The Getaway
Get Your Fill at North America's Top Food Festivals

Food festivals are a culinary experience like no other, giving you unfiltered access to the most delectable delicacies on earth. From Chicago to Toronto and everywhere in between, North America does it big with gastronomical goodies galore. You'll find far more than tantalizing treats; however, you can also bond with fellow foodies, celebrate a wide range of cultures and customs, and nudge shoulders with celebrity chefs. Clear your calendars, gastronomes; these mouthwatering events are worth traveling for.

Advertisement

01 New York City Wine and Food Festival (NYCWFF)

With venues across NYC getting in on the action, this four-day festival is truly a feast for the senses. Over 80 events are crafted by 500+ chefs, so there's no shortage of tantalizing cuisine and vino to sample. The robust calendar features everything from themed seminars and tastings to culinary demos, cooking classes, wine pairings, exhibitions, and late-night parties, and you'll experience it all while mingling with the world's premier chefs and celebrity foodies.

Advertisement

02 Taste of Chicago

For five remarkable days, the largest food festival in the world takes over downtown Chicago. Over three million people attend every year, and with 30-40+ restaurants and food trucks available each day, get ready to savor nearly any food item you can imagine. Ethnic entrees from around the world pair with American classics and local specialties, and three main stages feature nationally renowned artists. Neighborhood pop-ups give you intimate access to the city's most diverse areas, with even more tasty bites, activities, and entertainment to explore.

Advertisement

03 Bay Bites Food Truck Festival

Food trucks are rapidly expanding in popularity, and you can savor all the flavor in downtown Mobile, Alabama, every July. The best local trucks showcase their delicacies amid engaging live music, lawn games, giveaways, and kids' entertainment. Pair mouthwatering burgers with the best in craft beer, or try something new with a scrumptious crab crepe. There's something for every taste here, and profits benefit the city's efforts for cleaner air, cleaner water, and healthier communities.

Advertisement

04 Los Angeles Food and Wine Festival (LAFW)

This four-day festival is a media favorite, and it's easy to see why. Events occur throughout LA, and they're held by the top celebrity chefs in the game, including TV favorites like Guy Fieri and Masaharu Morimoto. What's on the menu? At this all-you-can-eat extravaganza, the more appropriate question is, "what isn't?" Taste epicurean delights from Santa Monica to downtown, including craft cocktails, American, Italian, Korean, French, Chinese, and just about anything else you can dream up. There's no shortage of morsels to try, with cooking classes, chef demonstrations, live music, book signings, and featured deals at a wide range of restaurants every year.

Advertisement

05 Picklesburgh Festival

This filling festival frequently sells out, so get your tickets early. Pickles really do go with everything, and chefs get creative with culinary delights in Pittsburgh every summer. Prepare your taste buds for this one; pickles take over every dish and drink. Gourmet sandwiches like the pickled pepper BRGR and pickled marinara Philly cheesesteak pair perfectly with pickle-flavored fried mozzarella, and you could pair that meal with a mouthwatering Pickle Rita, PickeBerry Mule, or Pickle Paloma. Craving something sweet? Get your hands on a peanut butter pickle swirl or a chocolate-covered pickle on a stick, and rev up your itinerary by selecting a slot in the pickle juice drinking contest.

Advertisement

06 Three Kings Bread Fiesta

Every January 6th, people all over Mexico gather to celebrate Fiesta de Los Santos Reyes or Three Kings Day. This centuries-old tradition pays homage to the three wise men who visited Bethlehem bearing gifts for the newborn baby Jesus, and it lives on in full force. Mexican Kings Bread is a crown-shaped sweet, spongy bread filled with orange zest and decorated with candied fruits, jam, and sugary paste. Small dolls are baked inside, and whoever discovers the doll has to host a Candlemas Day party on February 2nd. In Mexico City's main square alone, over 200,000 portions are shared, utilizing nearly 2,000 pounds of butter.

Advertisement

07 Mexican Ice Cream Festival

Mango sorbet and chili powder

Scream for ice cream as you sample Mexico's most exotic flavors. Hosted in Tulyehualco every spring, visitors can please their palettes with eclectic frozen desserts. Compare classics like strawberry and chocolate, or think outside the box with a lick of an exotic rose petal, tequila, or cactus patty cone. One-of-a-kind flavors include everything from beer to oyster, snake, and skunk, making this event one of the most unique ways to test your taste buds.

Advertisement

08 Taste of the Danforth

Canada's largest street food festival doesn't disappoint, taking over Toronto's Danforth Street for three days each August. Originally designed to celebrate Greek culture and heritage, nearly two million annual visitors can expect an impressive assortment of the country's finest multicultural cuisine. Greek favorites are still a staple, so you'll devour traditional entrees like souvlaki, moussaka, and grilled lamb. Street vendors from around the world also take part, however, so sample international dishes while discovering a vibrant schedule filled with contests, live music, and entertainment, from Bollywood performers to Aboriginal singers.

Advertisement

09 Ottawa Poutine Fest

Open up Instagram and search #spreadthecurd, and you'll catch mouthwatering photos from this scrumptious annual event. For four days from late April through early May, over 30 vendors take over Ottawa City Hall and display their goods, offering hundreds of unique takes on Canada's favorite dish. From savory to sweet, bare-bones to filled to the brim, try countless poutine varieties all in one place. Invite the whole crew and cheer each other on in the famous potato sack race, catch riveting live music performances, drink up at the craft beer garden, or go for the gold in a poutine-eating contest.

Advertisement

10 Dine Out Vancouver

You have ample time to dig in at this 17-day event, which takes the cake as one of Canada's largest food festivals. Here, you can please your palate with samples from nearly 300 of Vancouver's top restaurants. Participating eateries feature flavorful three, and four-course meals at prix-fixe prices, and a vibrant schedule of culinary experiences offers something for every foodie. Take a guided dining adventure or brunch crawl through the city, learn top tricks at a cocktail masterclass, attend a dinner with professional chefs, visit unique street food markets, or get your fill at a range of wine and craft beer tastings.

Share

Scroll Down

for the Next Article

The Getaway Badge
Sign up to receive insider info and deals that will help you travel smarter.
Advertisement
Advertisement