20 US Food Festivals You Need To Attend At Least Once

What could be better than enjoying some great eats while having fun with friends and family at a festival? There's something to cater to every taste and preference, including popular favorites like barbecue and sweets. But you can also check out unusual offerings, such as festivals to celebrate everything about garlic or crabs. Many include music, culture, history, and general fun as part of admission. Some are free to attend, with extra paid tickets for tastings or food items. Others require a general admission ticket. For the fanciest of festivals, a VIP ticket gets you special access to events, demonstrations, and even dinners with top chefs.

Make sure to check out these popular food festivals, including up-and-coming events featuring new talent or a unique spin on food festivals. Fortunately, there's something in almost every corner of the United States, so there's a spot for everyone to enjoy fun and food with family and friends.

Held in New Orleans, the National Fried Chicken Festival is the perfect place to get your fill of tasty, hot fried chicken. Sponsored by Raising Cane's, there are plenty of other vendors as well. If you're not in a chicken mood or had your fill, you can opt for other items, including vegetarian and gluten-free offerings.

There are plenty of fun activities around the festival. Stop by the beer garden, margarita garden, or tea brew house to wash down your food. Head over to the main stage to see cooking demos and hear from culinary experts on all things fried chicken. Enjoy a classic car show, stop by the children's area, or enjoy a great lineup of musical acts.

You can smell the garlic from the Gilroy Garlic Festival as you drive through Central California's rural farmland. This is one of the most unusual food events, mainly due to the love for this pungent ingredient. How exactly did this festival begin? It was the invention of the President of Gavilan College in Gilroy in 1979 to celebrate garlic, a local crop that is still in high production today. 

You can get everything garlic-themed, including traditional favorites like fries and pepper steak sandwiches to unexpected options like garlic ice cream. If you can add garlic to it, you'll find it at the festival. Cheer on chefs as they compete in the garlic cook-off or enjoy live music from the stage. 

The five-day Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland has been heaven for lobster lovers since 1947 but has plenty of other varieties of seafood available as well. At the center of the festival is the main lobster cooker, which prepares the local dish for dinner each night. A nearby cafe tent serves up lobster rolls, salads, wraps, and other options throughout the day.

There are also fun games and activities, including a main stage with live music, a kids' tent, and a petting zoo. Test your skills at a lobster eating contest and a race across floating lobster crates. You can also learn about how lobsters are part of Maine's heritage and culture with interactive displays and history features.

It's not surprising that the Cheese Curd Festival calls Wisconsin home. The two-day event, which includes around 6,000 pounds of cheese curds, is held in Ellsworth, the cheese curd capital of the state. You can pair these with craft beer, hard ciders, local wines, non-alcoholic drinks, plus other tasty food options like barbecue, hot dogs, and burgers. Vendors that put their own spin on things, including sweet dessert curds. Each year features a signature flavor of curd only available at the festival.

You can also spend time enjoying live music, checking out classic cars, or even participating in the cheese curd eating contest. Local breweries compete in craft and curd pairings with festival participants as the judges.

If you want to get up close and personal with your favorite celebrity chef, the South Beach Wine and Food Festival is the place to go. This large festival in Miami brings in some big names, including Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, and Alex Guarnaschelli. 

You can get tickets to a dinner hosted by your cooking idol or to see your favorite chefs compete with each other. Unlike most other festivals, this one has multiple tiers and individual event tickets rather than just an all-inclusive pass to the event. It is on the pricey side, so expect to shell out some big bucks, especially if you want to attend he most in-demand classes, dinners, and special events. 

You don't need to get tickets to attend the Taste of Chicago festival in the Windy City's Grant Park. Set against the backdrop of Buckingham Fountain, it has plenty of options for food and entertainment, including free concerts on two stages, family events and games, and even a 1,000-pound cheesecake.

Food is available from individual vendors, but you can listen to live music, participate in dance events, and visit the family area to check out the art, games, and inflatables for free. For those who are looking for a bite, this festival has plenty of options. There are food trucks, restaurant tents, and beverage vendors, with a complete lineup of available food published before the festival weekend in the fall. 

