Fresh air, ocean views, adult beverages, music and food trucks. What more do you need for a perfect weekend day out?

Gather up your friends and family, grab the beach chairs and picnic blanket, and head to Gulf Place for the second annual Coastal Alabama Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival Nov. 11-12 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Food Truck Festivals of America produces food truck festivals nationally and has produced a similar event in Panama City Beach for seven years. It was the Panama City Beach event that put Food Truck Festivals of America on the radar of Michelle Russ, vice president of sales, sports and events for Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports & Events. She worked to recruit the company to host an event in Gulf Shores. She saw it as a great addition and complement to the fall event lineup.

The Coastal Alabama Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival was the biggest new event the Food Truck Festivals of America launched in 2022, and they are back to grow the event. Gulf Coast Media contacted Owner and Executive Producer Anthony Pepe to see what to expect this year.

"We are making the event bigger and expecting a larger crowd," Pepe said. We are adding more food trucks, there will be more craft vendors as we will expand the area. More food and beverage options as well."

WHAT TO EXPECT

If this is your first food truck festival, seeing numerous food trucks could be intimidating. Here are some key tips to make the most of the festival:

• Bring your friends and family. The event is family-friendly and will have lawn games, music and cold beverages. This is a family-friendly event.
• There is no fee to enter the event. Food prices vary by truck and drink tickets are available for purchase.
• Rain or shine, the festivities will roll.
• You will stand in line. Enjoy the social aspect of standing in line with a cold beverage.
• Send each member of your group to a different truck and all meet back up at your home base to sample all the different foods.
• Bring picnic blankets and lawn chairs and wear your comfy clothes.
• Discounted drink packages are available for purchase at www.foodtruckfestivalsofamerica.com.

"Remember, you are going to wait in line, and this isn't a negative," Pepe said. "I want people to understand this is not fast food. This is food made to order, so they are making food that is fresh and is the best food you will have around. Some of these food trucks are gourmet chefs, professional chefs, celebrity chefs, and the food is spectacular."

Food Truck Festivals of America has partnered with the Alabama Coastal Foundation, and partial proceeds from the event will go to the foundation. They have also partnered with the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber to serve alcoholic beverages and Gulf Distributing to provide local and national brews and beverages.

"We are pumped to come back and hoping Mother Nature is our friend," Pepe said.

For more information, to see a list of food trucks and vendors or to purchase beverage packages, visit www.foodtruckfestivalsofamerica.com.