Food festivals are a delicious introduction to a region’s culinary identity—sometimes sprawling, multi-day affairs where a variety of chefs showcase their signature dishes, other times intimate gatherings devoted to the flavors that define a single place. In every form, they offer something rare: The chance not just to taste a dish, but to meet the talent behind it or even watch the culinary magic come together.
Vittorio Lucariello, executive chef of Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, California, recently participated in the LA Food & Wine Festival. For an interactive presentation, he prepared Mezzi Paccheri, a tubular pasta from Italy’s Campania region, tossed cacio e pepe–style with sausage and finished dramatically inside a hollowed Parmesan cheese wheel.
Lucariello says he loves festivals because it allows him to reach culinary enthusiasts who haven’t yet been to 1 Pico, his restaurant that features Southern Italian meals with handmade pastas and views overlooking the ocean. Seeing the pasta folded in the cheese wheel or catching the aroma of cracked pepper blooming in the pan creates an instant connection.
“It’s immediate and personal,” he says. “I also value the time with other chefs sharing ideas, learning from each other and being part of the city’s food community.”
That sense of connection—between chef and guest, and among chefs themselves—is what keeps festival culture thriving year after year.
From a beer festival in Utah that celebrates the adventurous spirit of Park City to a rattlesnake food festival in Fort Worth, here are some events to put on your 2026 culinary calendar.
Jekyll Island Shrimp & Grits Festival
Oct. 23-24, 2026
Jekyll Island’s Shrimp & Grits Festival in Georgia is an island-wide celebration of classic and creative takes on the quintessential Southern dish.
“There’s shrimp fishermen out here that are a large part of our community,” says Ryan Caldwell, executive chef of Jekyll Island Club Resort. “You can throw a rock on the island and hit a restaurant that serves shrimp and grits.”
The version the resort prepares for the festival is the same one served at The Wharf: It’s made with local shrimp with andouille sausage, bacon, peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic, Worcestershire, a touch of hot sauce and a splash of beer to deglaze the pan.
Caldwell’s secret to great shrimp and grits is skipping the heavy cream and finishing the dish with “an unreasonable amount of butter” for just the right richness.
Rattle Battle Chef Competition
2026 Date TBD; Typically held in September
Chef Preston Paine from The Crescent Hotel, Fort Worth is no stranger to competition: He’s appeared on Food Network’s “Ciao House,” “Chopped,” “Beat Bobby Flay” and “Cutthroat Kitchen.” But in the fall, he and his team have a chance to compete in a hometown food festival: The Rattle Battle, a cornerstone culinary event within Rattler Days. The event combines fan voting, chef interaction, and high-energy competition.
Hosted by Celebrity Chef Tim Love and held in Mule Alley in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, the Rattle Battle brings together top North Texas chefs to create Texas-inspired dishes using rattlesnake as the main ingredient.
Rattlesnake is a white meat very similar to chicken, The Crescent, Hotel Fort Worth’s Executive Sous Chef Sean Malek explains, and it’s light on flavor which gives chefs culinary freedom to explore with seasoning. It’s also difficult to render, so it requires patience.
"For the last Rattlesnake Roundup, we created a rattlesnake soup, slowly roasted for maximum flavor with local Texas vegetables,” Malek says. This year’s competing dish is under wraps. Next one is definitely under wraps."
Birria, chili and tacos are traditional Texas favorites that can include rattlesnake as the main ingredient, Malek says, and Native Americans have used rattlesnake in many traditional dishes.
Hops on the Hill
2026 Date TBD; Held in Mid-Summer
Typically held mid-summer on Stein Eriksen Lodge’s outdoor terrace in Utah, Hops on the Hill welcomes guests fresh off the mountain—many arriving directly from Deer Valley’s world-class mountain biking runs or renowned hiking trail system—for an afternoon of tastings, views, and live music overlooking the Wasatch Range.
The gathering celebrates the natural synergy between mountain activities, craft beer and alpine-inspired cuisine, and features pairings with beer from Utah-based breweries.
Utah is home to talented brewers, says Jason Berrett, Director of Food and Beverage at Stein Eriksen Lodge. For years Utah’s tap and grocery beers were capped at a maximum ABV of 4%. The limit was upped to 5%, challenging brewers to reformulate their recipes, but still keeping their beers in that low ABV range, which is typically considered to be 2 to 5%.
“The national trend has been people drinking less and at a low ABV,” he says. “Our breweries excel at making pilsners, lagers and other low abv beers, and often win gold medals at national and world competitions like Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.”
All of the lodge’s tap beers and nearly all of our packaged beers are Utah breweries.
As for Berrett’s favorite local post-adventure beer? “Any Pilsner from Bohemian or Templin Family or the Japanese rice lager from Helper Brewing,” he says. “All light, refreshing and full of flavor.”
Thai Fest
2026 Date TBD; Typically held in June
The soul of Thailand arrives in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, at Banyan Tree Mayakoba for the resort’s annual Thai Fest. Rooted in the shared spirit of community found in both Thai and Mexican cultures, the celebration centers on gathering, sharing and savoring meaningful moments around the table.
