As the summer days fade and students grudgingly head back to class, this year’s Taste of Madison might just remind them of what they’ve been missing.

For the past 33 Labor Day weekends, Taste of Madison has been a culmination of what the city holds dear: eating, drinking and bonding over the two. The event draws nearly a quarter million hungry souls and features around 100 local shops and restaurants on Capitol Square.

Admission is free, taste portions range from only $1 to $4 and the sales benefit local nonprofits and charities.

What sets Taste apart from other city festivals is that it allows patrons to sample new restaurants otherwise out of reach, both in terms of price point and locale. While a handful of downtown businesses will participate in the event, many of this year’s vendors are situated farther off campus, ordinarily requiring a few bus transfers or a little extra mileage on a friend’s car.

But possibly topping convenience in location is convenience in price. For example, Rare Steakhouse will attend the festival, providing the opportunity to experience some fine offerings like their scrumptious steak slider and duck fat french fries at a fraction of their typical cost.

Expect to find all sorts of Americana at the festival, including kettle corn, ice cream, brats and barbecue, along more adventurous eats.

Sassy Cow Creamery and Chocolate Shoppe will both grace Taste with their robustly flavored ice creams that will satisfy even the most dairy loving Wisconsinite. If you’re into lighter sweet indulgences, Milano Ice will serve assorted Italian ices and La Coppa will offer an intriguing s’mores gelato pop, as well as a twist on the traditional root beer float made with their vanilla bean gelato.

For some more belly filling grub, feast on ribs, brisket, pulled pork and all things smoked at one of the barbecue vendors at Taste. I’d recommend checking out Blowin’ Smoke to satisfy your craving for artfully prepared meats. Their main shop is located far out in Waunakee, so this may be one of the few opportunities to experience the result of hours of work put into laboriously smoked cuts of pork. While the establishment does have a traveling food cart, it’s rare to find in the downtown area.

Guests seeking greasy fried cheese curds can rest easy knowing half a dozen carts will offer the local favorite. Curds will be available from All Star Catering, Buck and Badger, Curd Girl, Daddy Rocks, Fried & Fabulous, Gray’s Tied House, The Old Fashioned and Bluephies, which is serving theirs wrapped in bacon.

This year, Taste continues offering more eclectic foods in addition to traditional fair food. From Jamaican jerk chicken to French crepes to Korean tacos, the festival will be rich in featuring a slew of ethnically diverse cuisines. Grab the peanut buttery pad thai noodles from Sa Bai Thong or some chargrilled oysters from New Orleans-inspired restaurant Bayou.

While there is some overlap in what food vendors are selling, the number of stands serving their own variations of the same dishes will make for some interesting taste testing. Whether it’s familiar or more exotic foods that guests seek, the festival is set to cater to all.

Take advantage as these stellar food spots travel to you in one conveniently located, competitively priced and overwhelmingly delicious festival.