Skip to Content
Events

Taco Madness 2023 Early Bird Ticket Sales Are Now Live

L.A.'s OG and longest-running taco festival and the tournament are back! And we are taking it back where it all began: Downtown Los Angeles at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes beautiful courtyard.

On Saturday, May 6th, join us while we crown the online tournament and in-person "Best in Show" Taco Madness champions. For one day only, catch all of L.A.'s best taquerías in one place. From 5 PM to midnight, the Taco Life comes to you live and in person.

For tickets, click here. Reminder: Members get in for free! Every single ticket sale supports L.A. TACO and our inclusive, award-winning street-level journalism.

For some of us, tacos mean the world. They represent nostalgia, regional pride, hard work, accessibility, culture, and perhaps most important of all: sustenance. Tacos unify everybody in this city. No matter where you are from and how much this city changes, the one constant will always be tacos and the desire to know where to find the best ones for residents and visitors alike. Yet, as you’re rushing through the streets of Los Angeles to get to your next destination, it’s easy to take the flashing neon signs, trompos, and smokestacks that dot almost every other corner of this city for granted. This is why we created Taco Madness more than 12 years ago, to remind you that we live in the best taco city in the country, and it is up to you to keep it that way.

Keep driving a little out of your way to try a new spot. Keep hitting one up to feast after going to a show. Keep challenging yourself to pronounce their names in Español better. Keep tipping your taqueros and taqueras, and keep supporting your taquerías. The Taco Life calls you, Los Ángeles-dwelling and hardworking person, to show up for your favorite taquero or taquera.

This year's Taco Madness is presented by Bud Light Chelada.

Keep an eye out for our announcement of the curated list of tacos to be featured in this year's tournament and festival.

2023 Key Dates

April 3: Voting begins!

May 6th: Taco Madness Live!


Los Angeles, CA - May 04: LATaco.com’s 10th Annual Taco Madness May 04, 2019. (Brian Feinzimer)
Los Angeles, CA - May 04: LATaco.com’s 10th Annual Taco Madness May 04, 2019. (Brian Feinzimer)
Los Angeles, CA - May 04: LATaco.com’s 10th Annual Taco Madness May 04, 2019. (Brian Feinzimer)
Los Angeles, CA - May 04: LATaco.com’s 10th Annual Taco Madness May 04, 2019. (Brian Feinzimer)
Los Angeles, CA - May 04: LATaco.com’s 10th Annual Taco Madness May 04, 2019. (Brian Feinzimer)
Los Angeles, CA - May 04: LATaco.com’s 10th Annual Taco Madness May 04, 2019. (Brian Feinzimer)
Los Angeles, CA - May 04: LATaco.com’s 10th Annual Taco Madness May 04, 2019. (Brian Feinzimer)
Los Angeles, CA - May 04: LATaco.com’s 10th Annual Taco Madness May 04, 2019. (Brian Feinzimer)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Daily Memo: The 15th Death In ICE Detention and ICE is Slowly Escalating

ICE’s slow increase in operations is now averaging about 30 kidnappings per week in Southern California.

​​‘My Body Remembers’ – Another Victim of Cesar Chávez Breaks Her Silence

“This is really about survivors talking to survivors and those around them,” said Jennifer Andrea Porras, who is speaking out publicly for the first time about what they endured when they were brought into Chávez’ inner circle at his La Paz headquarters in the 90s.

April 5, 2026

Sunday Taquitos #22: Donald Trump’s Egg Hunt

Sunday Taquitos! Art by Ivan Ehlers.

April 5, 2026

A Reddit Post Is Helping One of L.A.’s Most Iconic Mexican Restaurants, But It’s Far From Safe

This taquería nixtamalizes its own masa for handmade tortillas and despite surges of protesters nearby, their sales continue to suffer on Olvera Street.

April 3, 2026

Weekend Eats: Questlove’s Burgers and Mini Kabob Enter the Westside

Plus a favorite farmers market highlights island cuisine, a flour tortilla-based local taquería grows, and Prosperity Market is having a party to launch its kitchen and grocery store on wheels.

April 3, 2026
See all posts