COLUMBUS — Unaccompanied teens were banned from the Columbus Taco Fest and security was doubled after fights occurred.
Festivalgoers noticed more security guards stationed across the festival and police cars sitting out front, our news partners at WBNS-10 TV reported.
There were also new signs at the entrance, alerting visitors that you must be 18 or older to enter.
The festival updated its security policy for Sunday’s event after it was shut down a few hours early on Saturday.
According to festival organizers, large groups of teens showed up and started fighting.
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“We did have to close early around 8 p.m. and that was because it was just a little bit unsafe and we wanted to make sure no one else got hurt. We thought it was best for everyone here, for not only the attendees but also our staff our security but also for the vendors,” said co-organizer Sydney Kondas.
Kondas said they chose to implement the age restriction and double security at the event on Sunday after consulting with Columbus police.
“We don’t want that to be what we are known for. It was sad to see that and to make that decision to shut down early and to see people experience that here. It is like our home for the weekend so we don’t want people to feel unsafe here,” she said.
Even though Taco Fest is over, Kondas is concerned that this activity could impact other festivals planned this summer.
“I think other event organizers should be aware of it. Again it means we are all gonna have extra implications, extra security that we wouldn’t have to have,” she said. “It is sad we were the first ones to go through it but we want to share that information with other organizers to make sure they don’t have to go through it as well.”
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