A new culinary event coming to downtown Meridian not only will offer a variety of foods to tempt the palette but also help new restaurants attract potential customers.

FESTival on Fifth, set for Saturday, Oct. 15, at downtown Meridian’s Dumont Plaza, will highlight 18 specialty restaurants — many of them new to the area.

“A lot of times when a new restaurant opens, people won’t go there because they are unfamiliar with the type of food served there,” said Joyce Lane of ACES Meridian (Arts and Community Events Society), the event sponsor. “They’ll say, ‘I’ve never eaten that so I won’t go there.’ And because of that, these type restaurants struggle and often don’t take off and fly.”

From 5-9 p.m., FEASTival on Fifth will offer ticketholders the opportunity to “travel around the world” and sample a variety of cuisines — Mediterranean, Italian, Costa Rican, Indian and more.

“Ticket holders will receive a passport to take from restaurant to restaurant to have stamped,” Lane explained. “Each restaurant will offer a sample-size portion of food that represents their country.”

In addition to sample-sized portions, each participating restaurant will sell up to two appetizer-size dishes for $5 each.

“We’d like to see people or family pick out a half dozen different plates they would like to try and share them; have fund trying different foods,” Lane said.

Once the ticketholder’s passport is filled with stamps from each of FEASTival on Fifths participating restaurants, they will drop it in a big suitcase to be eligible to win prizes including two tickets to the Egg Bowl, a two-night stay at the Johnny Knight Treehouse in Mendenhall, two rounds of shooting clays at Binachi Shooting Center, a $150 gift certificate to the Van Zyverden Fall Sale and more.

In addition to a cultural celebration of food, FEASTival on Fifth will offer entertainment through wandering musicians. Members of the Merino Symphony Orchestra will wander throughout the area performing.

Tickets are currently available online at acesmeridian.org. The cost: $20, adults; $15, children 12 and up; free for children under 12 accompanied by an adult.

On the day of the festival, tickets will be $25, adults; $20, children 10 and up.

For more information, visit acesmeridian.org