Picture this: you’re walking around the festival grounds with the sun shining. There’s a breeze blowing delicious smells through the air. You can hear the first strains of music starting from the main stage, the discussions happening in the education pavilions, and all of a sudden it hits you…you have the munchies.

In your lifted state, you spy what feels like a mirage, but no! It’s real! The famed “NCF Munchies Zone!”

With a sprawl of food vendors before you the options are overwhelming, you almost don’t know where to begin. Years of preparation, trial and error, and endless high snacks have led you to this moment.

You begin with DC Taco Truck, for a quick foray into the freshest ingredients and tastiest spices, all in a generous portion that fills even the most famished festival goers. Continuing your quest, you find yourself smack dab in front of DC Slices, where the sight of sauce and cheese greets you with the comforting familiarity of late nights on U Street or your former campus dining hall. The thin crust pizza is just what you need to bring you back down to earth, but also leaves you craving dessert...where to next, you wonder? 

Reba’s Funnel Cakes catches your hungry eyes, drawing you in with the promise of the best funnel cake you’ve had in your life. Fried dough and powered sugar greet your taste buds and you feel like singing...oh wait, that might just be Antibalas lighting up the main stage. Though your stomach is no longer crying out, you still feel like you’re missing something. You look up at the sun and realize you’re craving Ben & Jerry’s. Lucky for you, they’re just around the corner. Ice cream secured, you understand that your time in the Munchies Zone is coming to a close and it’s time to find your friends before they send out a search party. 

After finding your buds and sharing the tasty details of your food adventure, you rock out to Method Man and Redman on a full, satisfied stomach. As the crowd disperses and the day draws to a close, you make one more stop for a salty capstone to your sweet day. With Famous boardwalk fries in hand, you depart the festival gates with your craving for food, fun and festivals fully satiated.

To see our full list of Munchies Zone vendors, click here.