1. Pizzafest (Naples, Italy)
Join zillions of people on this fine night of September when the village of Naples gear up to make and consume more than 100,000 pizzas of every kind, ranging from 50-odd historic versions including classics Napoletana, Margherita, and Marinara! No wonder it’s among the best food festivals in the world for pizza lovers!
2. Oktoberfest (Germany)
Come, be part of the world’s greatest celebration of beer with million
other beer lovers who flock to Germany every year for Oktoberfest. From
the finest of brews for you to chug, spill, and bathe in, to culinary
delights like bratwurst, pretzels, and roasted meats, you’ll be spoilt
for choice. Along with the amazing variety and quantity of beer you get
here, the festival also lets you enjoy some tasty dishes.
3. Bacon Festival (Sacramento, California)
There is a festival in the world that is solely dedicated to bacon. The world goes gaga over bacon, so you have no excuse to not visit one of the best food festivals around the world. The meat-loving population of the world can go crazy hogging on dishes like bacon gelato, bacon salad, bacon ramen and bacon tater tots.
4. Salon Du Chocolat (Quito, Ecuador)
Are you a fan of chocolates and fashions alike? Then you must head to taste some high-quality chocolates produced in Ecuador and attend the Salon du Chocolat festival in Quito. The festival lets you relish the taste of the finest of chocolates, and watch a fashion show with models wearing dresses made of…any guesses what?
5. Dumpling Festival ( Hong Kong)
Does your mouth starts to water when you think of steamy and juicy dumplings? If yes, then this festival is just for you. Savour the taste of zongzi dumplings – glutinous rice with different fillings wrapped in bamboo, lotus or banana leaves – on the fifth day of the fifth Chinese lunar month. Engulf yourself in a sea of dumplings and the amiable hospitality of the Chinese people.
6. National Cherry Festival (Traverse City, Michigan)
Take a flight to the town’s Cherry Capital Airport, stay at the Cherry Tree Inn, be part of the Cherry Bomb Lacrosse Tournament, cheer for the girls’ rollerblade team called the Toxic Cherries, witness the Cherry Parade, and crown a Cherry Queen. With so much ‘cherry-ness’ to enjoy, there’s no reason why not to visit this international food festival.
7. Herring Festival (Hvide Sande, Denmark)
Herring Festival is one of the unique cultural food festivals around the world. Each April, schools of herring swim into the Ringkobing Fjord in Denmark to spawn in its sheltered waters. And when they do, it’s party time for fishermen, and for scores of people coming into the town to now enjoy platters of pickled, filleted, fried, caked, and baked herring! There aren’t many food festivals around the world serving this delicious fish.
8. Vegetarian Festival (Phuket, Thailand)
Join the frenzy at this nine-day Thai celebration with colourful parades, music, and the best of vegan dishes! You’ll be surprised to see how the whole town goes vegan for these nine days amid a range of dishes made out of vegetables, fruits, soybean, and protein products, which is why it is called one of the best fruit festivals around the world. Even non-vegetarians will fall in love with this international food fest. Undoubtedly, it is one of the most famous food festivals in the world and also the most prominent festival in Thailand.
9. National Street Food Festival (New Delhi, India)
This will surely bring a smile to the faces of all those street food lovers. From savoury chaat, oily chhole kulcha, sweet and tangy bhalle papdi, to spicy gol gappe, there’s no end to the kind of food one can have on the streets of Delhi. And once every year, all these amazing street delicacies are brought to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to the delight of all foodies in the capital!
10. Maslenitsa Pancake Festival (Russia)
This is among the most famous food festivals around the world
and probably the most cheerful holiday in Russia. The Pancake Week
(Shrovetide) used to be a rather sombre remembrance of the deceased
where the figure of Maslenitsa was burned. But with time, it turned into
something positive and fun! There are activities like sledding, horse
sleigh riding, fistfights, folk dance, puppet shows, and lots of food
dominated by pancakes (of course)! People dress up in colorful costumes
and wear bright masks.