The culinary program showcases standout creations by guest chefs from Thailand and Banyan Tree properties across Mexico, with past menus featuring dishes like lobster and prawn croquettes, grilled pork neck with mango and wok-tossed noodles with beef in a spicy tamarind sauce. At the heart of it all is the resort’s tranquil Lily Pond, where calm waters set a serene stage for the festivities.
Empty Bowls
April 24, 2026
Each spring, Empty Bowls brings together chefs, artists and the community for a heartfelt gathering in Fort Worth that features tastings from local restaurants, served in handcrafted artisan bowls, all in support of the Tarrant Area Food Bank.
During the event, culinary teams serve soups and chili in small bowls for guests to enjoy. At Omni Fort Worth, Bob’s Steak & Chop House typically serves a rich, flavorful lobster bisque while chefs at Cast Iron typically offer a hearty chili or soup.
Texas chefs, of course, take chili seriously. Omni Fort Worth Executive Chef Chandrashekar Sudershan puts it simply: “Texas beef chili is more than just a recipe; it’s a point of pride,” he says. “In the Lone Star State, a bowl of chili means big, bold beef flavor, a deep red chili gravy and absolutely no beans in sight.”
Some culinarians may tell you that if it’s loaded with tomatoes, sweet vegetables, and extras it may be tasty but not a true Texas “bowl of red,” Sudershan says. What defines it instead is its rugged simplicity—tender beef, layered chilis and time.
The secret to a great Texas chili lies in the meat, he explains. Rather than relying on ground beef alone, he prefers chunks of beef such as chuck roast, browned until they develop a dark, flavorful crust that builds both foundation and savory richness.
Texas chili also leans heavily on the chilis themselves, with Sudershan favoring ancho and guajillo, soaked until soft and blended into a smooth paste. This becomes the soul of the dish, bringing gentle smokiness, fruitiness, and deep color.
“Time is the final ingredient,” he says. “Good chili is never rushed, and it simmers lazily for hours letting the beef relax into tenderness and the gravy thicken into a glossy, spoon coating sauce.”
Craving more? Here’s some more food and beverage festivals to look forward to.
A legendary festival, Pebble Beach Food & Wine, transforms the Monterey, Calif., coastline into a stage for culinary visionaries. Returning for its milestone 15th year (April 9-12, 2026), the festival gathers world-class chefs, winemakers and culinary icons to bring rare pours, remarkable plates, immersive tastings, seminars and coastal experiences. Events are held at all three Pebble Beach Resorts: Casa Palmero Pebble Beach, The Inn at Spanish Bay, and The Lodge at Pebble Beach
Each spring, thousands of locals and visitors flock to New Orleans’ historic French Quarter for the annual French Quarter Festival (April 16–19, 2026), a celebration of the neighborhood’s food (think: gumbo, jambalaya, po-boys, crawfish, beignets and more), music, art and culture. The Royal Sonesta New Orleans’ on-site venue, The Jazz Playhouse, joins as an official festival stage, showcasing local talent.
SAVOR returns to Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa (April 30—May 3, 2026) for the second annual event, bringing four days of culinary talent, craft beverages, live entertainment, cooking demonstrations and fun events like “Margaritas & Mariachis” celebrating Texas’ love for agave spirits.
Did you know that Virginia’s wine history dates back to Jamestown and was championed by Thomas Jefferson? The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va., will host its fourth annual Epicurean Classic in May, which includes a luxurious weekend of tastings, seminars and curated dining experiences that spotlight Virginia’s celebrated wine heritage alongside selections from the West Coast, complete with tastings and a multi-course wine-paired dinner.
Held over Memorial Day Weekend (May 22-23, 2026) at Balboa Bay Resort, the Newport Beach Wine Festival pairs winemaker-led dinners, a waterfront grand tasting, and coastal cuisine with live music and a charitable focus, with proceeds from the Wine & Spirits Grand Tasting benefitting a local scholarship fund.
Hosted by James Beard Award-winning Chef Kwame Onwuachi in partnership with Food & Wine and the Salamander Collection, The Family Reunion is a multi-day gathering that brings top chefs, sommeliers and hospitality leaders together for panels and cooking demos. Now in its sixth year, the event (Aug. 20-Aug. 23) returns to Salamander Middleburg in Virginia this August, continuing its focus on nurturing and celebrating diversity within the hospitality industry.
The Kalahari Food & (Not Just) Wine Festival in Round Rock, Texas, (Oct. 4, 2026) features bites from the Kalahari Round Rock resort’s restaurants, beverage tastings from more than 75 beer, wine, and spirits vendors, interactive cooking demos with chefs and more.
Held each year in the late summer or fall, across the vineyards and estate grounds in Braselton, Georgia, Château Élan’s Vineyard Fest celebrates North Georgia’s wine country with tastings and pairings featuring estate wines and those from guest producers, seasonal cuisine, and live entertainment.
From Martha Stewart to Scott Conant, Kohler Food & Wine has welcomed some of the nation’s most celebrated chefs, winemakers and culinary innovators. The four-day event (Oct. 22–25, 2026) features tastings, events and demonstrations led by visiting chefs alongside local talent, including culinary experts from The American Club Resort.