Famous food festivals give you an unrivalled opportunity to travel the world with your tongue. Each culture has its own cuisine, including its own ingredients and ways of combining them. Many also have unique ways to celebrate that cuisine, with numerous different flavours of food festival to experience. We’ve highlighted some of the most remarkable below, each notable for its fame and variety.
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1. Oktoberfest: One of the Most Famous Food Festivals
Easily ranking among the world’s most famous food festivals is Oktoberfest, which celebrates Bavarian culture, cuisine and, of course, beer. Despite the name, Oktoberfest actually starts at the end of September and ends in early October, turning Munich, Germany into one giant party for two weeks. There are similar food festivals around the world, with Oktoberfests held everywhere from China to Brazil and in several other cities in Germany. However, only Munich offers original and traditional Bratwurst (grilled sausages), Halbes Hendl (roast chicken), Bavarian beer and much more. Picture all of that spread across huge beerhall tables like it’s dinnertime at Hogwarts and you’ve got a good impression of what to expect.
2. Phuket Vegetarian Festival: cleanse your soul with great food
On the other side of the planet, the Phuket Vegetarian Festival in Thailand is an event that has to be seen to be believed. Its true name is the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, which better illustrates its Taoist religious origins. Aptly, the festival is held across the first nine days of the ninth lunar month, which generally falls in September or October. While it is celebrated across Thailand and Southeast Asia, the Phuket event stands out for its unique parades. Through the smoke and flashes for firecrackers, you’ll see devotees with skewers through their tongues, cheeks, arms, legs and more, blood staining their symbolic white clothes.
Assuming that image hasn’t put you off your lunch, you’ll find a huge range of meatless meals on offer across the island. Participating street stalls and established restaurants can be found flying a yellow flag with red lettering that looks like the number 17 written with a European-style 7. It is actually Chinese-styled Thai characters spelling “Jeh”, meaning ‘vegetarian’. It indicates that devotees can eat here without risk of breaking their abstinence on meat, poultry, seafood and dairy. This creates a paradise for vegans and vegetarians, with a dizzying choice of tasty treats available everywhere you look. NH Boat Lagoon Phuket Resort, with its stunning marina views, offers the perfect base just minutes from Phuket Old Town where most of the festival festivities unfold.
3. Pizzafest in Naples: it’s all about pizza
Pizzafest is a much more specific event on a smaller scale, celebrating just the Neapolitan pizza. The Italian city of Naples is understandably proud of its world-famous contribution to cuisine, leading to an 11-day festival devoted to it, during which you can see pizza-making demonstrations and competitions, workshops, live entertainment and, of course, no shortage of superb slices to enjoy. Also known as Napoli Pizza Village, it dominates the Lungomare Caracciolo promenade every September.
4. World Gourmet Festival: The World on Your Plate in Bangkok
If you’re looking for a greater focus on the food than the culture around it, Bangkok’s World Gourmet Festival might be more your flavour. Held in September each year at the Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, the week-long event brings together exceptional chefs from kitchens around the world as well as local talents from Thailand’s extraordinary culinary scene. The result? A cornucopia of outstanding cuisine, including both traditional flavours and unique dishes as well as combinations of the two. Imagine a mixture of the diverse dining scenes of London, New York, Dubai and Bangkok all stirred together in one place and you’re on the right track.
5. Taste of Dubai Food Festival: The Best of the Best
The Taste of Dubai Food Festival takes place over a weekend around mid-February and brings together chefs from more than a dozen of the city’s finest restaurants. Hosted at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, just behind Avani+ Palm View Dubai Hotel & Suites, it has a real festive atmosphere thanks to the live music and entertainment, firepit and artisanal vendors. You can even get involved and learn from the best through hands-on workshops and cooking demonstrations.
6. Singapore Food Festival: From Hawkers to Haute Cuisine
Singapore’s diverse dining scene is celebrated throughout the city for most of September during the Singapore Food Festival. It showcases the full range of the city’s culinary options, from Chinatown’s hawker centres to the finest five-star restaurants and from traditional heritage flavours to innovative techniques shaping the future of food. Special events throughout the festival highlight culinary artistry and emerging talents, as well as the central role food plays in Asian cultures.
7. Melbourne Food & Wine Festival: Inspiring Food Festivals Around the World
The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival spans 10 days of March at the end of summer with ideal temperature and consists of over 400 events across the city, even extending into satellite events around the Australian state of Victoria. It has somewhat loftier goals than most food festivals around the world, aiming to act as a forum for cultural exchange through the medium of meals, promoting Victoria as the food and wine capital.
As the largest of its kind in Australia, the festival has been around for more than 30 years, and has become known for their flagship event of The World’s Longest Lunch curated by a different chef every year in Kings Domain.
Of course, outstanding international cuisine is still available in abundance at the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, with everything from Sicilian sausage to Japanese high tea and any number of innovative concoctions in between. As one of the world’s most famous food festivals, you can expect to see big names and celebrities in attendance, with the likes of Nigella Lawson, Anthony Bourdain and Heston Blumenthal having graced the guest list in the past. If you're considering attending this food festival, don't hesitate to look for accommodations for greater comfort during your visit, with our hotels in Melbourne.
8. Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in Turin: Food for the Mind and the Stomach
Melbourne’s is not the only food festival that goes beyond showcasing local talents and international flavours. Terra Madre Salone del Gusto features about 350 events around Turin, Italy, spanning five September days filled with conferences, workshops, exhibitions, forums, film screenings, tours, talks, meetings, music and, of course, meals. It is known as the largest international event dedicated to food politics and good, clean, fair food. It’s the kind of event that’s going to appeal to those who are really serious about eating.
Even if you’re more interested in the practical side of dining than the theory, you can still get plenty out of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto. There’s obviously a heavy focus on artisanal Italian dishes, but unique flavours from around the world are also represented, including comparatively unexplored cuisines like Native American.
9. San Sebastián Gastronomika: The Oscars of Food Festival
The Spanish city of San Sebastián is famous for its food, especially the local Basque cuisine. Indeed, it has one of the highest concentrations of Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, with only Kyoto boasting more stars per capita. With that background, it’s no surprise that the San Sebastián Gastronomika festival is a big deal. The three-day event in October features big-name speakers and prestigious awards, as well as demonstrations, workshops and masterclasses. There are few better opportunities to learn from the best and, of course, sample their skills for yourself.
10. Salon du Chocolat in Paris: Food to Taste and Wear
Finally, it’s time for some dessert. In Paris, The Salon du Chocolat is the world’s largest event specifically dedicated to chocolate and cocoa. Like Oktoberfest, there are satellite food festivals around the world, but the main event is in Paris, lasting for five days around the end of October and start of November. The creativity on display is unrivalled, with chocolate incorporated into artistic displays and even a fashion show! There are also plenty of live demonstrations, interactive experiences and opportunities to indulge your sweet tooth. Explore the latest trends in the world of cocoa and chocolate, and connect with fellow enthusiasts through your shared love of all things chocolat.
If you're planning to attend this gastronomic event at the Salon du Chocolat, recently held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, consider nearby accommodation options in advance, such as NH Collection Paris Ponthieu Champs-Élysées, less than a 30-minute drive from the venue.
Food is an integral part of life generally and travel specifically - you can significantly expand your experience of a new destination by using all of your senses, including taste. Whether you want to celebrate a specific culture and cuisine or sample international flavours from one of the world’s dining capitals, famous food festivals are a tasty way to add an extra dimension to your travels and are often worth the journey on their own.
