The first-ever LA French fry festival is this Saturday

Calling all French fry heads, there's a fest just for you this weekend.

The first-ever LA French Fry Festival is taking place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Autry Museum in Griffith Park.

Hosted by event experience firm Bucket Listers, in partnership with Street Food Cinema, the day is a full-blown love letter to the humble fry — golden, crispy, and utterly worth the carb coma.

Origins of a fry fest

The idea for the festival came to Derek Berry, president of Experiences at Bucket Listers, when he created a French fry bracket during March Madness.

Berry knows his way around fan experiences — he's the guy behind Saved by the Max, the immersive pop-up replica of the Saved by the Bell diner that started as a fan-made Facebook event page in Chicago before landing a long-running home on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. More recently, he produced Kel Mitchell's Burger Fest in Brooklyn.

The vendors

Berry pointed us toward a few can't-miss stops from the fest's 16-vendor lineup.

• Fryday, a French fry-only food truck that reimagines the classic fry with bold, customizable flavors like Caribbean-spiced sauces.
• Fry-licious, known for chili cheese fries loaded with chili con carne and nacho cheese sauce.
• Frites Freak, with their swirly tornado potato on a stick — the Spin Freak — if you've been to a food festival or a county fair,  you know the vibes.
• Proudly Serving, the South Bay-born smash burger spot known for its thick duck fat fries.
• Mr. Charlie's Vegan, a fully plant-based burger joint serving Frowny Fries and Not Chicken Nuggets.
• College Boy Cheesesteaks, the Philly transplant that stacks fries with sliced steak, fried onions, cheese sauce, and their house frat sauce.

A taste of what's coming to the LA French Fry Festival this weekend.

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Courtesy Bucket Listers

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Fan-friendly fest

To avoid the dreaded festival waiting-in-line-for-food ritual, the day is divided into three sessions — an early session (11 a.m.–2 p.m.), an afternoon session (2:30–5:30 p.m.), and an evening session (6–9 p.m.). Berry said his goal is for people to be eating within 10 minutes of entering.

The day also includes The Blindfold Challenge and French Fry Eating Contests, hosted by special guest Kel Mitchell.

Fresh-cut crinkle fries hit the fryer ahead of the festival.

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Courtesy Bucket Listers

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Save room for dessert

If you think there's no room for sweets at a French fry fest, you'd be mistaken. There are churro fries — a thinner cut of the classic treat, served over an actual bed of French fries from The Churro Man truck — and a cobbler-style dessert that incorporates fries and potatoes right into the cake from Kobbler King. For those looking for something further from the fryer, Happy Ice and The Jolly Sheep will be serving up shaved ice and cotton candy.

More info