Big-name chefs, ambitious meals, and a steady stream of bubbles and brews are only a quick trip away
I ’ve look dozens of nutrient fete over the years , as a journalist , evaluator , and spectator , and the agitation and humoring never gets old . Exclusive dishes and collaborations create solid food wonk FOMO , and the ephemeral nature of a fete allow chef to bust out of the traditional concerns and protocols of restaurants . The bites you ’ll try at a food festival are all about fun and flavour , freed of the essence of practicality or what ’s work to trade .
Some festivals are focalize on a single component or regional delicacy , while others pair local chefs with external notable . A couplet are one - day affair , while others last for more than a calendar week with seated dinner party , master category , and walkaround tastings . upshot like these give chefs , artisans , winemakers , and sommeliers a chance to hang out together , and Guest get to see the industry - wide comradery that does n’t always interpret to a all right dining eatery experience . Do n’t be timid , this is your chance to geek out and involve a lot of questions .
The festival on this inclination all serve high-pitched quality food and drunkenness , create a rummy atmosphere , and — perhaps most important of all — proffer a fantastic experience . These events reliably keep off the major pitfalls of food festivals in ecumenical : long queue , fights for seating , and running out of champagne before the political party even set off . So as you work through your locomotion plan in this new yr , count the best intellectual nourishment festivals in 2025 .
Photo courtesy of Flavors Beyond Borders Food Festival
Cayman Cookout
Grand Cayman , Cayman IslandsJanuary 15 - 20What started as chef Eric Ripert hanging out with some of his friends on a beach in the Caribbean 16 years ago , has snowball into the most epic of food fete , with almost 100 unlike consequence over the course of study of five twenty-four hours at The Ritz - Carlton , Grand Cayman . There are result for all interests , whether you require to wake up early for kayak through the Rhizophora mangle followed by morning cocktails or have a late nighttime champagne kitty party . The Barefoot BBQ on Seven Mile Beach is always a signature event . Last year , there was a drone show , and José Andrés played Boocercus eurycerus while smoke cigar .
South Beach Wine & Food Festival
Miami , FloridaFebruary 20 - 23Miami is get laid as a party metropolis , and this four - day beach party is like Art Basel for the intellectual nourishment residential district . Last year there were more than 65,000 attendees over four days , and the production and buildout of the fantastic tasting tents on the sand is truly impressive . Jean - Georges ' annual pizza pie and ping pong political party at the South Beach EDITION is always a fun sentence . This year , Guy Fieri hosts a resilient showdown of Food internet ’s hit series Tournament of Champions and cake master Duff Goldman hosts a funniness show and dessert political party for the ultimate sugar high .
Ojai Food + Wine
Ojai , CaliforniaMarch 13 - 16Heavy batsman bend out for this long weekend extravaganza in mystical Ojai Valley . With more than 100 chef and food personalities , and 40 upshot over four Day , you ’re assure to get up close and personal with some of your favorites , whether it ’s rule book sign language with Alice Waters and Phil Rosenthal or cooking demos like a sustainable seafood extra with Michael Cimarusti . Try flight of rarified wine from Harlan Estate and Screaming Eagle , and enjoy sit down dinner from three - wizard Michelin restaurants like Alinea , Addison , and Smyth . Invitation - only after party with DJ amusement are useable for gold and platinum ticket holders too .
Taste of Vail
Vail , ColoradoApril 2 - 5Combine give skiing with great food , wine , and beer and you have the trappings for a strident food festival that does n’t take itself too seriously . Most events startle in the good afternoon , so you’re able to ski in the daybreak , then show up in ski appurtenance or athleisure for wine-colored seminars and après taste on the streets of Vail . The out-of-door mountaintop tasting at 10,350 feet above ocean horizontal surface is a ca n’t miss outcome — just do n’t forget to hydrate in between glasses of wine-coloured .
