The Best in U.S. Food Festivals
Top Festivals Celebrating Regional and International Food and Wine
Jun 2, 2009
There is nothing like a food festival which gives you the opportunity to taste the best in a wide range of foods and wines – a perfect idea for any vacation or weekend getaway.
Taste of Chicago Food Festival
This 10 day food festival usually occurs in late June and is attended by over 3 million people. Every day over 70 local Chicago restaurateurs offer a variety of delicious fare in Grant Park, a 300 acre park in downtown Chicago. The food is also accompanied by musical entertainment on a variety of stages, a family village with activities and rides for the kids, and a market where you can purchase foods from all over the world. Best of all, admission to the grounds and musical concerts are free. Food tickets are relatively inexpensive. For fare at any of the booths you can expect to pay 1 to a maximum of 10 tickets for a sampling dish (tickets are 12 for $8).
Epcot International Food and Wine Festival
The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is a fall event that runs from late September until the second week of November. Taking place at the Epcot Theme Park at Disney World you’ll discover specialty food items, fun culinary events, ultra chic parties and live musical entertainment. This Disney food wine festival is truly a world experience with cuisine from every country set up in booths along the promenade. You can also attend signature dinners by world famous chefs featuring 5 course meals and the best in wine pairings. Tickets for these events can run from $100 to $400 per person and require a reservation in advance. Other events at the Epcot Food Wine Festival include Kitchen Conversation with a celebrity chef who will perform a cooking demonstration along with a single dish tasting and an autographed copy of their cookbook. The festival also features nightly concerts from renowned musical acts such as Boys II Men and Jon Secada. For the general events, admission to Epcot Theme Park is required and prices for the food samples are anywhere from $2 to $5.
Atlantic City Wine and Food Festival
This food festival takes place at the end of July with four jam-packed days of events, tastings and celebrity appearances. Chefs from the Food Network and Bravo host the event as well as hold cooking demonstrations, do book signings and even interact with guests at the various events held throughout the weekend. Bally’s Grand Ballroom is turned into The Grand Market where you will sample dishes from the best local and national chefs. Food events range in price from $30 to enter the Grand Market Sommelier to $50 for the Gourmet Pizza Bash to $1,000 for a two hour private dinner with a celebrity chef and 25 other guests.
South Beach Wine Food Festival
Hosted by the Food Network and presented by Food and Wine Magazine, the South Beach Food Wine Festival is one of the country’s most renowned food festivals. It takes place each February and features a wide range of celebrity chefs from the Food Network. Previous attendees have includes chefs such as Paula Deen, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, and Martha Stewart. There are family events such as the Kidz Kitchen, evening events such as Casino Night (hosted by a celebrity chef), and favorite events such as the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village. Special events at this food fest can cost anywhere from $150 to $1,000. It is recommended that you buy tickets in advance as events sell out quickly.
As you can see, food festivals are a great vacation idea for the whole family. Plan your next food holiday to one of these great events.
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