Foodies flock to the Taste of Minnesota in downtown Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS -- Thousands of people braved the heat Sunday to get to downtown Minneapolis for good food and music.

Taste of Minnesota is back after eight years away.

"Downtown went through some rough moments, so it's good to come back downtown and just experience what they're offering," said Judy Moore, who came to the event from Richfield.

Some of the food options included hot chicken sandwiches, kebabs, shrimp ceviche and sweet corn. 

The headlining musical act Third Eye Blind turned out to be a big draw, too.

Fancy Ray, one of the hosts of Taste of Minnesota, said, "The big celebrity today is the people of Minneapolis and the great state of Minnesota that we come downtown in a peaceful, joyful way to celebrate the food, celebrating love, celebrating laughter, celebrating summertime. It don't get no better than this."

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As a first-time event for Minneapolis, some things didn't go so smoothly. The large crowds meant long lines, and some vendors ran out of food before the night was over.

There were also no water stations at first. Taste of Minnesota organizers announced they eventually brought three in and were waiting on more water bottles.

Taste of Minnesota will be back Monday from noon to 8 p.m. The music headliner is Big Boi from Outkast.