Advance tickets on sale for 2018 Taste of Downtown in Carson City

Advanced tickets for the 2018 Taste of Downtown, one of Carson City's largest signature outdoor events of the year, are now on sale.

The flagship fundraiser for Advocates to End Domestic Violence (AEDV), a local 501(c)3 registered non-profit that provides support services to victims of domestic violence and their families, Taste of Downtown draws thousands to downtown Carson City each summer to sample the best eats from dozens of restaurant vendors throughout the Nevada state capital.

This year marks the 25th silver anniversary of the Taste of Downtown, scheduled for July 21 from 5:30 p.m. to midnight.

What began a quarter century ago as a local fundraiser for AEDV has grown into a regionwide attraction that now regularly sells out.

"The first few years, it was extremely local," said AEDV Executive Director Lisa Lee. "In the last 10 years, we have seen many more people coming from out of the area."

She said a number of regulars to the Taste of Downtown were people who had once happened upon the event while visiting family in Carson City. Now they come back each year for the purpose of participating in AEDV's largest annual fundraising event that has become as much about socializing as it is eating.

"It's not just the food, which is amazing, but you get to connect with people around every corner," she said.

Lee said she estimates that an additional 3,000 people will attend the Taste of Downtown just for the social atmosphere, live music and entertainment beyond the 2,000 tickets that are sold and capped each year.

Because AEDV is a non-profit, there is limit to the number of tickets that can be sold, she said, so the amount raised from ticket sale is about the same each year there is a sell-out.

The Taste of Downtown sold out in 2017. Lee said she expects the event to sell out again this year and raise $70,000 for the shelter that AEDV has maintained for the community over the past four decades.

"That's a big amount for us," she said. "And while it's our signature event, it has also become a signature for downtown."

Taste of Downtown has become an event that Carson City looks forward to every year, Lee said, because it benefits so many restaurants and downtown businesses, too.

"After 25 years, downtown has really become a huge focus," she said. "I think it's really awesome to see there are great new things coming along."

About 15 different shops and galleries throughout the downtown area participate in the Taste of Downtown, AEDV said.

More than 40 vendors participated in last year's Taste of Downtown, said Lee, who is hoping for about 43 this year. Currently, nine vendors have been signed for the July 21 Taste of Downtown so far.

North Carson Street along the downtown corridor will be closed to vehicle traffic this year, according to both Lee and the Carson City Chamber of Commerce, because of the downtown Curry Streetscape Project construction.

"The good news is there will be plenty of shade as you walk Carson Street," the Chamber stated in its May 30 newsletter. "You know it can get a bit warm in late July."

Lee said the downtown North Carson Street corridor will be closed from Robinson to Fifth streets, turning the revitalized streetscape into the event's main thoroughfare.

"This gives people an opportunity to see how the city has revitalized downtown," she said.

Lee said she is grateful to the Carson City community and the growing number of loyal visitors who have made the Taste of Downtown one of the area's most highly anticipated outdoor events of the year.

"For us, we have to raise a substantial amount of money to keep the shelter doors open," she said. "We have to be innovative to think of ways to raise money."

Twenty five years ago, AEDV held 17 fundraisers in addition to the first Taste of Downtown just to keep the electricity of the shelter on, Lee said.

"The Taste gave us a revenue stream we desperately needed and it also gave us more public exposure about our organization than anything else we've ever done," she said. "It has served not only as a financial vehicle for us, but also for awareness.

Lee said AEDV has become much more visible in the community because of the Taste of Downtown. That visibility has also increased the dialogue about addressing domestic violence.

"The Taste has helped us get the word out that we are here and that we help people," she said.

Advanced tickets can be purchased online now until the they sell out.

Paper tickets go on sale July 1 and will be available to purchase in person at Classy Seconds, AEDV's retail thrift store located at 3590 Gordon Street along U.S. Highway 50 East in Carson City, or at the Carson City Chamber of Commerce, 1900 South Carson Street next door to the Nevada State Railroad Museum.

Starting July 1, tickets can also be purchased by calling the AEDV administrative office at 775-883-7654.

Tickets cost $40 each to sample the featured eats from every vendor at the event.