuttle is located at Wills Park Equestrian Center and the Wills Park Aquatic Center.
Please note that overnight parking isn’t allowed at any of these locations, and none of them offer public restroom access. In addition, we ask that you please NOT park in neighboring businesses’ private parking lots.
The Taste of Alpharetta provides accessible parking options for guests with disabilities at our downtown parking deck located at 92 Milton Ave, Alpharetta. These lots have spaces designated for vehicles displaying a handicap placard or license plate.
All Uber and Lyft transits should be routed to Innovation Academy (125 Milton Ave) entering from Wills Rd.