11. St. Moritz Gourmet Festival (Switzerland)
St. Moritz Gourmet Festival is the kind that brings together legends from famous kitchens around the world so that they can whip up delicious delights in unison for the people of Switzerland! This 9-day long food fiesta is actually among the most awaited food celebrations around the world where electrifying top guest chefs cook and offer culinary highlights from the best cuisines around the world.
12. Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (Victoria, Australia)
The MFWF has never disappointed fans, and it is least likely to do that next year as well. So gear up for one of the best food festivals around the world in 2022 where you can indulge your senses and your tastebuds for 10 uninterrupted days. A delight for food and wine lovers, this festival observes a massive crowd every year where people flood the restaurants, laneways, basement cafes, and rooftop settings of Victoria, making it one of the most successful festivals in the country.
13. New Orleans Wine & Food Experience ( Louisiana, USA)
The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience attracts over 7,000 gourmands as well as connoisseurs from around the world to share the stage and surprise foodies with their skills! Other than food experts and chefs, you’ll also find art and music lovers here owing to the various small-scale yet fabulous music events that take place at this time to keep the guests entertained while they gorge on delicious delicacies and the finest wine.
14. Maine Lobster Festival (ME, USA)
The amazing Maine Lobster Festival takes place during the first weekend of August and has slowly evolved into an internationally-recognized celebration of local seafood unlike anywhere else in the world! Luring in seafood lovers from around the world, especially Europe and Asia, the Maine Lobster Festival pampers its guests with delicious culinary delights made from fresh catch like crabs, lobsters, squids, calamari, fish, shrimps, and more.
15. Gilroy Garlic Festival (California)
The Gilroy Garlic Festival is a renowned food festival in the US, held each year in the city of Gilroy, California. This annual three-day event is among the country’s most awaited food festivals that attracts people from across the nation, and even the world. Since Gilroy has often been called the Garlic Capital of the World owing to its massive garlic production, it is befitting that the main ingredient in all the finger-licking dishes distributed at this festival is – you guessed it right – garlic! But that’s not all that makes this one of the best food festivals around the world.
16. Giant Omelet Celebration (Bessieres, France)
Prefer omelets in breakfast? How about one that’s bigger than your house? According to legend, Napoleon had once ordered every egg in town be broken to prepare a giant omelet after he had enjoyed his own! To this day, Bessieres carries on the tradition where chefs come together to prepare a 15,000-egg omelet for the people of Bessieres, usually on Easter.
17. Bugfest (North Carolina)
Ever had bugs served in your plate for lunch? Here’s a festival that is totally dedicated to bug-dishes and they exhibit a variety of both – bugs and the dishes prepared with them. Oh yes! It’s exactly what you think it is! Would you like to attend the Bugfest if you ever visit US around the time when this festival is on?
18. Olney Pancake Race (England)
Women in Onley have been running a 400-yard annual pancake race since 1445 while holding pancakes in cast iron pans, a tradition that has now become one of the most amusing world food festivals! And, of course, you get to eat those delicious pancakes once the race is over and the winner is announced!
19. Monkey Buffet Festival (Lopburi, Thailand)
This is one of the most amazing (as well as amusing!) food festivals around the world where the animals eat and the humans watch! With our sneaky little friends going crazy amidst the sea of 400 kg of food laid out before the temples of Thailand, the scenario can get wilder than the Hatter’s tea party!
20. Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling (Gloucester, England)
People in this festival do exactly what the name says they do! They roll down a hill. And no, we’re not kidding! Held each spring over the hill outside of Gloucester, England, this crazy game is among the most bizarre cultural food festivals in the world. All the participants have to do is follow some simple rules – watch a 9-pound round Double Gloucester cheese run down the hill, give it a second’s head start, and then tumble after it. The one who catches it, takes it home! How cool is that! And though this crazy fest has often been deemed the “world’s most dangerous footrace” over the years, it still doesn’t stop the locals from assembling at this hill on this particular day and rolling down the hill over a large piece of cheese to celebrate this fun festival! In fact, this mad event has grown to the point where people from all over the world come here to participate in it.