If you love this sweet and tart fruit, you have to see the National Cherry Festival in Michigan. It's held in Traverse City, one of the cherry capitals of the world. There are parades, pageants, marching bands, and, of course, plenty of cherries. Pie, juice, dried cherries, and wine are some of the festival's signature items, but you can also get your own fruit from the u-pick fields.

2025 will be its 99th year, and big names like Tyler Hubbard, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and T.I. are just a few of the acts playing on the main stage. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels demonstration team will be there for an airshow, and plenty of local artists, including students, will be honored.

The Hawaii Food and Wine Festival actually has events on Oahu, Hawaii, and Maui for multiple days. You can check out one festival or all three to attend food and wine tastings and gala dinners featuring local ingredients. A big part of this festival is designed to support up-and-coming culinary talent to keep the industry flourishing in Hawaii. Wine dinners and grand tasting events are held at different venues, giving participants a chance to see some of the hot spots around the islands.

Hawaii's culinary scene is influenced by international food with an emphasis on native local ingredients. Just like Hawaii itself, the festival brings together many cultures and puts a distinctly Aloha spin on everything.

Held in NYC's Little Italy, the Feast of San Gennaro has been combining Italian heritage with food and entertainment for 99 years. Many of the vendors have traditional Neapolitan dishes, including pizza, spaghetti alle vognolle, and delicious sfogliatella pastries, plus wares celebrating Italy.

Because of the city's tight quarters, this festival takes place in the streets rather than in a large field or parade ground. But that makes it feel very intimate, even though there are parades, vendors, al fresco dining, and live music concerts throughout the 11-day event. There can be large crowds during peak times like parades, but because the festival spans multiple days, you can always find a quieter time to grab a bite to eat.

The Baltimore Crab Fest, held during the summer, lets participants enjoy tasty, tender crabs at a historic railway museum. You can learn to crack crabs like a local or stick with crab cakes and tacos, or another tasty favorite. If you're a seasoned crab veteran, you can pre-order as many steamed crabs as you want when you register to make sure that you'll get your fill. They're also available at the festival.

Everyone with a ticket gets access to drinks and food, including crabs, for purchase. VIP ticket holders get to enjoy a beer tent with complimentary drinks and a commemorative glass. There is also plenty of live music and other vendors that highlight the best of Baltimore and the surrounding areas.

Ribs, chicken, brisket, and pulled pork are just a few of the mouthwatering options at the Bluegrass and Barbecue Festival in Missouri's Silver Dollar City. This theme park combines rides and fun with 1880s history, transforming during the festival to feature live music and delicious food. It spans more than 20 days, ending on Memorial Day each summer, with celebrations, food offerings, and fun.

A "tasting passport" guides festival goers through the event, with must-try dishes featured. Barbecue favorites are expected, including chicken, smoked brisket, and crispy pork belly. But other items, like mac and cheese, barbecue chips, apple funnel cake, and peach cobbler bread pudding complete each plate. You can also get beverages to go with your tasty food.

Get a taste of the heat at the Delta Hot Tamale Festival in Greenville, Mississippi. A big welcome dinner kicks things off on Thursday. Vendors and events gather crowds on Friday, and the whole party is in full swing on Saturday. 

Saturday begins with a parade, meet and greets with chefs, live artist demonstrations, and plenty of tasty tamales throughout the day. This is the perfect day to stop by one of the vendor tents to try different cooking styles and get a bit of many types of treats.  You'll need a wristband to get into the festival on Friday afternoon or Saturday, but admission is only $5 and you can get your ticket on the day of the event. 

It's all about the wings at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York. The festival is held during the two days of Labor Day weekend and general admission tickets are only $20 if paid in cash. Veterans and active duty military can get in for free during Armed Forces Night and kids under the age are always free.

You can try all sorts of chicken wing flavors, including the namesake buffalo wings, plus sauces and toppings. Other food options include pizza, burgers, and plenty of desserts, along with beverages. Try the amateur chicken wing eating contest or the amateur creative sauce contest. Kids under the age of four can participate in the baby wing costume contest parade.

