Good to Know

Crave is at Gatton Park on the Town Branch (795 Manchester St., downtown Lexington). Over 10,000 parking spaces are within a 10-minute walk — including the Central Bank Center lot on West High Street ($12/day, first-come first-served on non-arena days), Main Street Baptist Church lot (582 W. Main St., tiered hourly rates from $3), and metered street parking (free on weekends). For maps, visit lexpark.org. Riding in is even easier: catch LexRide, the downtown circulator, with stops along Main and Manchester near the park ($1 each way, runs Thu–Sat 4 p.m.–midnight, every 12–15 minutes). Lextran's regular bus routes also serve the area (lextran.com). Rideshare drop-offs (Uber, Lyft) are best at the West High Street entrance. Bike racks are available at every park entrance.

Sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, bug repellant, lightweight blankets, ponchos or umbrellas, low-back folding chairs, baby strollers, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, and backpacks (subject to search).

Outside food or drink, coolers or picnic baskets, flasks or thermoses (other than clear water bottles), tents, weapons, fireworks, or explosives. Gatton Park is a non-smoking facility.

Yes — well-behaved pets are welcome at the festival. Please keep them on a leash at all times.

Crave is rain or shine. No refunds on admission tickets.

Yes! Gatton Park's half-acre Adventure Playground is right onsite — featuring a 27-foot slide, hillside climber, log jam balance course, the Grist Mill Tower, and a covered family picnic area. It's nature-inspired, fully ADA-accessible, and designed for kids of all abilities. All included with admission.

Yes — two full days of live local and regional music are included with your admission.

Crave is produced by Smiley Pete Publishing, an independent Lexington-based media company founded in 1997. Beyond Crave, Smiley Pete publishes Chevy Chaser Magazine and Southsider Magazine (the city's longest-running monthly publications, reaching 130,000+ readers), Business Lexington (a news journal covering the Central Kentucky business community), and tadoo.com (an online arts, culture, and entertainment magazine). They also produce Lexington Burger Week, Lexington Pizza Week, Lexington Taco Week, Lexington Bourbon Week, and Houndstock Fest. Crave began in 2013 as a grassroots celebration of Central Kentucky's culinary scene and has grown into a local favorite.