Denton’s first food truck fest rolls out October 26

The city invites people from all over North Texas to celebrate extended A-Train hours.

Friday Night Bites! is Denton's first community food truck festival since the city loosened restrictions on this type of mobile business.

DENTON — Food truck fanatics are in for a treat at the end of this month when Denton hosts its first-ever community food truck rally. The event Friday Night Bites! will be free to attend and includes a variety of eats, drinks, and live music that have yet to be determined. Food trucks will be stationed at the Downtown Denton Transit Center on East Hickory just off the square from 5-10 p.m. on Friday, October 26.

Friday Night Bites! is a celebration of late-night weekend service hours on the A-Train, according to Denton City Council Member Kevin Roden; hence, the location for the event. As of August 20, the train runs until 2 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday, a 4.5-hour extension from its weekday schedules. (Note: Last chance connections to and from Dallas are earlier.)

Kim Phillips, vice president of the Denton Convention and Visitors Bureau, said she hopes the train amenities and food truck culture will attract not only residents of neighboring cities off the Denton County Transit Authority line, such as Lewisville, Highland Village, and Corinth, but also people from all over North Texas.

“We want to make the community aware that because of weekend late-night service, people from all over the place can come join the Denton nightlife,” Phillips told Pegasus News. She added that she hopes Dallasites with access to the DART will make the connection to the A-Train and come to Denton.

Denton is no stranger to food trucks, though city regulations made it difficult for the mobile businesses to be successful in the past. The city recently abolished an ordinance that prohibited food trucks from staying in a spot for more than 15 minutes aside from special events. City officials deemed the rule unenforceable and essentially opened the market for this type of dining experience.

The live performance roster as well as the list of participating food trucks will be available shortly, Phillips said. To view the A-Train schedule and plan your trip to Friday Night Bites!, click here.