Famous Food Festivals Around the World

Tap to Read ➤ Sucheta Pradhan

There is no better way for people to express immense pride in their heritage, their town, their harvests, and their aquatic treasures than hosting a food festival and invite people from other places to taste their special culinary preparations. Take a glance at some of the famous food festivals from around the world.

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 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 10-day long beach-side food festival features the best dishes by some of the most popular international chefs. With emphasis on Mexican seafood, it also holds spectacular events like wine tasting, fireworks and traditional mariachi. Plus, while you dine, you may also have demonstrations by some renowned chefs.

Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba

Alba, Italy Held in - October and November The famous Alba White Truffle Festival is held in the white truffle season on every weekend in October and November. It takes place in the Palazzo Mostre e Congressi in Alba, Italy.

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

Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival

Galway, Ireland Held in - September This is world's longest running oyster festival, launched in 1954. Besides the incredible seafood that's served, the festival 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 annual festival is a celebration of everything pertaining to mangoes. It features varieties of mango and the various food items that are made from it, like pickle, jam, pulp, jelly, etc.

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 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 festival attracts numerous 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. The venue with Sydney harbor as a backdrop also adds to the mood.

Malaysia International Gourmet Festival

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Held in - September It's a month-long celebration of Malaysian fine dining that attracts master chefs and visitors from across the globe each year. Number of complementary events like tea parties, fashion shows and tasting events are held during this festival. Also, there is a chance to learn some of the dishes from the master chefs.

Spargelfest

Schwetzingen, Germany Held in - May 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 visitors from across the globe. It features various traditional song and dance events alongside cooking competitions.

Mistura Festival Lima, Peru Held in - September This food festival is attended by over half a million people around the globe every year.

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.

Other Notable Mentions

Meguro Sanma Matsuri

Tokyo, Japan Held in - September

Madrid Fusión Place: Madrid, Spain Month: January Identità Golose Place : Milan, Italy Month : February The Food and Fun Festival Place: Reykjavík, Iceland Month: March Austin Food & Wine Festival Place: New York City, USA Month: April

Good Food and Wine Show Place: Cape Town, South Africa Month: May BC Shellfish Festival Place: Vancouver Island, Canada Month: June Knysna Oyster Festival Place: Knysna, South Africa Month: July MAD Symposium Place: Copenhagen, Denmark Month: August

Abergavenny Food Festival Place: Abergavenny, Wales Month: September Louisiana Seafood Festival Place: New Orleans, Louisiana Month: October Whistler Cornucopia Place: Whistler, Canada Month: November Hong Kong Food Festival Place: Hong Kong SAR, China Month: December

Apart from the ones mentioned here, 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.