Pebble Beach Food & Wine
Pebble Beach , CaliforniaApril 10 - 13This one ’s for the actual wine-coloured lovers . Magnums of rare vintage wine are free fall all weekend , with intimate wine seminars each day ( like a Laurent - Perrier Grand Siècle vertical tasting last year ) that are both envy - inducement and educational . And the food is outstanding too — the touch grand tasting wrick over a entirely fresh lineup of chef from Saturday to Sunday , so there are no repetition . Last year , goat curry , vegan mushroom cloud and Pastinaca sativa “ bone marrow , ” and silky soft scrambled egg topped with caviare were just a few of the memorable insect bite .
Healdsburg Food & Wine Experience
Healdsburg , CaliforniaMay 15 - 18This wine-colored country weekend celebrates the grandness of local agriculture — farmers , wine worker , and local artisans — with a divers batting order of chef talent . chef like Viet Pham , Lee Anne Wong , Matt Horn , and Diego Oka are on paw dish dinners , leading demos , and hosting thoughtful discussion . Last year , a Bollywood party with Maneet Chauhan was a highlight , along with the popular magnum party at The Matheson . wait onward to a brunch and pool political party at Montage Healdsburg to reason out the weekend revel .
Kauai Poke Fest
Kauai , HawaiiJune 14Poke is Hawaii ’s signature saucer , a popular snack among fishermen in the 1970s that completely took off on the mainland in recent years . This one day festival at Kōloa Landing Resort lionise poke with local fisherman and chef , headlined by fabled Hawaiian chef and restaurateurSam Choy . Tickets award guest all - you - can - eat service of 20 - plus different variance on poke by local chefs as well as home cooks , all competing for the rarified loot . The consultation votes for their favorite , so everyone gets to be part of the judging physical process . Poke is often made from tuna , but depend on the season there are versions that practice marlin , ono , and tombo albacore too . There can even be vegan versions of jab , as Choy demonstrate with diced taro and ' ulu breadfruit tossed in shoyu sriracha sauce .
Flavors Beyond Borders
Las Catalinas , Costa RicaJune 18 - 22Girls start the humanity at this Costa Rican food festival , a partnership between The Culinary Institute of America ( CIA ) and Casa Chameleon to raise scholarship finances for char undergraduates . gamey profile CIA graduates like Houston ’s Evelyn Garcia and MasterChef champion Dara Yu lead hands - on cookery classes and company with guests on a secret catamaran tour . Cold plunges and yoga classes each morning give invitee a chance to connect with chefs outside of solid food , and Romance terpsichore class , deep brown cupping classes , and tortilla hold demonstration ensure a delicious and uniquely Costa Rican weekend .
Maine Lobster Festival
Rockland , MaineJuly 30 - August 3Admission to this lobster - palooza is liberal , and the world ’s large lobster cooker whips up more than 36 gobs of lobster each day for lobster rolls , lobster mac ' n cheese , lobster bisque , and more , with risky blueberry cobbler for dessert . Plus , there are unequalled competitions like the great crate slipstream , where contestants skitter across 50 floating wooden lobster crate in a test of balance and survival , along with a children ’s lobster eating competition and piracy 101 course that includes cannon lessons and high seas arm demonstrations .
Chicago Gourmet
Chicago , IllinoisSeptember 25 - 28Chicago Gourmet is a playfulness event at an specially beautiful fourth dimension of twelvemonth in one of the country ’s most dynamic food cities , all go down against one of the most beautiful skyline in the world . repeated favorite events include the Hamburger Hop , and a late night gourmet party afterwards for chef to let sluttish . This twelvemonth , a chef pickleball tournament and “ Capricorn and tote bag ” bespoke tote bag decorating with Stephanie Izard using yield and vegetable stamps are democratic new addition .
Del Mar Wine + Food Festival
San Diego , CaliforniaSeptember 10 - 14Soccer icon Alex Morgan , NFL caption Drew Brees , and pro surfer Rob Machado cofounded this festival in 2023 , bringing together wiz athletes , Hollywood celebs , and Food web stars . The weeklong fête balances culinary indulgence with sporty outdoor fun , including golfing , soccer , volleyball game and channel-surf events . Last yr , there was even a beach cleanup with local surf legend Jake Marshall followed by seafood brunch . celebration conjure awareness for LGBTQ+ comprehension in sports and culinary culture , celebrated the region ’s vivacious Cali - Baja cross - border influence , and raised money for Feeding San Diego .
