There’s a reason the food tent is the first right after getting in the gates of the Nova Scotia Multicultural Festival in Dartmouth.

Sure there’s dancing and shopping to check out, but many festival-goers head straight for the food.

Dozens of booths offer a world of choice — literally.

“We tried some shish-kebabs from the Filipino Association. They’re good every year,” said Candance Martin.

Her friend Cynthia Bernasky had a plateful of Polish pyrogies, which she stopped for first.

But there was more than food roasting in the tent. With 20-plus degrees Celsius of sunshine outside plus all the heating plates inside, more than a few people were looking for cool drinks.

“We’re making Scandinavian waffles and we’re standing over a hot iron all the time and cooking them so fast as people are waiting in line to eat them,” said Birgit Ballantyne with the Scandinavian Society of Nova Scotia.

They just made waffles this year because of a health regulation crackdown, she said. They had to remove a raw salmon dish served with sauces.

At midday yesterday, the longest lines inside the tent were for ice cream and lemonade, but the Vietnamese Association was giving them a run for their money.

“We’re in line purely because the food looks amazing,” said Heather Clem of the beef kebabs, spring rolls and mango shakes for sale.

In order to maximize tasting opportunities, Clem attended the festival over two days. She said her other favourite was the German pasteries, which sold out.

“They were amazing too,” she said.