Downtown Missoula Pop Ups at Caras Park

Last week we let you know that Downtown ToNight and Out To Lunch events wouldn't be held the way we are used to participating at Caras Park each summer. Originally, start dates for both events were pushed back to mid-June, rather than the usual start of June kick offs, and finally, the events were cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.

There is a silver lining though! Starting tonight (June 16), the Missoula Downtown Association will launch Downtown Pop-Ups in Caras Park. This will be the first Pop-Up of those that will happen every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday through August, as a substitute for the beloved Out to Lunch and Downtown ToNight Summer Series events.

The Downtown Pop-Ups will feature a small pod of food trucks and vendors under the pavilion on Tuesdays from 5 to 8 p.m., Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. You can expect all of your faves from: Big Dipper, Bitterroot Bison, Clove Cart Pizza, Covered Wagon Hot Dogs, El Cazador, Kamoon, Lil’ Orbits, Mountain Berry Bowls, Pattie Wagon, River City Eats, and Thai Spicy Noodle Wagon. Additional vendors and activities could be added during the summer if COVID-19 restrictions continue to be lifted.

“With the goal of protecting the health and well-being of our community, the Downtown Pop-Ups will provide a small, more intimate opportunity to enjoy Caras Park and support those entrepreneurs who have essentially lost most of their business opportunities this year due to the pandemic,” said Bob McGowan, President of the MDA Board of Directors. “We hope Missoula will come to Caras Park at least once a week to support a local vendor.”

You can expect safety and social distancing to be enforced during visits to the Pop-Ups. Tonight's (June 16) featured vendors are El Caz, Mountain Berry Bowl and Patty Wagon. For the full schedule on when you can find your favorite vendors, check here.