On Friday, June 20, the City of La Porte held the latest installment of its monthly Friday Night Live series in downtown La Porte. Friday Night Lives are free-to-attend, community-based events that have become a staple of La Porte’s lineup of summer activities. Each Friday Night Live event has its own theme and takes place during a specific month during the year. This month’s installment, which is titled “Taco Fest,” has been held in June since Friday Night Lives made its debut five years ago. Attendees of all ages and their pets turned out for a night of fun and fellowship.
Gregory Pietsch, events director for the La Porte Civic Auditorium and the City of La Porte, oversaw the planning and execution of the Taco Fest event. He is very pleased with the turnout it has had this year.
“We love hosting these events,” Pietsch said. “We love giving community members a reason to come out and have a great time alongside their friends and family. We’re always on the lookout for new ideas for community-promoting events. This event is a very special one to La Porte.”
Local breweries Burn ’em Brewing and Zorn Brew Works provided the attendees with a wide selection of beers while 15 food trucks served some delicious food. Among the trucks in attendance were Tako Party, Las Mamacitas Taco Truck, Betty Sweets, and Tocayos Express Mexican Restaurant. While the majority of the trucks present at Taco Fest are based in La Porte and Michigan City, others came from as far as Lake County and South Bend.
This is the third year that La Porte-based contractor Arnett Construction served as the sponsor of the Taco Fest. Grace Arnett, director of operations and public relations at Arnett Construction, cited a number of reasons why she and the rest of the team at Arnett Construction felt the Friday Night Live Taco Fest is worth supporting.
“This is the community where we started our business," Arnett said. “We want to give back and connect with the people of this community and this event is a great way to do that. It’s also an excellent way to promote smaller businesses and give them a chance to show off how good their food is. Hopefully, everyone here today enjoyed the food and had a good time. We really love supporting this event and we look forward to continuing to do so for many more years.”
The evening’s entertainment was provided by Latitude Music, a South Bend-based band that performs a mixture of Latin, pop, jazz, and instrumental music. The musicians performed covers of renowned songs such as “Dragging the Line” by Tommy James, “One Headlight” by the Wallflowers, and “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers.
Downs Family Catering walked away with the 2025 Taco Fest Champion trophy. The runner-up was La Patrona, and the two establishments that tied for third place were Sammy’s Tacos and Tacos My Fren. Attendees could also cast their vote for the best food at the event in a “Peoples’ Choice” Google poll.
“I hope everyone leaves having enjoyed their time here today,” Pietsch said. “I want to thank Arnett Construction for sponsoring this event, along with the staff and people who helped make this night possible. I really appreciate the Laporte community along with everyone here, for coming and being a part of this. It's really special.”
To stay up-to-date on City of La Porte’s announcements and upcoming events, please visit cityoflaporte.com.
