Taste of Veishea, featuring the various food vendors lining up and down Welch Avenue, is shooting to be a more cultured event this year.

“We were hoping to diversify entertainment this year,” said Brian Nash, co-chair of Taste of Veishea.

The events for this year’s Taste of Veishea range from the ever-popular Taste Stage, featuring bands from around Iowa and beyond, to many carnival games including a bungee run, sumo wrestling and jousting.

But, of course, the biggest part of Taste of Veishea is the food.

“We have really good food vendors this year,” said Tonya Olesen, co-chair of Taste of Veishea’s Vendors and Contracts subcommittee.

More than 11 concession companies replied to a survey sent out by the event’s organizers, Olesen said. Five filled out a contract and are slated to attend Taste of Veishea, she said.

Following on the multicultural theme, Olefin said organizers tried to reach out to ethnic vendors especially. Because of their efforts, Welch Avenue will include vendors selling gyros, shishkabobs, Italian and Polish sausages, teriyaki chicken and walking tacos.

Nash said he was hoping for a good crowd this year, but he admitted attendance would be largely a function of how nice the weather is.

“It’s hard to gauge, but if we have a bright sunny day, we’ll have tons of people going through,” he said.

With the multicultural bands and ethnic foods and carnival games, Taste organizers are hoping to draw in all the people of Ames, not just the usual Veishea participants, Nash said.

“We hope to appeal to everybody,” he said.

Taste of Veishea will be held Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Welch Avenue.