Money, venue entices food festival to move

BENTONVILLE — Visit Bentonville will give $10,000 to support Bite NW Arkansas, a food festival anticipated to bring thousands of people to downtown.

Event organizers were one of four groups that received money Thursday from the Advertising and Promotion Commission.

“Bentonville will now be the host to the largest food festival in Northwest Arkansas, and through BITE NW Arkansas, Bentonville will be further defined as a culinary hotspot,” the application says.

The festival will coincide with the opening of 8th Street Market, a 10-acre area designed for culinary education, restaurants, entertainment and hospitality in the city’s Market District in southeast downtown. Brightwater, Northwest Arkansas Community College’s culinary program, operates out of the market now.

The two-day event is part of the LPGA’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G.

This is the first time the event will be in Bentonville. The Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers hosted it the first two years. Both times it was sold out. The annual golf tournament runs June 19-25 at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers.

The food festival will feature Taste of NW Arkansas on June 22, showcasing restaurants, chefs, ingredients and brands. Beer & Burger Fest will be June 23.

“We’re excited to be in Bentonville this year,” said Jay Allen, event chairman.

The downtown location provides more space, he said. Bite organizers anticipate about 3,000 attendees each night, according to their application. The event will allow businesses to showcase their products and also drive business to downtown each night after the event ends at 9 p.m., it says.

Money from Visit Bentonville will be used for regional digital advertising targeting southwest Missouri; Tulsa, Okla.; eastern Arkansas; Memphis, Tenn.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Dallas.

The commission gives out $100,000 annually to events likely to attract tourists to the city. About $94,250 has been awarded in the 2017 budget. The commission hears requests in March, July and October.

The money comes from a 2 percent tax on hotel and motel rooms and a 1 percent tax on restaurants and prepared food.

The $10,000 for the food festival will come from Visit Bentonville’s special projects budget, said Kalene Griffith, president and CEO. She said there would be another culinary event in August, but details weren’t ready to be released.