BOZEMAN — An annual Bozeman mainstay won't make its appearance this year at the Sweet Pea Festival of the Arts.
The organization announced the Bite of Bozeman is going on hiatus this year.
According to a press release, several reasons have contributed to the Festival’s decision, chief among them an inability to procure the number of food vendors needed to give the community the top-notch event they should expect from Sweet Pea. In its heyday, The Bite of Bozeman had 50 local restaurants and food vendors participating in the annual event.
This year, the number of food vendors able to commit to the event was much lower. Of those who declined to participate, most cited a lack of staffing as the main reason for their inability to participate.
"We will take this next year to reimagine and revamp The Bite of Bozeman," said Sweet Pea Festival of the Arts Executive Director Kris Olenicki. "We believe this is a great opportunity to bring something new and exciting to Bozeman. Although it has been a much-anticipated summer event for many years, we are simply unable to host The Bite of Bozeman the community has come to know and love. We already have begun the process to create a new event for next year that is true to our mission—“where (food as) art and community meet.”
Vendors that did sign up to participate will receive a full refund, and the Downtown Bozeman Association has offered to try to fit any committed vendors into the August 4th “Music on Main” event should they wish to participate.
