20 Of The World's Most Renowned Food Festivals Worth Traveling For
Are You A Foodie & A Traveler? Add These To Your Bucket List
For a true epicurean, traveling isn't just about seeing the world; it's about tasting it. Beyond the tantalizing street food and Michelin-starred restaurants each new city has to offer, many destinations steeped in rich culinary tradition also hold festivals to celebrate their unique cultural flavors. These events transform cities into gastronomical paradises where attendees can sample the top dishes on offer, pick up new cooking techniques, and connect with a new culture through the universal language of food. Are you even a foodie if you haven't attended the 20 renowned food festivals around the world? These are worth crossing oceans for.
1. The Taste of Chicago
Known locally as "The Taste," Chicago's massive food festival is one of the biggest and best in the world. Serving up everything from deep-dish pizza to international delicacies, it showcases the immense diversity of the city's food scene.
2. Oktoberfest
Munich's Oktoberfest isn't just about beer (though that's definitely a central part); it's also about Bavarian food traditions. Here you'll find the best versions of bratwurst, pretzels, roast chicken, and other hearty German fare.
Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Girl on Wikimedia
3. Pizzafest
Appropriately, Pizzafest takes place in Naples, Italy, the birthplace of pizza. Master pizzaiolos from around the world gather here to compete for the best Neapolitan pizza, and attendees get to enjoy the spoils alongside live music.
4. Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is a premium event featuring celebrity chefs, rooftop wine tastings, and masterclasses. The "World's Longest Lunch" sees guests dining together on an outdoor table hundreds of meters long.
5. Maine Lobster Festival
There are a few things Maine is known for better than its lobsters. This food festival puts the iconic crustacean center stage. Guests get to enjoy copious amounts of lobster and seafood, cooking competitions, parades, and live music.
6. Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival
Galway's International Oyster and Seafood Festival is the oldest oyster festival in the world, running since 1954. It's a seafood lover's paradise featuring freshly shucked oysters, seafood platters, an oyster shucking competition, champagne, and live Irish music.
7. Tokyo Ramen Festival
The Tokyo Ramen Festival sees the best ramen vendors from around Japan descend on Komazawa Olympic Park. Ramen enthusiasts get to sample different styles of ramen from traditional varieties to unique innovations.
8. National Street Food Festival
The National Street Food Festival in New Delhi, India, is the place to be for those who prefer eating something delicious hunched over on a street corner rather than over a white tablecloth. It brings together the best street vendors across India, celebrating the country's unique street food culture.
9. Festa a Vico
Festa a Vico showcases Italy's celebrated culinary tradition set against the stunning backdrop of the Amalfi Coast.
It features Italy's top chefs, multi-course dinners, tastings, and workshops.
10. Taste of London
Taste of London turns Regent's Park into a culinary paradise, celebrating the city's unique mesh of international cuisine and traditional English fare. Attendees can sample Michelin-starred dishes, explore vibrant food markets, taste local craft beers, and enjoy live music.
Brian Minkoff- London Pixels on Wikimedia
11. Mistura
Lima, Peru, has rapidly grown into the culinary center of South America, so it's no surprise that one of the best food festivals in the world happens here. Mistura showcases the country's incredible gastronomy, biodiversity, and culinary heritage, featuring not just the country's top chefs but the farmers and producers that make it all possible.
Pirata Studio Film on Unsplash
12. Ubud Food Festival
Ubud has risen as Indonesia's cultural and culinary center. As such, the Ubud food festival is one of the best in Southeast Asia, showcasing Indonesian cuisine and the unique local produce, featuring food tastings and workshops by renowned chefs.
Ubud Writers Festival on Wikimedia
13. MTL à Table
Montreal is arguably the best food city in Canada, known for its unique mix of French, English, and international culinary traditions with a Quebecois flair. Over 150 of the city's best restaurants participate in the 18-day-long event spread across several neighbourhoods throughout the city.
Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France on Wikimedia
14. Dubai Food Festival
Dubai Food Festival is a city-wide event held over several weeks featuring food tastings, workshops, and celebrity chef appearances.
It showcases the best of the city's food scene from Michelin-starred restaurants to food trucks.
15. Wildfoods Festival
Wildfoods Festival in Hokitika, New Zealand, is a food event for those with an adventurous palate. It celebrates the country's wild and unique ingredients and lifestyle, featuring dishes of huhu grubs, mountain oysters, and wild game meat. Here, you're guaranteed to try something you've never had before.
16. La Tomatina
La Tomatina is famous for being the world's biggest tomato fight, but it's not all about that. It also features some of the best paella, tapas, and sangria you can get your hands on.
17. Salon du Chocolat
Paris's Salon du Chocolat is a chocolate lover's paradise, celebrating the art of chocolate-making. Hundreds of chocolatiers, cocoa producers, and pastry chefs gather to show off the best chocolate products they have to offer, and attendees get to satisfy their chocolate lust.
18. International Alba White Truffle Fair
Few foods are held in as high regard as the esteemed white truffle, one of the most expensive and coveted foods in the world. The International Alba White Truffle Fair in Alba, Italy, showcases the rare gourmet delicacy through cooking shows, truffle hunting simulations, and fine dining experiences.
19. Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival
Restaurants like Noma and Alchemist put Copenhagen on the gastronomical map with their innovative Nordic cuisine.
The Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival features pop-up restaurants, food markets, and workshops, further solidifying the city's place among the finest food destinations in the world.
20. Abergavenny Food Festival
The Abergavenny Food Festival is one of the few times in the year that people from all over the world flock to Wales. It's an authentic foodie experience known for its focus on local and artisanal ingredients, passionate vendors, and stimulating debates on food ethics.
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