The City of Addison on Tuesday voted to discontinue the Taste Addison Food Festival after 30 years of operating.

ADDISON, Texas — Taste Addison, an annual food festival that has promoted Addison’s restaurants for 30 years, will be discontinued, the city said. 

At a city council work session on Tuesday, Jan. 6, the Addison City Council directed the city to discontinue the event, according to a recording of the meeting. The festival was previously scheduled for April, 2026.

The city will no longer hold Taste Addison in its current form and plans to redirect those resources toward new ways to support Addison restaurants year-round. The major event previously included dozens of local restaurants and performances from well-known bands and singers. 

While discussing the future of the event, Deputy Mayor Chris DeFrancisco says city staff has done a good job planning an event that aims to promote the city’s restaurants and hotels. However, the number and quality of restaurants that participate in the event are waning, he said. 

“I don’t know that we are getting the return that we really need,” DeFrancisco said. “I’d love to know if the idea of an outdoor festival has run its course.” 

The city lost about $760,000 last year to host Taste Addison, according to a presentation from the city. 

City officials and Mayor Bruce Arfsten pointed out that the media exposure the city gets from the festival may be more valuable than the amount of money the city loses by hosting the event.

Council member Howard Freed and several other members of the city council preferred the idea of hosting a restaurant week to support local businesses, rather than holding a weekend-long event featuring performers and other events. 

“I think the efforts need to be focused in a different direction,” Freed said. 

Officials asked city staff to come up with new ideas to promote the city’s restaurants through smaller-scale events.Â