The World Food Championships Affirms Fair Park as 2021 Venue
The World Food Championships (WFC) announced today that it is still planning to hold its 9th annual Tournament of Champions from November 5-9, 2021 at one of Dallas’ most iconic venues, Fair Park.
Fair Park, which serves as the location for many popular events such as the State Fair of Texas, the North Texas Irish Festival and Earth X, offers numerous benefits to WFC’s 2021 program line-up, not to mention a unique backdrop of iconic Art Deco architecture for the Ultimate Food Fight.
Since its opening in 1936, Fair Park has become one of the country’s premier cultural destinations. The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986, and it covers 277-acres just east of downtown Dallas. Its cultural, historical, and entertainment venues play host to daily visitors from around the world, who attend events such as college football games at Cotton Bowl Stadium, exhibits at the Hall of State or the African American Museum, and Broadway shows at the Music Hall.
“We are thrilled to host the 9th Annual World Food Championships and look forward to working with the organizers to make it the best World Food Championships ever," commented Spectra’s Peter Sullivan, General Manager for Fair Park.
This year’s location offers a first-time opportunity for WFC to conduct most of its food-fighting activity indoors. Providing a space big enough to encompass this larger-than-life food experience inside was one of Fair Park’s unique appeals, with its Centennial Hall and Court of Honor serving as an ideal area for both the main tournament and foodie attractions.
"Moving to Fair Park in Dallas is going to be a milestone moment for WFC," commented Mike McCloud, President and CEO of WFC. "We will be able to contain the majority of our activities — from cooking to judging, competitor award programs to sponsor demos and consumer sampling — under one roof. But probably most importantly, we will be able to control the cooking environment better than ever and not worry about weather elements like wind, rain or humidity. This will be a huge benefit to our teams' abilities to cook and compete at their very best."
A bonus feature of WFC’s new event space is the ample space for parking, including VIP, competitor, staff and Valet areas. This year, competition teams will have an official unloading zone with special, convenient access to Kitchen Arena.
Additionally, while the majority of cooking will occur indoors, Bull’s Steer Premium Cart Grills will be conveniently located right outside of Kitchen Arena in a portico area that is easy for all competitors to use. Steak and Barbecue teams, as in years past, will be featured in outdoor cooking areas that flank Centennial Hall. Each area is very easy to access, and it’s mostly concrete or level-paved surface, making it much easier for teams to set up and control their cooking process. It will also enable WFC to offer attendees a unique barbecue experience in a consumer zone named “BBQ Alley” (previously called BBQ Ranch).
The venue also allows WFC to continue improving its award process by conducting announcements right in the middle of Kitchen Arena. The massive size of Centennial Hall will enable a central zone to be devoted to stage, lighting, sound effects and bleachers, which will turn each of WFC’s category opening round award ceremonies into “show-stopping” experiences. Every day, WFC will have at least three programs that unveil which competitors are advancing to the Top Ten Rounds in their respective categories.
“By announcing who advances to the Top Ten rounds each day, on the actual day of competition, we are enabling our competitors to know results sooner, see each other ‘make the walk’ for an award, and then ultimately take a little time off the next day and enjoy the greater Dallas market attractions before going back into the arena for their category finals,“ explained McCloud. “It also gives food fans a chance to be more invested in the process, as they’ll be able to follow their favorite culinary champs from the opening rounds to the actual stage of victory a few hours later.”
Stay tuned for more competition announcements in the coming days! To stay up-to-date on all things Food Sport, follow the World Food Championships on Twitter (@WorldFoodChamp), Facebook and Instagram (@WorldFoodChampionships).
About World Food Championships
The World Food Championships (WFC) is the highest stakes food competition in the world. This multi-day, live event culinary competition showcases some of the world's best cooks who compete for food, fame and fortune in 10 categories (Bacon, Barbecue, Burger, Chef, Dessert, Recipe, Sandwich, Seafood, Soup and Steak). In 2019, more than 450 culinary teams from 11 countries and 42 American states competed in WFC’s Main Event. In August, the 10 Category Champs faced-off in the $100,000 challenge that determined a new World Food Champion at The Final Table: Indianapolis.
« Back to News
Subscribe for
Email Notifications SUBMIT
Archive
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- November 2022
- October 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013