This year’s festival will feature 18 food and drink trucks! Photos by City of St. Petersburg
Localtopia 2022: Now More Than Ever By Tina Stewart Brakebill On Saturday, Feb. 12, Keep St. Petersburg Local (KSPL) will again convene Localtopia. The daylong “community celebration of all things local” is marking its ninth year. With an expanded footprint and extended lineup, this will be its biggest effort yet.
KSPL: Because Our Community Matters Organized in January 2012, KSPL is a nonprofit organization working to build a thriving local economy and a unique community by “nurturing connections for and acting as the voice of locally owned, independent businesses and by raising awareness of the importance of buying local.” This mission has been under constant challenge during a decade of rapid development led by national chains and out-of-town investors, and as Covid-19 persists. Local and independent businesses have “been to hell and back” over and over again during the past two years, KSPL executive director Olga Bof said. Many face the very real possibility that their dream endeavor may not make it through 2022. She hopes that this year’s Localtopia can help ease some of that fear.
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GREENBENCHMONTHLY.COM / FEBRUARY 2022
Localtopia: Free, Family-Friendly, and Fun for All For the uninitiated, Localtopia offers something for almost everyone. This year, more than 300 St. Pete-born and St. Pete-grown vendors will be on hand throughout an expanded zone in and around Williams Park. Makers and merchants will offer art and handcrafted goods; artisanal and plant-based food, beverages, and products; body and self-care materials; books; clothing and accessories; home décor; jewelry; vintage; and vinyl. The festival also will feature “vendors on wheels,” a literary corner, DJs, and more. Within Williams Park, themebased “villages” will provide family-friendly activities centered on things like art, wellness, and “all things plants.” In addition to draftbeer trucks, “thirst stations” will sell local canned beers and wines, including bubbly from local favorite (and platinum sponsor) Mermosa Winery. Food trucks will line Fourth Street, and more food trucks and restaurants will be stationed along Second Avenue. But that’s not all!
