What I've enjoyed most, though, is meeting people who have a real interest in food and sharing ideas with them. Good food is a global thing and I find that there is always something new and amazing to learn - I love it!- Jamie Oliver
Food festivals are held all across the world every year, and people from distant parts flock to these venues in large numbers to satiate their taste buds. Apart from being local, national, and international platforms featuring diverse culinary cultures, these festivals are excellent means of uniting different communities under one roof. This is precisely the reason why such festivals have been taking place since thousands of years, wherein people have been marking the arrival of harvest, honoring their deities, and so on. But still, the main aim has always been to celebrate the food culture(s) and promote culinary brotherhood.
The concept of a food festival has become very popular in the past few years. They are no longer elitist events taking place in hotel ballrooms and attended by a handful of people. Food festivals, today, have become huge public events, which take place at popular and easily accessible venues, and are attended by an enormous number of people. Moreover, most of them are not restricted to their local traditional food, but aim to make a global appeal. Here are some of the most famous food festivals taking place around the world.
Taste of Chicago
Chicago, IL, USA
Held in - July
This year - July 10 to July 14, 2013
The Windy City proudly hosts the world's biggest food festival that lasts for four days every year. Over two million people flock to the city to savor the sumptuous tastes from across the world, and also to enjoy world-class live bands and a funfair. Alongside the home-made American and ethnic delicacies that are featured here, people can also satiate their taste buds with some superb international dishes.
Festival Gourmet International Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Held in - November
This year - November 14 to November 23, 2013
This 10-day long beach-side food festival features the best dishes made by some of the most popular international chefs. With special emphasis on Mexican seafood, this festival also holds some spectacular events such as wine tasting parties, fireworks, and traditional mariachi. Plus, while you dine, you may also have demonstrations by some of the renowned master chefs.
Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba
Alba, Italy
Held in - October and November
This year - October 4 to November 17, 2013
The famous Alba White Truffle Festival is held in the white truffle season on every weekend in October and November. Visitors from all over the world participate in this festival, which also features, apart from truffles, cultural events and other spectacles. It also holds a private auction attended by the most popular people from the food world. There's also a truffle market where people can buy some really rare kinds of truffles.
Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival
Galway, Ireland
Held in - September
This year - September 26 to September 29, 2013
This is world's longest running oyster festival, first launched in 1954. Apart from the incredible seafood that is served, the festival also features some exciting events such as seafood trails, oyster shucking championships, oyster eating contest, live music, cooking demonstrations, tasting parties, and a grand Mardi Gras-style gala event.
International Mango Festival
New Delhi, India
Held in - July
This year - June 30 to July 2, 2013
This annual festival is a celebration of everything pertaining to mangoes. It features the different varieties of mango and the various food items that are made from it, like pickle, jam, pulp, jelly, and so on. The festival also holds a number of special events such as mango-eating competitions, mango-tasting event, quiz competitions, and plenty of traditional and folk performances. There is a huge mango market from where, visitors can buy the mangoes of their choice.
Garlic Festival
Isle of Wight, England
Held in - August
This year - August 17 to August 18, 2013
This is one of the largest events that the Isle of Wight hosts each year, and it showcases recipes made from garlic. Some of the most exotic foods made out of garlic such as garlic ice cream, garlic fudge, and garlic beer are available at this venue, and people flock in large numbers to enjoy the aroma and taste of the pungent bulb. The festival also features live music and a country fair.
The Crave Sydney International Food Festival
Sydney, Australia
Held in - October
This year - Yet to be announced
This festival attracts a number of famous international chefs each year as visitors experience the best of Aussie cuisine. From fine dining at famous restaurants to street food to cooking classes and live demonstrations, this event has a lot in store for a visitor. The venue with Sydney harbor as a backdrop also adds up to the mood.
Malaysia International Gourmet Festival
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Held in - September
This year - Yet to be announced
This is a month-long celebration of Malaysian fine dining that attracts master chefs and visitors from across the globe each year. Number of complementary events such as tea parties, fashion shows, and tasting events are held during this festival. Also, there is a chance to learn some of the most mouth-watering dishes from the master chefs.
Spargelfest
Schwetzingen, Germany
Held in - May
This year - May 24 to May 31, 2013
Come spring, and Germany seems to go crazy for asparagus. Schwetzingen, the asparagus capital of the world, honors the asparagus shoots by making exotic dishes out of it, and making them available to a large number of national and international visitors. Spargelfest also features various traditional song and dance events, alongside cooking competitions.
Mistura Festival
Lima, Peru
Held in - September
This year - September 6 to September 15
This food festival is attended by over half a million people around the globe every year, and it is considered to be one of the biggest food festivals in the world. Roasted guinea pig, an Andean specialty, is the special highlight of this festival every year, but there are some others such as Peruvian-Chinese chifa cuisine, Afro-Peruvian stews, and zesty fresh ceviches which steal the show as well. People can eat at a variety of venues such as roadside stalls to fine dining restaurants.
Other Notable Mentions
Madrid Fusión
Place:
Madrid, Spain
Month:
JanuaryIdentità Golose
Place:
Milan, Italy
Month:
FebruaryThe Food and Fun Festival
Place:
Reykjavík, Iceland
Month:
MarchAustin Food & Wine Festival
Place:
New York City, USA
Month:
AprilGood Food and Wine Show
Place:
Cape Town, South Africa
Month:
MayBC Shellfish Festival
Place:
Vancouver Island, Canada
Month:
JuneKnysna Oyster Festival
Place:
Knysna, South Africa
Month:
JulyMAD Symposium
Place:
Copenhagen, Denmark
Month:
AugustAbergavenny Food Festival
Place:
Abergavenny, Wales
Month:
SeptemberLouisiana Seafood Festival
Place:
New Orleans, Louisiana
Month:
OctoberWhistler Cornucopia
Place:
Whistler, Canada
Month:
NovemberHong Kong Food Festival
Place:
Hong Kong SAR, China
Month:
December
Apart from the ones mentioned above, there are some food festivals more famous for their 'weirdness quotient' than for the foods that they feature. The
Hokitika Wildfood Festival, that is held at different locations throughout New Zealand in March, is famous for the wild foods and cooked insects that it offers. Similarly, the
Roadkill Cook-off and Festival, held in Marlinton, West Virginia on the last Saturday of every September, focuses on the kinds of animals which are victims of road mishaps the maximum times. So, the festival offers a long and interesting menu with items such as squirrel curry, tacos filled with armadillo, and so on.
No matter what kind of dishes these fiestas serve, it is food, nevertheless. Such events are absolutely heavenly for foodies who crave to try out new and interesting cuisines all the time. After all, as George Bernard Shaw has quoted,
There is no love sincerer than the love of food.