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Food Festivals

Michaela Atiae, Staff Writer

It’s the kick-off of food festival season. Fall is the optimal time to start your gourmet food crawl. Harvesting begins, which means all your food favorites are at their prime. It’s only right to indulge, especially when the festivals happen to line up seamlessly, one after the other. So, keep your calendar open: an excuse to travel and eat well all year long is brewing. 

The Festival: Food & Wine Classic

The Location: Charleston

The Dates: Sept. 27-29, 2024

The Vibe & Things to Know

Charleston is getting the culinary recognition it deserves, with its first-ever Food & Wine Classic. The name might sound familiar to a sister event, Food & Wine Classic Aspen, which has been happening for over 40 years (we’ll get to that later). The gathering, sponsored by Explore Charleston, celebrates the city with food tours and seminars, hosted by local experts. There will be 50+ celebrity chef demos, wine seminars, panels, and over 100 wines and foods to taste in the Grand Tasting Pavilion. 

Food & Wine, and sister brands Southern Living and Travel + Leisure, have collaborated to host the soiree in a city their readers love. The city is charming in its own right, with brightly-colored buildings and temperatures New Yorkers wish for every winter, so a trip down south has a bonus if you coordinate your dates around the festival. From Unlocking Umami with Andrew Zimmern to An Evening in Amalfi by Sorelle, your palate will be forever refined. You can purchase general tickets for seminars and the Tasting Pavilion, or buy individual event passes.

How to get Tickets: Tickets are sold out, but you can sign-up for the waitlist on their website.

Where to Stay: The Loutrel, The Dunlin

The Festival: Taste of Chicago

The Location: Chicago, IL

The Dates: TBD for 2025, Most Likely in Sept.

The Vibe & Things to Know

Taste of Chicago is a seasoned contender on the list with over forty years of merit. This food festival is more laid back than others, and it happens to be quite large (120,000+ attendees). To celebrate Chicago’s culture, food vendors and trucks line up to serve fresh Chicago eats like a slice of Eli’s Cheesecake; the 1,000-pound cake is a spectacle on its own. If you’re an adventurous eater, an alligator hotdog may be more your speed, or you can opt for some soul-warming gumbo. Taste of Chicago has a few more surprises. First, there are live performances at the venue; this year’s musicians included CeeLo Green and Atlas Genius. But the best part is that it’s free to see the performances, and food ranges from $4 to $25. 

How to get Tickets: General admission is free! Food tickets are not available, so have cash or a card ready on the day of. 

Where to Stay: The Peninsula Chicago, Park Hyatt Chicago

The Festival: New York City Wine & Food Festival

The Location: NYC

The Dates: Oct. 17-20, 2024

The Vibe & Things to Know

Food Network is back with its 17th annual Food & Wine Festival in NYC, and anyone can buy a ticket. This year, however, there are a few small tweaks, like a new location and sponsor. Don’t worry about these new changes affecting your favorite events though – they’re still around. This time, the main events will be held at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. The campus of new sponsor Invesco QQQ will give you plenty of room (450,000 sq feet, to be exact) to roam from vendor to masterclass. The rest are scattered throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, so Manhattanites weary of traveling downtown don’t necessarily need to.

The premiere NYC food festival offers over 80 events with celebrity chefs, masterclasses, pier parties, intimate dinners, and cook-offs. If you consider yourself a food lover, the festival is a networking Mecca. But coming to enjoy community, world-class food, and live music are reasons enough to join the party. So you can grab some friends a drink, and enjoy community favorites like Tacos & Tequila, Blue Moon Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray, and of course the Grand Tasting. You’ll feel extra-good nourishing your palate knowing all proceeds go to God’s Love We Deliver to help New Yorkers struggling with illnesses who require food support.

How to get Tickets: Tickets can be purchased for different events on the NYCWFF site. They are on sale now.

Where to Stay: The Whitby Hotel, Crosby Street Hotel

The Festival: Saint Barth Gourmet Festival

The Location: Saint Barth, Caribbean 

The Dates: Nov. 5-10, 2024

The Vibe & Things to Know

The Saint Barth Gourmet Festival offers two key ingredients for a good time—gourmet delicacies and friendly competition. What once was a suggestion to increase tourism rates in Saint Barths over a decade ago is now a national treasure celebrated by locals and foodies around the world. A group of eight chefs will face off and collaborate to create dinner menus that showcase their specialties with a fusion of local flavors. The most acclaimed restaurants and hotels on the island will host the chefs. Some events to look out for are the Chef Challenge Contest, vanilla-inspired dishes made by child chefs, and tea time at the Le Daily Joël Robuchon shop. 

How to get Tickets: You can book a reservation on the festival’s website or directly through the restaurant hosting your favorite chef.

Where to Stay: Hotel Christopher Saint-Barth, Gyp Sea Hotel

The Festival: The Ritz-Carlton Cayman Cookout

The Location: Cayman Islands 

The Dates: January 15-20, 2025

The Vibe & Things to Know

The Cayman Cookout offers a less traditional food festival than the others. For one, this festival will have you traveling overseas to the blue waters of the Caribbean. Then there’s the stay. Since the cookout is hosted by The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, there is the option of a package deal that includes events and boarding. At the head of the event is Chef Eric Ripert of Blue in the Forbes triple Five-Star Hotel and co-owner of Le Bernardin, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in NYC. You’ll be in good company attending this one, as it’s considered more intimate than most acclaimed food festivals, and the barefoot luxury setting will have you beaching with chef superstars. Some events to look out for are the Barefoot BBQ, The Beach Bash, Rum & Robusto, and Saturday’s After Glow Celebration by Moët & Chandon. Tickets are on sale starting Oct. 1 and sell out quickly. 

How to get Tickets: You can purchase tickets on their site for individual events and overnight stays.

Where to Stay: The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa

The Festival: Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

The Location: Aspen

The Dates: June 20-22, 2025

The Vibe & Things to Know

The backdrop differs from your usual Aspen daydreams during the Food & Wine Classic. However, this doesn’t mean a compromise on beauty—swap snowy peaks for luscious greenery and your skis for shakshuka. With four decades in the books, the festival is practically a local holiday – and what’s a successful holiday without wine and cooking? The Grand Tasting Pavilion will offer over 150 foods and drinks, and demos can be enjoyed with Rocky Mountain views. Although seminar and talent lists are yet to be announced for next summer, this festival gives you time to plan your next trip without rushing for a last-minute ticket. There’s little doubt that it will be spectacular, with wine dinners at The Little Nell and celebrity participants like Kristen Kish and David Chang, making 2024’s festival memorable.

How to get Tickets: While passes can be found on the event’s site, they won’t be available until January.

Where to Stay: Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection,The St. Regis Aspen

 FAQs 

Q: How can I get to the Invesco QQQ Campus at Brooklyn Army Terminal for the New York City Wine & Food Festival?

A: The terminal is on the water, making it easily accessible by NYC Ferry. NYCWFF partnered with NYC Ferry for service to and from the terminal. During festival hours, it runs between Wall St./Pier 11 and Brooklyn Army Terminal/ Pier 4. However, the terminal is easily accessible by car, train, or bus. 

Q: Are pets allowed at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen?

A: Pets are not permitted unless they are service or working animals.

Q: Is there an age restriction at the Ritz-Carlton Cayman Cookout?

A: There is no age requirement, but the cookout serves alcohol.

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