Food Trucks

First Friday Surprise is a monthly pop-up creative district at Arts HQ Gallery. Eight first Fridays, November 2026 through May 2027, and every one of them comes with a food truck competition.

Trucks come here to compete. Every event, a lineup goes head to head on the month’s theme, a fan vote and a panel of judges both weigh in, and one truck takes the night. Monthly winners earn a seat at Champions’ Row in May, where the season’s champions return and one leaves with $1,000.

Not every truck competes. We also book trucks serving off-theme, so there’s always something for people who aren’t feeling that month’s category.

How it Works

Apply. Submit the form with links where we can see your menu and truck. Tell us which events you want and whether you’re applying to compete or serve general.

We review. Applications are reviewed in the order received and weighed against event needs, menu balance, and available space. You’ll hear back within five business days with a decision or an update.

You’re approved. You’ll get a confirmation email with load-in details, hours, space assignment, and the month’s throughline.

Competing trucks, lock in your spot. A $100 deposit per night is due within five business days of approval and holds your space in the competition.

You sell, then settle up. At the end of each night, you pay 15% of your sales. For competing trucks, your deposit is applied toward it.

Payment and cancellation

All trucks pay 15% of their sales at the end of each night they serve.

Competing trucks have a $100 minimum per night. Your $100 deposit holds your spot and gets applied toward that fee, so it’s not an extra cost. If your 15% comes in under $100, the deposit covers it in full.

Plans change. If you need to cancel more than 14 days out, reach out and we’ll review your request.
For competing trucks, cancellations within 14 days of an event, and missed events, forfeit the deposit.

By submitting an application, you agree to these terms.

Before you start

Power is not provided. Trucks bring their own power.

Questions before you apply? Contact us here.

Food Vendors

Baked goods, sweets, snacks, coffee, and specialty drinks all fall under food vendors. That includes bakers, cottage food producers, roasters, and anyone with a small food or beverage line.

What you serve decides your category, not what you serve it from. If your menu fits here, you’re a food vendor, even if you operate from a truck, trailer, or cart.

APply to be a food vendor

Serving meals? That’s a food truck. Hot or cold, if it’s a full meal, like tacos, burgers, sandwiches, or entrée salads, apply as a Food Truck below.

Question: the Cottage Food / permit line dropped out. Intentional, or does it need a home elsewhere on the page?

The Season

November, Thankful
Harvest and comfort food. Seasonal ingredients, familiar dishes, and anything that belongs on a table in November. If you have grower or farm relationships, this is a good month to bring them in. Competing entries are judged inside that throughline.

December, Enchanted Winter Market
The Winter Feast. Roasted dishes, mulled cider, spiced desserts, and anything warm enough to linger over on a December night. We are also developing an original signature warm drink for the night and would like to build it with a vendor. Competing entries are judged inside that throughline.

January, Exhale
Indulgent Comfort. Soup, grilled cheese, hot chocolate, made the way you would make it for yourself rather than the way you would make it fast. Entries are judged on execution, so this is a strong month for a small, tight menu done exceptionally well.

February, Celebration of Fandom
Food fandom. Bring the dish you are genuinely passionate about, whether that is fusion, the food you grew up on, or the thing you make that people keep coming back for. We curate which passions sit next to each other so the lineup reads as intentional. Entries are judged on how clearly that passion shows up on the plate.

March, Baseball
Ballpark, Remixed. The food of the park, reinterpreted. Handhelds, loaded plates, anything you can eat standing up with one hand. Entries are judged on how well the familiar thing gets rebuilt.

April, Cowboy Spring
BBQ. Smoke, slow cooking, and the kind of food that takes all day. Entries are judged inside that throughline.

May, Season Finale
Champions’ Row. Closed to applications and slots are comped. Every monthly winner from October through April returns with the dish that won, attendees receive two tokens, and one truck leaves with $1,000. If a champion cannot return, that month’s runner-up inherits the slot.

Application

Business Name

Enter your business's registered name. If you don't have one, use your name.

This field is required.

First Name

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Last Name

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Email Address

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Phone Number

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Business Address

Enter the complete address of your business.

Address Line 1

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Address Line 2

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City

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State

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Postal Code

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Participation & Menu

First Friday Surprise fee: 15% of your sales at each event you participate in.

Participation Type

Select how you'd like to participate. Competing entries are judged inside the month's culinary throughline. General trucks aren't tied to the theme.

Food Truck, Competing: $100 deposit per night

Food Truck, General

This field is required.

Primary Food Cuisine

For example, BBQ, Mexican, Asian fusion

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Menu Offerings

Briefly describe what you serve. Links to a menu are welcome below.

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You must hold a current Maricopa County food permit. Please enter your permit number below. A certificate of insurance is requested after approval.

Maricopa County Permit #

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Months

Please choose the month(s) you are interested in.

November 6

December 4

January 1

February 5

March 5

April 2

This field is required.

May 7 is Champions' Row, our season finale, and it's reserved for monthly winners. If you win your month, you're expected to return in May with the dish that won. Your slot is comped, and one truck leaves with $1,000. If you can't make it, your month's runner-up takes your place.

Website & Social

This is how we get a feel for your food. Include at least one link where we can see your menu and truck. If you don't have any of these, we'll follow up.

Instagram

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TikTok

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Facebook

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Website

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Other

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Anything else we should know?

Special requests, questions, or details about your setup. Optional.

Before you Submit

A few things to know before you apply. Everything else is in our Vendor Terms.

Payment and cancellation. All trucks pay 15% of sales at the end of each night they serve. Competing trucks pay a $100 deposit per night within five business days of approval. It holds your spot, applies toward your 15%, and acts as a $100 minimum. Cancellations within 14 days of an event, and missed events, forfeit the deposit. Need to cancel more than 14 days out? Reach out and we'll review your request.

Approval books your spot. Once approved, your space comes off the board for everyone else and gets planned into the layout and what we promote.

Stay reachable. We'll send load-in details, theme reminders, and deadlines by email, so please check your spam folder. If a message doesn't bounce back to us, we consider it delivered. If you haven't heard from us when you expected to, reach out. We'd rather answer the same question twice than have you miss an event over a filtered email.

We build around reliable trucks. Repeated cancellations, no-shows, or missed communication may affect future participation.

I understand the First Friday Surprise fee is 15% of my sales at each event I participate in, and that approval reserves my space. For competing trucks, the deposit is forfeited for cancellations within 14 days of an event and for missed events.

This field is required.

If I win my month, I'll return for Champions' Row on May 7.

This field is required.

Text message consent
We use text messages for event-day communication. It's the fastest way to reach you about load-in, weather, and schedule changes.

Required. I agree to receive texts from First Friday Surprise at the number I provided about my application and events I'm registered for, including status updates, load-in instructions, payment reminders, deadlines, and weather or schedule changes.

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Optional. I'd also like texts about upcoming events, lineups, and news from First Friday Surprise.

Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out or HELP for help.

I have read and agree to the guidelines above and the Vendor Terms.

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Signature

By typing your name and submitting this application, you agree this constitutes your legal signature under Arizona's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (A.R.S. 44-7001), and you acknowledge the terms and agreements in this application.

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