Had a great time tequila was very good, love that some of the vendors were very informed on the tequila.

The festival is back after several years. It's as good as ever. This year the venue was at the El Conquistador. It's a bit pricey so next year be sure to register early. If you sign up for the emails there will be a discount coupon code. I loved it at La Encantada but there's some advantages to an indoor site. No weather concerns, ample parking, and all the conveniences of a experienced operation. The mariachis had brief and enjoyable slots and were relevant to the theme but some of the other entertainment was a bit loud. The food was fabulous. It was so fun to check out each table. There was such an array! Some restaurants went all in with beautiful decor and lively servers. I enjoyed each margarita - from the simple ones to the cocktails with more complexity. There were long lines for the tequila tastings so you have to do some pacing and some planning! My husband and I spread out and got samples from different sites then met up to consume several samples. We also got recommendations from people at the shared tables. There's not generous seating, nor do you have much time to lounge, so wear comfortable shoes. Make sure to vote because these restauranteurs take the competition seriously. We had a great time, sampled delicious food and drinks, and got some new ideas for date night locations. You can check out the Facebook page for Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance to see the competitors and winners. I highly recommend this event. read more

This was a very well organized event. Had at least 20+ vendors all serving up specialty drinks, food & salsa. Despite the rain every vendor seemed to do ok & didn't seem to bother them. read more

See all

A perfect night to enjoy salsa, tequila and tacos at La Encantada. Although it was very crowded - the wait was longer than desired at a lot of the booths - there was some great, creative food and drinks. The live music was a welcome bonus. The wife and I enjoyed ourselves and look forward to next year's event! read more

See all

17 tacos to try, tequila, margaritas and salsa. Fun flavorful event, I hope the continue to hold this event. The only downfall is craming that all in to 2 hours. read more

This is a must try for everyone in Tucson! It was so much fun and worth the ticket price! I went with a couple of friends and their 6 year old. I'm very glad we brought water with us. They had bottles, but you had to look for booth that still had them. My friends' son had fun even though the event isn't as kid friendly as it could be. There was plenty of food for him to try and the booth with the tequila snow cones thankfully had virgin options for the under age attendees! He liked the dancers and the music! The quantity and quality of the food and beverages was amazing! I ate way too much and the drinks were great! The music and performers were excellent and beautiful! I was beyond full by the end of the night and we didn't even get to the upstairs booths. It was nice to see some familiar Yelp faces at their booth! And I was very appreciative of the fans they were handing out! The event was very crowded but everyone was moving pretty well. The booths were professionally and exceptionally efficient at telling about their samples and keeping the tables stocked! My tip: bring water and keep a plate! Your hands will get full of yummy-ness fast! read more

WHOA! One of the best events I've ever been to. You should definitely start with getting a uber/lyft drive to the event because you will leave drunk. You should also arrive early because once the voting is done, most vendors start leaving. So if you are trying to get a taste of everything, you need to arrive early. There are two levels worth of vendors and I barely got to finish the bottom floor. They have everyone from small locally owned restaurants to chefs from top rated hotel chains. There is a lot of creativity, everything from infused tequila to dessert tacos to smoked salsa. Bring some cash because there are some vendors that are not part of the challenge but have awesome food and drink to sell. Will definitely attend next year. read more

Food and drink was amazing !! I don't really know what charity this was for but it was a fun event too bad it was muggy outside. band was amazing. I can't lie all the top shelf was great but I wanted to have a complete full beer lol Overall is a very fun night!! I would definitely do this again but I wish the tickets were not so expensive next time. The only bad thing was that people were walking in every direction and it made it hard to walk through and sample every table. But trust me we made it a point to sample everything there especially the margaritas read more

Great food, cocktails and a showcase of Tucson's best chefs! This event is a great venue to experience some unique salsas and drinks made especially for this one-time event read more

