Food: We All Scream For The Austin Ice Cream Festival
This Saturday, August 14, the Austin Ice Cream Festival comes to Waterloo Park for the fourth year in a row. The frosty fest boasts more ice cream-related activities than you can shake a popsicle stick at, including a screaming contest, a homemade ice cream making contest, and faux snow courtesy of local nonprofit Girlstart.
If you think you can take a licking, sign up to challenge professional eater Joey Chestnut to a 6-minute ice cream eating face-off. Joey is currently ranked number one in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating, and he holds world records in the categories of pork ribs, steak, hot dogs, chicken wings, and fried asparagus. We heard a rumor from a rival competitive eater who calls himself "Wrecking Ball" that sweets are Joey's weakness -- will this be the day the great Mr. Chestnut finally cracks?
If arts and crafts are more your speed, break out your super glue and glitter and enter the popsicle stick sculpture contest. Last year's winner created a working carousel that played ice cream music as it turned.
Organizers say they will have more ice cream vendors this year than ever before, including gourmet sorbets, gelatos, organic ice creams, and dairy-free options. The LA-born ice cream sandwich truck Cool Haus will make its debut in Austin, serving hormone- and antibiotic-free ice cream sandwiches made with local ingredients. With flavors like baked apple ice cream sandwiched between oatmeal cookies, you may just want to eat the wrapper, too. (Luckily, the wrapper is edible. Hooray for zero waste!)
Throughout the day, the festival stage will host acts to delight children of all ages, including the Flying Balalaika Brothers, who are as awesomely weird as they sound. With an entry fee of $5 and free admission for kids 8 and under, the Austin Ice Cream Festival is a pretty sweet way to spend a Saturday. The fest will run from 10am to 7pm on Saturday; a full schedule of events is available on their website.
Waterloo Park is located at 403 E. 15th Street in downtown Austin, with several parking structures nearby.
