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Friday, March 29, 2024
A vendor prepares kebabs at last year’s Taste of Cambridge event

A vendor prepares kebabs at last year’s Taste of Cambridge event. (Photo: Nick Minieri)

071415i Taste of Cambridge listThe Taste of Cambridge has been moved to its Thursday rain date – the third straight year unpredictable summer weather has poured cold water (or threatened to) on the 13-year food sampling tradition. The event was scheduled originally for today.

Scheduled with more than 100 local restaurants, specialty butcher, cheese, honey, ice cream, wine, beer, specialty drinks and coffee sellers, the Taste of Cambridge takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the sculpture gardens of University Park.

That’s “where the event began,” noted Robin Lapidus, executive director of the Central Square Business Association, touting the “gorgeous landscaped site” with outdoor seating, beer and wine gardens, lawn games, grills, craft beer, The Dirty Water Brass Band, celebrity DJs and dancing.

“Each year foodies descend upon the Taste of Cambridge to sample the delicious, creative, healthy and award-winning cuisine that enriches the culture of our city,” Lapidus said in a press release, “and results in our being one of the best recognized restaurant destinations around.”

That’s despite last year’s move to a rain date when a 50 percent chance of rain loomed, and came atop the unprecedented 2013 schedule snafu: The event was bounced from June 13 to June 18 and then to July 11 by bad weather.

This year, Lapidus said, weather forecasts have been “really varied,” with chances of rain being set anywhere from 20 percent to 60 percent.

There is no rain forecast for Thursday afternoon or evening.

Each $60 adult ticket to the event includes four glasses of beer or wine from the beer gardens, and there’s a more expensive VIP area – the tickets are $75 – featuring a Deep Eddy Vodka & East Coast Grill Bloody Mary Bar, raw bar, specialty cocktails from The Sinclair and Bombay Sapphire and miniature golf. VIPs have separate, “fast pass” entrance and an extra half-hour to enjoy the Taste of Cambridge. (Kids Tasting Tickets are available for $15 for children 6 to 12; kids under 6 get in for free.)

Ticket sales benefit Cambridge nonprofits working in alcohol and drug prevention and treatment: Food for Free, the Young People’s Project, the Institute for Health & Recovery, The Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House, Caspar and Paine Senior Services.