A Year of the Taste

Here Comes the Taste!

Thousands of Lafayette natives and people from across Central Indiana gather in downtown Lafayette every June for the wildly popular summer event, the Annual Taste of Tippecanoe.  The Taste is full of awesome music, great food, and time enjoyed with friends and family. It's no wonder that it is one of the most well attended festivals in the Greater Lafayette area. As you all probably know (or should know), the Taste is the main fundraiser for the Tippecanoe Arts Federation. By coming out to the event, people play their part in helping TAF support and promote the arts throughout Central Indiana. So not only are people enjoying themselves, but they are giving back and helping others!

Every year, the event is held in late June in downtown Lafayette. On that late afternoon in June, the bands have their stages set up, the food stands are ready for their hungry customers, and the party is ready to start! Everything looks so effortlessly thrown together, right?

WRONG!

So, how does this massive event happen? Well, it definitely doesn’t happen overnight. The process for the Taste takes a year of thorough and meticulous planning. Those wristbands that you are going to wear on Saturday didn’t just appear out of thin air and the posters that you saw around town took four months to design.

Want to know more about the craziness of putting together the Taste?

Then, let's get started!

The LONG Process of Planning the Taste

Music

The process for the Taste begins right after the event ends. TAF begins accepting press kits for bands right away from June to August. The press kits contain a sample CD, application, and any other promotional material that the band provides. The deadline for press kits and band applications are due in September. In October, the notifications are sent out to the bands that got their gig at Taste! Have you seen the bands that will perform at this year's Taste? Click here for a full schedule.

                                                            Sponsors

The year long journey of searching for sponsors to help promote the Taste begins in September. Searching for sponsors usually wraps up in May (hopefully). This year's sponsors include Evonik that provided the wristbands and Freckles Graphics that printed off our T-shirt designs! To view the full list of sponsors for this year's Taste, click here.

 

 

Map

In November, the map designing process begins. The map for Taste usually takes until May to finish. The map is updated regularly as restaurants and bands become part of the event. The map design for this year’s Taste can be found here.

 Food

In January and February, restaurants begin applying for a spot in the Taste. The early deadline for restaurants to apply is in March. The last deadline for restaurants is in April.  So many restaurants, so little time! Have fun with that paperwork, guys!

Have you seen all the great restaurants that will be at this year’s Taste? Click here to get your stomach growling!

 

 

T-shirts

T-shirt designs for the Taste begin in February. The t-shirt designs are usually finalized in April. In May, t-shirts are printed! They arrive at TAF in June and are sent out to all of the awesome volunteers!

 

 Tickets and Wristbands

Tickets and wristbands are ordered and purchased from a main sponsor of the Taste, Evonik. The tickets are delivered to TAF and sent to Pay Less for people to purchase in May. Online tickets go on sale in March. By the way, if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, you probably should! Click here.

 Designs Galore!

More designing happens in March! Poster ideas begin circulating and stage, banner, gate, and ticket booth designs begin forming.

 

 

In April, MORE AND MORE design work takes place for the posters, street banners, and brochures. All designs are FINALLY finished in May.  If you hadn't noticed by now, all of the design work is a huge part of the Taste! TAF is an artistic organization after all, so our event has to look pretty!

Here is the crazy Taste folder filled with drafts of wrist band, t-shirt, and banner designs. (Our model didn't wish to appear in this photo).

Wrapping things Up

Advertising for the Taste begins in late April and our awesome volunteers for the Taste begin signing up for the event! TAF couldn’t have the Taste without them!

 

In May, the Taste website is updated further because sponsors and restaurants are being added. More advertising takes place while posters are hung and ads to the Journal & Courier are sent out. Alcohol permits are also received. Yay beer!

 

In June, things start to get hectic as the event draws near! Food tickets are received and digital ads are sent out.

Staff at TAF begins setting up gate containers and ticket booth containers for captains and volunteers in the set up rooms. Staff also prepares containers for the various participating restaurants.

Restaurant and volunteer meetings are held at TAF headquarters the week of the event. Gate Captain training and stage manager training also takes  place.

 

 

THEN…

 

IT’S HERE!!!

 

Set up begins in downtown and the Taste of Tippecanoe arrives!

 

 

PHEW!

 

 Well, as you can see, putting together the Taste is no small feat. The Taste takes a lot of time and effort from staff here at TAF and the Taste committee. It’s all for the arts and to serve the Greater Lafayette community! Be sure to stop by at the Taste this Saturday from 4-midnight! Take part in Lafayette's biggest party and say yes to supporting the arts!