Bacon & Barrels Festival

I can’t even believe they have enough people willing to go this year. We went last year after spending a ridiculous amount of money and were beyond pissed off. It was our first event since moving to SD and we’ve been gun shy about other events bc of this. We show up within a half hour of it starting to long ass lines at only a few vendors offering bacon treats. You spend 20 minutes waiting in line to receive the smallest bite of food you can imagine and it just lacks any creativity or flavor. Then you try to go get more samples and their already out. WHAT? The event just started. Long story short we spent all that money for tickets to literally received 3 samples of greasy bacon crap that sucked so bad I don’t even remember what it was. We then left bc everyone was out of food within an hour and a half. Complete bullshit. We actually left and had to go into gaslamp to eat lunch bc we were STARVING! I’ve never been to such a shity, poorly planned event. They claim it’s bc 2 vendors didn’t show. REALLY? Those 2 vendors would have made all the difference. Morons. I hope people catch on and quit going but they won’t bc the people of San Diego don’t mind getting ripped off at every turn

Not just a «bacon festival» but a foodie/​libation lovers dream! Go here to try innovative dishes and new and interesting craft barrel drinks.

These unlimited sample events always had me at, well, unlimited. Not so much about the booze but because of the food. This event was bacon centered so I was eager for weeks to try out this out. We found a parking lot next to Joe’s Crab shack — it was about $ 10 but allowed for all day parking.
We had VIP tickets so that allowed us to get in an hour earlier than the general admission. My turd of a friend was late picking me up so that left us only about 15 minutes to take advantage of that extra hour. I noticed a long line forming for people to enter the event for general admission so make sure you plan accordingly.
The venue is beautiful. It’s right next to the water so there’s an incredible breeze that was felt all day. Plus it rained the day before so everything looked fresh and clean.
You get one cup, plate, and set of utensils. This is to help minimize the amount of trash that day.
Here are some of the food items we sampled that day:
SMOKED LAMB BACON MEATBALL
SLATER’S ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ BURGER (?)
CHICKEN& BELL PEPPER WEAVED W/​BACON IN A SWEET TERRIYAKI GLAZE
DUCK DIVE — THREE LITTLE PIGGIES
NUTELLA FRENCH TOAST & BOURBON BACON ICE CREAM
RED VELVET BATTERED PORK BELLY
SAIGON GRINDER: SMOKED BACON, RENDERED BACON FAT PATE, PORK BELLY ROLL, ASIAN SLAW, CILANTRO, JALAPENOS, CUCUMBERS
BACON MAC N CHEESE
BROWN BUTTER BACON RICE CRISPY WITH BOURBON CARAMEL SAUCE
In the VIP tent:
NOMAD DONUTS: bacon donuts!
PURE CUPCAKES: you guessed it, bacon cupcakes
SWEET TREATS: CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON
SABUKI SUSHI
CHUAO: BACONLUXIOUS (chocolate with bacon bar)
There was obviously more barrel than bacon offerings at this event and food-​only lovers might have an issue with that. The event did sell Bacon Lover (Designated Driver) tickets for only $ 20. General admission ticket is $ 50 so you can make it worthwhile if you take your time to sample all the booths at least one time over.
The one plate/​cup/​utensils per person is a smart eco-​friendly idea but it made for clumsy eating at times when carrying around these items (that got kinda messy from all the drink & food samples) during the event.
It was a fun event to attend and the location of the venue really brought this event to life for me.

I don’t normally write reviews, but this was really disappointing. The idea was wonderful, but we weren’t there an hour before the food was almost all sold out. The only vendors that were left serving food had lines wrapping around the event… and this was all by 2:15. There were still almost 3 hours left of the event. Thank goodness we got our tickets for less than the $ 50+ full price. It was still a bummer to pay $ 40/​person plus parking to have most stands sold out.

Poorly planned event, no napkins 1 small cup for beer, wine and even cocktail.
The watered down bacon margarita was poured in the same cup I carried during the event, they salted the rim so that ruined any wine tasting after.
Who wants to taste wine from a salted rim? f
Food? Mmm, too much bacon and a lack of balance. Too greasy, too salty too much!
The VIP area offered sushi which was nice, the VIP area allowed us to seat and enjoy some pretty good donuts.
The band at the event was all over the place, I think they wore their pajamas, sang hip hop and country, no one would insert a pen into my ear canals so I was forced to hear them.
Never again.
Ps– the peaceful protestors outside held pretty powerful messages which made me feel so guilty, I mean most of those protestors get in their leather interior vehicles and go on about their vegan lives but it was a buzz kill to be reminded of how smart and sweet pigs really are.
Considering eliminating all pork from my diet, good job protestors :(I mean it.

Preliminary report:
For many, especially those who went to the event last year, this year’s Bacon & Barrels Festival was a letdown.
I felt last year’s event featured more vendors, especially on the food side. The ratio of bacon vs. barrels was grossly disproportionate today. I didn’t come here to get drunk, I came here to appreciate dishes that featured a classic or innovative twist on bacon. Pairing them with moderate libations was just a bonus. Many more distilleries than breweries this time around. I guess the trend is shifting. However, no sign of Bacon Bloody Mary’s like last year, which were a hit.
The organizers also didn’t quite have their numbers down. The tickets were definitely oversold at the last minute. Along with the shortage of restaurant reps, the samples didn’t last long. In an attempt to be more green, they limited plates and cups, but failed to provide sufficient napkins (I know they contribute to waste but they were desperately needed) to reduce cross contamination.
The «taverns» (West Coast Tavern, Uptown Tavern, Tavern) & Sandwich Emporium and Duck Dive provided tasty plates and made the most of what they had. But I would think twice before coming back. Luckily I’ve been able to find discounts on tickets rather than pay full price. VIP is also questionable. The only difference is a shaded tent and cupcakes.
There are at least 5 other bacon fests throughout SoCal annually. I’m sure those are worth more for your hungry buck.
P. S. To the organizers: your website claims the only parking option is the garage. Wrong.

Live music and unlimited beer food for a decent charge. Good place, would be back
Parking get annoying sometime but it still manageable

They should have called this event, Barrels and Bacon since there were way more libations than bacon. And since I only paid for the bacon with no alcohol ticket, it was disappointing.
I’d say only ¹⁄₃ of the booths had food. Glad I only paid $ 30, but really didn’t feel it was worth it.
Highlights? The man candy bacon from Fig Tree is always rocking and was the best bite there. Bacon waffle topped with a piece of bacon and bacon butter was also great and had the longest line. Shame on me for not remembering what restau it came from.
The bacon popcorn was good, again I forgot from where. Food Network Star finalist and The Trails Eatery owner, Stacey Poon Kinney, made some delish bacon peanut brittle that she said she will soon be selling in her restaurant.
Will I return if they do it again next year? Probably not. But I did purchase my fave new t shirt from the event. It had my name on it, I had to! LARD HAVE MERCY!

Live music with unlimited beer, wine, whiskey and other libations with a few bacon food items. $ 75 is a steep price for this event but we got our tickets from Gilt City for $ 49 so it was more palatable.