Buffalo Police Shut Down Hood Taste Of Buffalo Before It Begins

As the people of Buffalo and Western New York look towards another great weekend in the 716, folks from far and wide were checking their calendars to make sure their to-do lists were full. One of the things we know for a fact is that there is always something great to do in Western New York and Southern Ontario every single day.

With great comedy shows at places like Helium Comedy Club, cultural festivals like the Italian Festival in North Buffalo and Caribana in Toronto, plus great food all around, there is one event that has drawn hundreds of folks from far and wide that had parts of the town buzzing.

The 'Hood Taste of Buffalo', a grassroots-grown food festival that sprouted up on Buffalo's eastside, was looking forward to having its 7th annual event this weekend on Saturday, August 1, 2026, and Sunday, August 2, 2026. That is, until organizers posted on thier social media channels that they received an unwelcome surprise from officials from the city of Buffalo and the Buffalo Police Department.

According to a separate post made by the Buffalo Police Department, the event was shut down as an unsanctioned mass gathering.

City of Buffalo Officials Respond To Public Outcry

According to the Buffalo Police Department, along with the City's Special Events Office and Department of Permits and Inspections, it was determined that the event organizers did not obtain all of the permits they needed to host the event. 

After several members of the community responded to the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Police Department, Mayor Ryan issued the following statement. 

The Hood Taste of Buffalo is the type of event we want in the City—people enjoying their neighbors and celebrating what makes Buffalo great. These large community events must be properly permitted to ensure the safety of everyone involved. We’re committed to working with the organizers to guide them through the permitting process, answer any questions, and make it as easy as possible to move forward with a future event.
-Sean Ryan, Mayor of the City of Buffalo

In addition to that statement from Mayor Ryan, Masten District Councilmember Zeneta Everhart took to her social media pages to say they are going to work with the organizers of this event to make sure it happens legally and properly.

It looks like the taste is going to go on once everything is settled.