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Highlighting Jacksonville Beach’s Great Food and Vibrant Community at JAXCOT

If your dream vacation includes white sand beaches, rolling azure waves and more things to do than you can imagine, set course for Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

 

Commonly referred to as part of the “First Coast” due to the fact that this is where Europeans first landed in Florida, Jacksonville Beach is steeped in history, and full of activities and great events to enjoy. The sandy shores themselves, including Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach and Fernandina Beach, are well maintained and have great facilities to enjoy during your getaway. These locations are ideal for an impressive selection of beach activities like sunbathing, volleyball, swimming, photography and much more.

 

The city is home to more than just the beaches. Attractions such as Adventure Landing, Beaches Museum and History Park, and the Cradle Creek Preserve are fun and offer a unique set of activities. The restaurant scene here is diverse and has something for everyone. Establishments such as TacoLu, Angie's Grom, and Salt Life Food Shack offer delicious meals for a variety of tastes. The community as a whole is fun and vibrant, and the population loves to celebrate. Local events like JAXCOT give you the chance to soak in the culture of the city.

 

While this is the inaugural year of JAXCOT, the anticipation for this festival has reached a fever pitch. Perfect for fans of food, music, and meeting new people, this event is designed for all ages and backgrounds. The initial run of JAXCOT is projected to attract around 12,000 people and will feature 40 food trucks serving up a laundry list of great food and refreshment options. For entertainment there will be live music, dancing, and a kids area filled with activities. Don't miss this one-of-a-kind opportunity to immerse yourself in the community, food, and culture of Jacksonville Beach. We got the opportunity to interview Nikol Zirhen, Founder of Food Truck Eats Jax, to talk about the new and highly anticipated JAXCOT.

 

RAL: Tell me a little bit about the event.

NZ: There will be 40 Food Trucks, all representing a different country around the world or a state in the United States of America. In addition to the food trucks, Fun4FirstCoastKids.com presents "Kids Around the World" which is a large kids zone for kids of all ages. We will have over 40 table vendors highlighting and promoting their businesses, as well as live music! There will be something for everyone at JAXCOT, whether you are there for the food or not!

 

RAL: How many annual participants do you draw?

NZ: This is tough to tell, being that this is our first ​year, but currently over 12,000 people have expressed interest in attending via Facebook alone.

 

RAL: What is the typical demographic makeup of the event? Children? Families? Couples?

​​NZ: We welcome all people and even their pets. I design events to make sure everyone has a good time whether you’re a male or female, aged 1-to-100! Anyone interested should join us and check out all the great food and fun.

   

​RAL: What makes this event unique?

NZ: JAXCOT will feature 40 food trucks and a lot of them are tweaking their menus to cater to the country/state they signed up for. You’d be hard pressed to find another event with this variety of food, vendors, and entertainment in one place.

 

RAL: Take me through the activities during a typical day at the event.

​NZ: Your taste buds will travel around the world and around the United States with various food trucks, which will have specialties from different countries and states. There will be live music and dance performances as well. ​

   

​​For children we will have the Kids Around the World - Kids Zone. There is a $10 wristband, which includes unlimited bounce house, a ticket to climb the rock climbing wall, duel laser tag, slides, life-size games, pony rides, and so much more! The first 100 kids that purchase a wristband will receive a free gift!

 

RAL: What is the overall environment like?

​​NZ: Our festival is designed to be fun, relaxed, pet-friendly and kid-friendly. Anyone who likes food, music and meeting new people will be right at home during JAXCOT.

 

RAL: What can an attendee expect to find for local lodging?

​​NZ: Conveniently, there is a hotel right next to the event, Four Points by Sheraton at the Seawalk Pavilion. We don't have any specials set up there, but it's a great lodging option. ​

 

RAL: What does the event mean to the community?

​NZ: JAXCOT is something fun and exciting to do for a variety of people. Food has the power to bring people together and what better opportunity than with thousands of people and 40 food trucks.

 

RAL: Does this drive business to your local economy?

​NZ: Absolutely, each vendor is a local business owner in Jacksonville ​(80 vendors total, food and nonfood). Also, all the people who attend will be spending money at various close by businesses.

 

RAL: Why should people come to your event?

​NZ: This is the first time a food truck event has ever been done in Jacksonville Beach. The magnitude of JAXCOT is going to be huge with 40 food trucks, legions of people and fun activities to enjoy!


For more information about JAXCOT, please visit their website.