Who doesn’t love food festivals? At our EWR Airport parking company, we sure do. That’s why we’ve been looking forward to this installment of our five-part “Best Festivals in the US” blog series. We’ve covered music, art, and theater, and now we’re onto the world of food. Here’s where to go to enjoy lobster, bacon, international cuisine, and more:
Taste of Chicago
Every July, around two million people gather in the city’s Grant Park for the biggest food festival in the world. For five days, visitors can enjoy tastings from over 50 local restaurants as well as free concerts, family activities, chef demonstrations, and even a 5K marathon.
PA Bacon Fest
PA Bacon Fest is one of the newer festivals on this list – it only started in 2012. However, it’s been a big hit and features every food you can think of made with bacon. From pretzels to cupcakes to jam and more, people all over Pennsylvania gather at this Downtown Easton celebration every November to enjoy tastings, demonstrations, and contests.
New Orleans Wine and Food Experience
This non-profit festival held over Memorial Day weekend every year is known for its charity: the event’s proceeds support non-profit organizations around the area. The five-day festival raises hundreds of thousands of dollars every year and features food from local restaurants and food trucks. Guests can also browse local art galleries and sip wine throughout the streets.
Eat Mobile
Portland, Oregon is known for its wide array of food trucks and each year, they come together for a festival called Eat Mobile. With more than 25 food carts to sample, a DJ spinning favorite tunes, and food demonstrations, guests have a lot to enjoy. At the end of the festival, there is even a “Carty Award” presented to the winning food truck.
NYC Wine & Food Festival
Each October, more than 50,000 people travel to the Big Apple for a four-day wine and food festival where visitors can enjoy food and wine samples, classes, and seminars from over 500 world-renowned celebrity chefs and culinary personalities. It’s also a festival that donates 100% of its profits to the NYC Food Bank and No Kid Hungry, a non-profit organization.
Maine Lobster Festival
The state of Maine is known for its fresh seafood, and every summer, people from all over head to Rockland’s Harbor Park for Atlantic lobster served an endless number of ways. In addition, visitors can also enjoy clams, rock shrimp, calamari, scallops, and crab, as well as artwork, live music, and beauty pageants during the five-day festival.
Austin Food & Wine Festival
For two days every April, the live music-centric city of Austin turns its focus to food. Guests can enjoy more than 40 cooking demos, wine seminars, kitchen secrets, and cocktail seminars as well as food samples from hundreds of local restaurants at the Grand Tasting Pavilion. There’s also a variety of live music (of course).
Barbecue Festival
Lexington, North Carolina is known as the “Barbecue Capital of the World,” so every October since 1984, more than 150,000 people head to Uptown Lexington for a giant barbecue taste-test. The festival features all the barbecue you can eat as well as local live music, wine tastings, sand sculptures, arts and crafts, and a kids’ area.
Taste of Vail
If you’re looking for a food festival with a view, Taste of Vail is where to go. This three-day festival takes place every spring in Colorado’s beautiful mountain resort town and attracts more than 5,000 people. Guests can taste a variety of foods from some of the best restaurants in the area as well as wine and desserts – all while enjoying the view.
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
For a whopping six weeks, this festival at Orlando’s Walt Disney World offers visitors 30 different marketplaces that feature international food and beverages. There are also food demonstrations, mixology seminars, dining experiences with world-renown chefs, and live music on a nightly basis.