Annual event sponsored by the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance. What better way to have fun than to celebrate your key food groups, salsa, tequila and tacos? Held at the La Encantada Shopping Center with vendors spread out among the facility. Rain threatened to pose an issue but it really just helped keep the heat at bay and we fortunately didn't get too wet. Lots of tasty samples of the previously mentioned categories. The one standout of the evening was a total shocker for me. It was the Tecate Travelling Taco from the Tequila Factory (Casino del Sol). It was Tecate braise birria over Fritos with a few other goodies added served in the Fritos bag. It was actually one of the tastiest and most convenient foods to walk and eat. That raises a recommendation for organizers, more standing tables please. It became awkward at times carrying a bag of chips, salsa, a drink and trying to stand and eat. Also signing was not always readily visible so it was hard to determine who some of the vendors were. There were lots of great offerings whose creators didn't get the proper recognition because people were trying to figure out who they were. Some people would ask, but not everyone. Overall it was a fun event worth checking out. read more

Salsa and Tequila Challenge - Festivals Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

Too much exotic food..like how many times can you eat mango/peach salsa, jalapeno margaritas. Too much salt and sugar around rim of drinks. Not enough standing tables to eat your food. Hard to follow what you were eating and from where. Should have place on voting ballot to write notes or listed names of restaurants and type of food and booth number as you try foods to better vote. Overcrowded and not enough good traditional foods. Kudos to Del Sol and Saffron for some unique but tasty foods. read more

I am always so impressed by the food festivals in Tucson, and the Salsa and Tequila Challenge did not disappoint. I was so impressed by number of restaurants participating. The entire bottom floor of La Encantada, and the second floor around the courtyard was filled with booths! All of the food and drinks were excellent. My personal favorite drink was Taste of Thailand from Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain, a sweet curry tequila cocktail which won two awards. It won, Best Sweet Cocktail, and 2nd Place for People's Choice. My favorite salsa was a Garlic Habanero. Yum! read more

This was an amazing event! All of the restaurants represented were great. The food was delicious, the mixed drinks were spot on, and there were several tequila companies represented there for true aficionados. We brought a friend and I would recommend it to many more friends. It wasn't really kid-friendly, but our 6 year-old still had a great time with the food and performers. Bring a bottle of water or you won't make it through the night. They had some bottles, but it was a hot commodity and ran out fast! read more

So it looks like everyone who commented on here got free tickets, I'm sure that had nothing to do with their reviews. I paid for tickets and the only good thing I can say about the even is that there is amazing food and drinks to sample. Good quality products and unique combinations were the one and only good thing about this event. The location is horrible as the mall is open and you are trying to dodge shoppers and maneuver through the crowded walkways. There is no "flow" people are walking in every direction and gathering in front of booths leading you to bypass different restaurants in order to stay out of the way. The worst part was the children. A salsa and tequila festival is no place for kids. Imagine carrying a bag of chips, a cup of salsa, a shot glass of tequila. Now while your standing there dodging children and a crowd of lost people try to dip a chip and get it in your mouth without spilling. I wore more salsa home than I sampled! They seriously need to get a venue where children are not allow. That would also help with the flow problems by not dodging shoppers. I wish I was going this year to try all the new creations, but for that price we can have an amazing night out without having to wear our food. read more

The Southern Arizona Salsa and Tequila Challenge was a hit !! It looked like everyone there was having an amazing time ; ) The event was well managed. We arrived and they took our tickets and got our wrist bands very quickly not much waiting for as many people that were there. We made our way around the Salsa challenge. All the Restraunt's did a amazing job. My favorite was Brushfire BBQ . The Rub they sprinkle on the chip is what sealed the deal !! Second favorite was Lodge on the Desert. The chef had a experimental Hot Sauce and it was out of this world. We added it to there salsa they entered in the contest which made it outstanding. Then we headed upstairs to the Tequila Challenge. WOW at least 25 to try . We did not get our vote in but my favorite was again Brushfire BBQ with Godiva Liqueur, and Tequila. YUMMMY !!!!! They also had Pork Belly with BBQ Sauce , Very Good !!!! Tequila Factory at Casino Del Sol's Chicken Tacos were outstanding !!! The parish had a Tasty Tequila Drink. All in all it was all Very Good !!! Great Job Tucson Night Out !! read more