The PlayNow Foodtruck Wars Festival begins at noon today with food from around the world and up and down the food pyramid. Organizer Rick Mah says the event has come a long way from the first festival nine years ago. It began in Sutherland, then Riversdale and now it’s downtown by City Hall and Civic Square. Mah adds that the first year there were 11 food trucks and now there are around 27 food trucks and vendors, entertainment on the main stage, celebrity karaoke, a hot dog eating contest and a pie eating contest.

The event also pays tribute to two Saskatoon Olympians who won medals in the Special Olympics World Summer Games last month. Terra Dagenais played on the Canadian women’s soccer team at the Special Olympics World Summer Games and came home with a bronze medal. Ian Cushon won two golds – one for men’s singles and one for men’s doubles in bowling along with his partner Mark Richardson from Ontario. Dagenais and Cushon will be honoured at the opening ceremony at 4 Thursday afternoon.

The festival is noon to 8 p.m. each day through Saturday. If you are driving downtown, 4th Avenue is closed between 22nd and 24th Streets and 3rd is closed between 3rd and 5th Avenues with detours in place. The roads should be back open by 3p.m. on Sunday. The Foodtruck Wars Festival Corporation is a nonprofit organization which partners with Downtown Saskatoon to produce the event.