Popular Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival returns for 13th year

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Thousands jammed into Main Street in Manayunk for the 13th annual Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival.

The street lined with more than 70 food trucks including Daniel Lee with the Farina Pasta food truck.

“It’s good to just get the exposure and also, people don’t really have a lot of pasta options. When you go along the food trucks here, there’s maybe another one, and a ravioli truck and that’s it. But no one is doing pasta like we do,” said Lee.

Lee says they offer specialty and unique dishes to mix up the options like the short rib gnocchi.

“It’s like an overnight cooked short rib with red wine and soft pillowy gnocchis. It’s delicious,” said Lee.

You can even find specialty trucks selling clothes along the route.

“Maybe after people are done eating, they’ll like to shop. So basically, we came last year and it was awesome. I mean, this whole street is packed full of people, the lines are like going crazy,” said Eve Johnson, Owner of Wild Raven Boutique and Exchange. “This community here, this Manayunk area is right up our alley. They get our style and love it.”

It didn’t take long for the lines to form.

People started arriving an hour before the festival began to find a good parking spot.

It can get competitive.

“It’s been a battle so far, in the middle of the street. It’s crowded, very much so, been trying to stay on the sidewalk,” said Shaviba Sapp-Mortan.

“I learned to get here early. Get here before 11,” said Gray Cline of Graduate Hospital.

But ask anyone, they say the food and experience is well worth it.

“I want something sweet, I want seafood, I want chicken. Everything,” said Domoniquea Bailey of North Philadelphia.

“I told them this is an endurance race, we are here to try as many food trucks as possible. Already hit up two, plan on doing another two, dessert trucks. We’re good,” said Chant Cheney of Manayunk.

This is always one of the biggest festivals of the spring season in Philadelphia.

Besides the food, there’s plenty of live entertainment.

Organizers estimate around 50,000 people attended.