The sensory landscape of midsummer in Indiana is traditionally defined by the howls of grandstand engines, the precision of livestock exhibitions and the aroma of deep-fried confections. Fair officials unveiled the complete 2026 Taste of the Fair lineup on July 8.
Sponsored by Pepsi, the annual culinary showcase features nearly 50 brand-new concession items designed by regional vendors to push the boundaries of event dining. The list includes:
Savory selections
Bacon Jalapeño Honey Bun Burger (McWaters Concessions): This creation features a seasoned Angus beef patty layered between two toasted honey buns, topped with pepper jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, red onion, and candied jalapeños.
Buffalo Chicken Dip Pizza (DG Concessions): Built on a scratch-made pizza crust, this item is topped with homemade buffalo chicken dip, chopped green onions, a drizzle of buffalo sauce, and a final layer of crushed tortilla chips for texture.
Charlie’s Mexican Street Corn Pizza (Charlie’s Fair Foods): Channeling traditional elote flavors, this buttery street corn pizza is loaded with fire-roasted sweet corn, roasted peppers, a signature cream sauce, tajín, parmesan cheese, and fresh lime juice.
Chili Lime Smoked Chicken Leg (Smokehouse Saloon): A savory protein dish prepared with an apple cider vinegar and lime juice base, seasoned with a custom chili adobo rub, slow smoked, and served with a side of avocado ranch.
Cornival Fiesta Bowl (Fairlivin Concessions): A crisp salad alternative blending green leaf lettuce, shredded broccoli, red cabbage, savory cabbage, carrots, and green onions, tossed with sweet corn, parmesan cheese, tortilla strips, and a rich elote dressing.
Cowboy Fries (R&W Concessions): A heavy shareable basket featuring fresh French fries loaded with melted cheddar cheese sauce, crispy bacon bits, and a generous drizzle of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce.
Double Play (Georgia’s Kitchen): A hearty sandwich option featuring a grilled Italian sausage topped with shredded sirloin steak, melted cheese, roasted bell peppers, and onions.
Junkyard Spam Dog (Urick Concessions): Reimagining a standard hot dog with an official SPAM dog core, this debut creation is heavily loaded with creamy macaroni and cheese, fresh coleslaw, crunchy potato chips, smoky barbecue sauce, and sliced jalapeños.
Loaded Bourbon Chicken Fries (Urick Concessions): Crispy French fries smothered in a warm Hatch chile queso, topped with popcorn chicken tossed in smoky bourbon barbecue sauce, bacon, and fresh parsley.
Pickle Pesto Pizza (Swains Concessions): Prepared from scratch, this unique pizza places a rich pesto sauce over homemade dough, topped with shredded mozzarella, sliced pickles, and dill seasoning, served with a specialized pickle ranch.
Pork Rind Nachos (Smokehouse Saloon): A savory platter replacing tortilla chips with crunchy smoked pork rinds, loaded with pulled pork or smoked chicken, queso, coleslaw, barbecue sauce, green onions, and sour cream.
Soul Train Egg Rolls (J&J A Taste of Home Catering): Crispy egg rolls packed with seasoned jerk chicken, Caribbean spiced cabbage, rice, and melted cheese, alongside an alternative vegan version utilizing jerk jackfruit.
Tatanka “The General Tso Fries” (Red Frazier Bison): A complex savory dish layering ground bison over french fries, tossed in a tangy General Tso’s sauce and finished with a pickled carrot slaw mix, sriracha mayo, green onions, and sesame seeds.
The Big Dill (American Dairy Association of Indiana Inc.): A bold grilled cheese sandwich, melting creamy Havarti and sharp cheddar, with tangy dill pickles, grilled golden on sourdough bread.
Vegan HomeRun Sliders (Black Leaf Vegan): A plant-based alternative featuring juicy vegan patties topped with melted dairy-free cheddar, crisp red onions, tangy pickles, fresh slaw, and a smoky vegan bacon crunch on brioche buns.
World’s Tallest Fry (Freund Family Foods): A towering presentation of extra-tall, extra-tasty golden tater twister curls built for sharing across the midway.
Sweet treats
Bananas Foster Cold Brew Float (Hook’s Drugstore Museum): A smooth, caffeinated treat of vanilla cold brew coffee poured over vanilla ice cream, topped with a layer of banana cold foam, cinnamon powder, and a caramel drizzle.
Blue Raspberry Milkshake (American Dairy Association of Indiana Inc.): Serving as the official featured dairy treat for the season, this sweet, tangy, and creamy milkshake is prepared to order at the historic Dairy Bar facility.
Brownie Delight (GC Foods): A decadent dessert option featuring a fresh-baked chocolate brownie loaded with high-butter-fat ice cream, homemade whipped cream, and hot fudge sauce.
Butter Dipped Ice Cream (Urick Concessions): This option takes creamy vanilla soft-serve ice cream and dips it completely into real melted butter, creating a hardened, golden shell finished with flaky sea salt.
Cookie Butter Biscoff Funnel Cake (R&W Concessions): A fresh funnel cake dusted with powdered sugar, heavily drizzled with cookie butter and vanilla icing, and topped off with a layer of crumbled Biscoff cookies.
Deep Fried Lindor Dubai Chocolate Truffle (Orme Deep Fried Treats): This high-end confection places three Lindor Dubai chocolate truffles filled with pistachio cream on a skewer, dips them into funnel cake batter, fries them golden, and finishes the treat with premium Ghirardelli sauces or pistachio cream.
Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls (The Cavity Factory): A massive, moist cinnamon roll soaked thoroughly in caramelized sugar and finished with a rich layer of cream cheese glaze.
Strawberry Shortcake (GC Foods): A scratch-made option featuring traditional shortcake topped with high butterfat ice cream, sweet strawberries, and homemade whipped cream.
Strawberry Shortcake (Gobble Gobble Food Truck): Celebrating 25 years at the fair, this anniversary dessert layers fluffy golden cake with sweet strawberries, whipped cream, and a crunchy strawberry crumble bite.
The Great American Shake (RES Food and Drink): A patriotic dessert featuring a hand-dipped vanilla milkshake poured into a cup lined with vibrant red and blue syrups, finished with whipped cream, colorful sprinkles, and a cherry.
Sweet-and-savory mashups
Cornbread and ‘Que (Indiana Pork Producers): Stacking flavors for a sweet-and-savory profile, this item layers popular local pulled pork directly onto warm cornbread with a finishing drizzle of hot honey.
Dirty Popcorn (Urick Concessions): Freshly popped corn transformed into a sweet-and-salty snack by layering it with multiple drizzles, candies, crushed cookies, and various over-the-top toppings.
The S’mork (Nitro Hog BBQ): A sweet-and-smoky mashup that places slow-smoked pulled pork and classic campfire s’mores ingredients directly onto a fried sugar biscuit.
The Sweet and Salty Spiral (Colp’s Concessions): Golden, crispy spiral-cut potatoes piled high and loaded with real bacon crumbles, finished with a heavy drizzle of Hershey’s chocolate syrup.
Tangy, spicy & sour innovation
Craft Beer Soft Serve (Urick Concessions): A collaborative frozen treat that transforms Black Dog Brewing Company’s Rainbow Road Fruited Sour Beer into smooth soft serve ice cream, delivering a bright, fruity flavor with a tart finish, served in a cake cone.
Hot Cheeto Fried Oreo (The Cookie Jar): A golden Oreo cookie dipped into a homemade Hot Cheeto batter, fried golden, rolled in Hot Cheeto dust, and served with a drizzle of warm nacho cheese and Hot Cheeto crumbles.
Key Lime in Paradise (McGrotha Foods): A cool and tangy dessert option that delivers a distinct key lime kick balanced with a creamy hint of vanilla and a topping of crumbled graham crackers.
Mango Loco (Cantina Louie): A Mexican-inspired fruit cup loading fresh-cut mango slices over a tangy blend of mango and citrus juices, heavily topped with tajín seasoning, chamoy sauce, and a hint of regional chili spice.
Nashville Hot Fried Pickles (Dr. Vegetable Inc.): Elevating the classic fried pickle spear, this version adds fiery Nashville hot seasoning to the crispy coating and serves it alongside cool buttermilk ranch dressing.
Pickle Shake Up (Shake Up Cocktails): A balanced, intermediate lemonade variation that infuses pickle juice into the traditional sugar-and-citrus blend for a true midway novelty drink.
Refreshing beverages
Corn Dog Beer (Sun King Brewery): A unique craft beer option brewed specifically with sweet corn and smoked malt to directly capture the toasted corn and subtle smoke nostalgia of a traditional midway corn dog.
Cosmic Mango Coconut Dirty Soda (R&W Concessions): Capitalizing on contemporary beverage trends, this alcohol-free drink mixes Starry lemon-lime soda with mango puree and a thick float of coconut cream.
Dew Drop Banana Dirty Soda (R&W Concessions): A high-energy beverage option blending classic Mountain Dew citrus soda with real banana puree, topped with a layer of sweet cream.
Dirty Slime Licker (Georgia’s Kitchen): A colorful novelty beverage option available to fairgoers in either a Blue Hawaiian or a Strawberries and Cream flavor profile.
Grand Slam Mary (Urick Concessions): Celebrating the Indianapolis Indians, this over-the-top ballpark Bloody Mary uses vodka and Zing Zang mix, loaded with an entire lineup of garnishes, including a burger slider, a hot dog slider, waffle fries, a soft pretzel stick, Cracker Jacks, celery, and lemon.
Lemon Shake-Up Float (Lauren Conway Concessions): Combining two classic summer staples, this item tops fresh-squeezed lemonade with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.
Orangey Wild (Stubborn Methods): A custom fountain beverage blend combining smooth orange cream soda directly with wild cherry limeade for a bold fruit finish.
Raspberry Sweet Tea Slushie (Colp’s Concession): An icy, frosty beverage blending smooth sweet tea with a juicy raspberry reduction for a crisp and fruity summer drink.
Sky Ride Sunset Shake Up (McWaters Concessions): A colorful variation of the traditional lemon shake-up, this beverage incorporates an infusion of real strawberry, peach, and lemon juices.
Strawberry Cream Lemonade Shakeup (Dr. Vegetable Inc.): A tropical twist on a traditional favorite, adding real strawberries and smooth coconut milk to a freshly shaken lemonade.
Strawberry Pineapple Twister (Twisted Drinks and Food): A fresh fruit beverage featuring sliced strawberries and sweet pineapple tidbits twisted together with sugar, ice, and water.
Tropical Breeze Boba Lemonade (Indiana Ribeye): A refreshing texturized drink that adds tropical fruit flavors and popping boba pearls directly into a hand-shaken original lemonade.
For more information, visit indianastatefair.com.
Contact multimedia & senior sports reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more news, visit indianapolisrecorder.com.
Noral Parham is the multi-media reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
