Food festivals feed many hungers
Napoleon never said armies travel on their stomachs (and in fact, his troops suffered from poor provisioning). But, as every meeting prof knows, attendees really do. In addition to supplying necessary calories, food can satisfy other hungers for those who wear your lanyards. A hunger for a sense of place worth the long TSA lines and early-morning flights, for instance. For authenticity of the destination experience you’ve planned. For stories and images they are eager to take home.
So, whether in bleisure time bookended to your meeting or in between (or after) sessions, choosing to pair your dates and destination with one of America’s great annual food festivals—which are also feasts of local music and people-watching—can be a serendipitous way to sate all those hungers. Here is a sampling of surefire crowd-pleasers (be aware that admission and individual tasting fees may apply).
“Food can satisfy many hungers for those who wear your lanyards.”
February
Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival: Over 400 vendors, plus the Food Network’s star chefs like Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay and Rachel Ray, will take part in the 25th annual Miami Beach gathering in multiple venues, including Miami Beach Convention Center. Signature events in past years have included a Burger Bash hosted by Emeril Lagasse and the Grand Tasting Village, with more than 50 restaurants and 100 wine and spirits brands participating. The 2026 event occurs Feb. 19–22.
Read More: Secrets of Green Miami
March
Charleston Wine + Food Festival: For the 20th year, this culinary celebration of South Carolina’s Lowcountry (and beyond) will raise funds for culinary scholarships and workforce development by spreading more than 100 events over five days. It’s all happening Mar. 4–8.
June
New Orleans Wine & Food Experience: Centered at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, this event also includes the Royal Street Stroll, where attendees can sample wines at French Quarter antique shops. Venerable restaurants like Commander’s Palace, Brennan’s and Antoine’s serve up Crescent City cuisine, and during the Tournament of Roses sommeliers compete in blind tastings. June 10–14.
Read More: Notes from the Road: New Orleans
Aspen Food & Wine Classic: For over four decades, this culinary event set against a Colorado high-country backdrop has been delighting foodies with three days of cooking demonstrations, wine and spirit tastings, plus panel discussions led by world-class chefs and beverage experts. June 19–21.
July
Taste of Chicago: This may be the biggest of them, with some 1.5 million attending this no-admission event in Grant Park in past years to sample fare from food trucks, pop-up restaurants and celeb chefs. In recent years it’s been held in the fall but not in 2026; exact dates are yet to be announced.
September
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati: It’s not in October, but this sudsy German festival on Cincinnati’s riverfront is the country’s largest—and one of the biggest outside of Munich. And it’s celebrating its 50th anniversary. Who can resist the World’s Largest Chicken Dance or the Running of the Wieners dachshund race? Exact dates to come, but expect mid-September.
November
Austin Food & Wine Festival: This 16th annual culinary must-attend in the Texas capital will return with its signature Fire Pit, where attendees can savor smoky bites just off the flames while meeting pitmasters and chefs cooking with live fire. Dates to be announced.
Read More: San Antonio/Austin: Be Weird, Meet Smart
Lots of other food festivals will crowd the calendar in the coming year, some of them deliciously unique. Like the Vermont Maple Festival (April 24–26) in St. Albans; the National Peanut Festival (late October–early November) in Dothan, Alabama; and the Urbanna Oyster Festival (Nov. 5–6) in Virginia.
And for the following year, mark your September calendars for Terra Madre Americas 2027, the biennial event that combines the acclaimed Farm-to-Fork Festival in Sacramento, California, with the U.S. edition of Slow Food International’s renowned Salone del Gusto, filling the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and surrounding streets with three days of food and drink tastings from across the American hemisphere.
This article appears in the November 2025 issue.
