I want to say I love Taste of Charlotte since it's a cool event uptown which we need more of. Truth is, I don't love it and didn't even taste anything this year! The samples are reallyyyyy small (yes, I know it's called "taste") - but at $4-5 bucks a pop (3-4 tokens), it adds up fast! The one place I wanted to taste (Viva Chicken) had such an insane line I skipped it. Good news for us, there was a mini food truck event at Romare Bearden Park, so we headed there instead.
But if you still want to check it out, I suggest going on Friday. It's really crowded, but I've heard it's even busier on Sat/Sun. I also saw that you can purchase your tokens online ahead of time. Bring cash b/c they charge you an extra fee if using a card. Yes, they have lots of free stuff and people trying to sell you stuff.
One more thing - how are there no Charlotte beers here??? The only craft brewery was Sweet Water (btw beers were 5 tokens/almost $7). That's a major miss at something that's supposed to be a local event.