The Family Style Fest is a one-day food festival that combines iconic restaurants around LA with fashion in a fun festival atmosphere. The same event takes place in other cities around the U.S., but the LA location is a large event that brings the top area restaurants alongside fashion designers for the ultimate photo op.

There are multiple ticket tiers from general admission at $40 all the way to VIP for $200. In addition to tasty food and fashion collabs, there is also a lineup of live music and cooking competitions. This is the perfect festival for those who like to bring home commemorative merch as well as eat amazing dishes. It's meant to bring together communities for shared eating and cultural experiences.

The picturesque Food & Wine Classic in Aspen takes place over three days and brings culinary experts together with wine-makers to let attendees enjoy delicious food paired with exceptional beverages, both alcoholic and not. This festival has been going for 40 years and features cooking demos, plus plenty of tasting opportunities, as well as discussions from expert chefs and vintners. "Top Chef" finalists are typically featured and share their expertise through demos and Q&A.

The grand tasting is the event to watch. There are usually around 40 tents with top restaurants and wineries represented. You can get small bites and tastings, plus talk to the chefs and wine-makers behind some of the most talked-about dishes and vintages. 

The Charleston Wine + Food Festival is approaching its 20th year and has hosted more than 400,000 attendees over the years. You can get tickets for individual lunches, dinners, parties, and cooking demos, as well as general festival admission. Entrance to the culinary village is available for individual days, which gives you access to food samplings, wine and beer tastings, and plenty of vendors of crafts, books, and more.

This is one of the few festivals to offer payment plans for ticket purchases. Considering that most tickets are between $100 and $200 for a single meal experience, this can be a great way to enjoy the festival without footing a big bill all at once.

The Lexington Barbecue Festival celebrates all things barbecue and spans nine city blocks in this North Carolina city, which are closed off to traffic during the entire event. You can pick up chopped meat, plus slaw and fries, at one of three tents. Food from these tents is unique to the festival and crafted by local chefs and pitmasters. 

Other featured events include a kid zone with games and inflatables, a tasting garden for craft beer and wine, a giant-themed sand sculpture, a classic car show, and plenty of live music. There are plenty of tastings and vendors, as well as the state of North Carolina's barbecue cook-off. The festival finishes with a grand finale concert and fireworks.

Playing on the name of the host city Pittsburgh, Picklesburgh is the perfect place to go to embrace everything pickled. Taste sandwiches, ice cream, and cocktails or compete for the title of "Earl of Eating" in a pickle-eating contest. There is also an abundance of themed merch, such as t-shirts, hats, stickers, posters, and other commemorative artwork. There is an almost endless supply of pickle styles from different cultures.

Food offerings can get a little wacky at this festival, but the briny flavor of dill pickles is a surprisingly good pairing for sweet desserts, vodka, potato chips, relish, and so much more. A lot of the vendors offer small batch items and you might only be able to find them at the festival.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is the perfect way to experience everything culinary and music-related that this city has to offer. Food includes some all-time Louisiana favorites, like po-boys, jambalaya, and étoufée, as well as other cooking styles like gyros, falafel, yakisoba, and Bánh mì. You can wash it all down with flavored iced teas or a cafe au lait.

There are six stages with live music and the festival goes for eight days with musicians performing starting at 11 am. Tickets are a little pricey for adults and range from $85-$105 for a single day, but kids ages 10 and under can get in with a parent or guardian for only $5.

The National Shrimp Festival is a free festival hosted by the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber that celebrates everything to do with shrimp. Food offerings revolve around shrimp, with freshly prepared shellfish as the star of the day, but you can also get platters with other seafood, crab cakes, fish tacos, and other types of food. Competitions for "Best of Fest" are held based on signature ingredients and condiments to go with shrimp and seafood, like cocktail and tartar sauce.

This festival celebrates the coastal Alabama life with a sandcastle contest and vendor booths full of art, crafts, homewares, and fun shrimp-themed festival merch. Food and other wares require purchase but entrance to the festival is free.