Park City Wine Festival
Park City , UtahOctober 2 - 5Autumn is the most beautiful fourth dimension to be in Park City , with the change seasons and mountain landscape brushed with golden and red hues . This down - to - dry land festival include several winemaker hikes with al fresco luncheon for a probability to authentically connect with industry professional in nature . The unsighted tasting wine-colored case is cockamamy and unpretentious ; everyone is give a mystery wine-colored to identify and appraise in between snack and terpsichore . For the really sound hooey , top dog to the top of Red Pine Gondola for the rarities and book try on the final nighttime .
Fall for Greenville
Greenville , South CarolinaOctober 10 - 13This long - running local food festival doubles as the large free euphony fete in the Southeast , with more than 80 band performing across six stages over three days . Past performers admit St. Paul and the Broken Bones , Chapel Hart , Marcus King Band , Turnpike Troubadours and Cedric Burnside . More than 60 local restaurants serve key signature knockout from protrude - up tent , with an medium price of $ 6 , so attendee can cobble together their own affordable tasting bill of fare . Greenville has become a culinary destination and while they do n’t have a Michelin usher yet , the metropolis is home to Michelin ’s North America headquarters .
Kohler Food & Wine
Kohler , WisconsinOctober 16 - 19Midwest food for thought traditions are on full display here , whether it ’s seminar pair wine and cheese or beer and chocolate , or demonstration on how to prepare fantastic plot . A ' Taste of the Vine ' walkaround result that conduct office throughout Kohler ’s showrooms is a highlight , with smashing solid food , wine , and fun picture opps . You ’ll want to get early before the safe wines ladder out . While participating chef for 2025 have yet to be name , the last duo of years Dominique Crenn and Martha Stewart were headliners , so the lineup is sure to be good .
Urbanna Oyster Festival
Urbanna , VirginiaNovember 7 - 8Virginia is theoyster capital of the East Coast , with more than 40 million oyster sold each year , andeight distinct huitre regionsacross the state . huitre enthusiast can enjoy theVirginia Oyster Trailall yr round , but this two - twenty-four hour period fete is one of the oldest and largest oyster festival in the United States , raise oyster cultivation and consumption with parades , alive music , and oyster shucking rival , along with sexually attractive oyster dishes like ham and oyster cooky , buttermilk fried huitre , huitre stew , and bally Blessed Virgin huitre shooters .
Caribbean Food & Wine Festival
Providenciales , Turks & CaicosNovember 6 - 10Over the past 30 old age , Turks & Caicos has become a premier name and address for laidback luxury , and this festival celebrate local ingredient like coconut , conch , and lobster against a backdrop of the most pristine peacock blue waters in the Caribbean . The gourmet safari sells out quickly , with guests follow a Junkanoo band between stops on a meandering fiesta . Last year , Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas - Lee of Scratch Restaurants were headliners , finish up the weekend with a grand finale Sunday sushi brunch couple with Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame champagne . A portion of proceeds from tag sales benefit Turks & Caicos Islands Community College .
Temecula Olive Oil Harvest Festival
Temecula , CaliforniaNovember 2025 , specific dates TBDOlive oil is an constitutional ingredient in just about every kitchen and this one day festival pay for some of Southern California ’s best chefs to the olive Leslie Richard Groves during harvesting for a solemnisation of unused pressed olio nuovo , which translate to “ unexampled oil colour ” but is akin to liquid amber . Expect Santa Maria grills and tobacco user , chicken legs with the feet still bond and olive oil used in every cup of tea from soup and braise noggin to frosting cream . Meander through the garden with local wine , beer , or cider in hand while listening to mariachi music and making new friends .
Photo courtesy of South Beach Wine & Food Festival
Photo courtesy of Pebble Beach Food & Wine
Kauai Poke Fest.|Photo courtesy of Kōloa Landing Resort
Photo courtesy of Maine Lobster Festival
Photo courtesy of Fall for Greenville
Photo courtesy of Caribbean Food & Wine Festival
