Mean Red

I thought it was awesome to finally have a lot of the food trucks in one place so my greedy butt can eat as much as possible :)
Pros — all of the food trucks are in one spot, large variety of food trucks, good location (South Street Seaport)
Cons — all the good food trucks had very long lines, not enough place to pop a squat and really enjoy the food and did I mention the lines
This was my first time going but my one suggestion is that maybe they model how Taste of Times Square does it. Each place only offers 1 to 3 dishes and have a lot of it prepared, if you want food from it you must buy tickets and each restaurant prices their dishes by the # of tickets (i.e. 3 tickets for a taco). It makes it more efficient and gives you a chance to taste more food and become more of a fan of their food.
Overall I enjoyed it — I will try to get there earlier so I don’t have to worry about the lines.

This food truck festival is definitely a cool idea. What with our town being overrun by awesome food trucks, what could be better than bringing a selection of those together in one place so you can graze from many? Sadly, execution was a letdown. I haven’t been to the first few PARKED! festivals so I can’t comment on how the logistics compared, but the lines and crowds made this festival hard to enjoy.
The 30 food trucks participating were lined up on cobblestoned Fulton St, Front St, South St, Water St, and a few right outside Pier 17. Fourteen «local vendors» had stands, along with many others selling food and miscellaneous goods all around, although they served more as a distraction from the main event. A beer garden with a small, diverse selection out on the pier. Scheduled live music and kids’ events rounded out the entertainment. The festival ran from 10 AM — 9 PM, and there was a VIP pass valid in the evening hours that allows you to bypass the ridiculous lines (Fast Pass style) in exchange for 10 bites from 10 trucks.
The lines, the lines, the lines. Unlike festivals with an entry fee, each truck still had to take individual orders and payments, a major rate-​limiting step. And while they’re usually designed to prepare orders in a hurry, that doesn’t mean they can keep up with the number of people this festival attracted. Thank goodness we arrived at 11 AM. At that point, the festival was fun. No more than 1 — 2 people on any given line (except for Korilla BBQ and Kimchi Taco), you could actually enjoy your food without turning around and hitting someone with it. We got and enjoyed food from four trucks by 12 PM, when most lines now required sleuthing to locate the ends, as they snaked back and forth and around each other. By 1 PM, Fulton St was a sea of people. Add together the 15 min+ wait for food at EACH truck, the limited real estate in the area, and very limited public seating, and it just stops being fun.
As for the food trucks, I think it was a good representation. I’m sure everyone’s got a truck they wished were there, but I liked the selection. Got some Kimchee Tacos, Desi kati roll, Korilla burrito and tacos, Red Hook Lobster Pound roll, Van Leeuwan ice cream, Frites ‘n’ Meats frites, and Green Pirate juice. Rickshaw dumplings and a Go Burger got sampled by others in the group. I’d loved to have tried more but the crowds cooled our enthusiasm to stay.
If they do it again, I’ll be there, but will make it opening hour that I show next time!