LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Some of Louisville’s finest ​restaurants and chefs are coming together for a night of food, fun and drinks. It’s the 50th Taste of Louisville.

Mark’s Feed Store is one of many restaurants participating in the event. The restaurant, which has been in business for 36 years, has participated in the event for more than 25 years.

Sheryl Webb, events and marketing coordinator for Mark's Feed Stores, said it’s one of many events that bring life to Louisville.

“It's a night where we can all get together, enjoy each other's food and drink and just really celebrate Louisville together," she said. 

For the past 50 years, the Kentucky Restaurant ​Association has hosted the event. 

“You get to see this conglomeration of chefs, local restaurants, all competing, interacting and then just the crowd that's in there to experience ... all these different restaurants," said Christian Saylor, president of the Kentucky Restaurant Association. "We have such an amazing restaurant community in Louisville.” 

Kimberlie Thompson, co-chair of the Taste of Louisville, said the event highlights Louisville's rich culinary industry.

“We’ve had a challenging few years with restaurants, so come out, support them," Thompson said. "And if there's a restaurant that maybe you haven't been to, (it's) great opportunity to try them out." 

There are 100 participants in this year's Taste of Louisville. It's more than just sampling Louisville's cuisine, however; there are also photo opportunities and live music. Webb said it's all about coming together in the spirit of food and community. 

“Even though we're different restaurants, we really enjoy seeing each other, tasting each other's foods, talking about different ideas," Webb said.

The Taste of Louisville has raised over $300,000 for more than 25 different nonprofit ​organizations. Funds from this year's event will support Frankie's Family, Feed Louisville and the Kentucky Restaurant Association. Tickets are now available for the Oct. 16 event at the Mellwood Art Center.