Every now and then, I see one of those food festivals advertised and thing, “This sounds like fun. I wonder if I should go.”
Then I remember why I don’t go to food festivals.
The organizers behind the Houston Chicken Wing Festival are issuing both refunds and apologies after the event’s inaugural run at drumettes and flats fell flat over the weekend.
Sunday’s event at the Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Park was promoted as a “one day celebration of the best chicken wings in Houston.” But vendors and attendees stated things didn’t go as planned: The vendors ran out of food, guests were turned away, and a live cookoff competition had to be called off before it even started. As a result, organizer Bayou City Hangouts released an apology Monday.
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General admission to the festival was free, though donations were encouraged. Those who splurged for a “Wings Tasting Pass,” however, had access to giveaways, prizes, voting rights in the cook-off competition, contests and guaranteed wing tastings. VIP ticket holders had additional perks, including one-hour-early entry, double competition voting rights, guaranteed gifts and shaded seating.
The Wing Pass and the VIP tickets started at $35 and $75, respectively. They increased to $45 and $90 as the event drew closer. A portion of the proceeds were to benefit Kids Meals Inc., a Houston nonprofit that delivers healthy meals to vulnerable preschool-aged children.
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Hoover and DeVaul confirmed VIPs and Wing Tasting pass holders were each given 10 tickets instead of wristbands, citing a printing error. They said guests had the option to use their tickets with whomever they wanted—say, five tickets for one vendor, three for a second and two for a third…
But those tickets were spread out among just three vendors serving chicken wings (there were 39 total businesses participating in the festival). There was no competition.
“Absolute bust and scam,” wrote an attendee responding to Bayou City Hangouts’ apology on Instagram. “3 wing vendors total and they ran out of wings. One vendor didn’t even honor my wing pass. Waste of money and I need my refund.”
It sounds disorganized and very much a fiasco. As I said, this is why I don’t go to food festivals: 99 times out of 100, it seems like they end up being complete failures.