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There are many different perks to traveling the world. You have a chance to experience a different culture, learn new things about a place’s history, or shop for unique souvenirs. But for many travelers, the best part of going to a new destination is undoubtedly the food. So, what better way to decide on where you’re going to go next than by planning a trip around some of the best food festivals on the planet?
At a food festival, you can do more than just order delectable dishes — you can also sample them in all their forms, meet the chefs, and even learn how to make them yourself. Food festivals are a true celebration of both gastronomy and culture, where you can treat your tastebuds and also leave with new knowledge, friends, and an experience worth bragging about.
For this list, Islands evaluated which events draw the biggest crowds via news articles and attendance data from festival websites. Beyond the numbers, we also considered a both international festivals that celebrated many world cultures as well as events that are strongly tied to local cuisine. Finally, we factored in events with media accolades, celebrity guests, and general notoriety. While “best” can be a relative term, we think this unranked list offers a great variety of incredible food festivals that really know how to make a meal worth traveling for.
Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival, Galway, Ireland
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Buttery, briny oysters are delicacies all over the world. But it’s Galway, Ireland that knows how to celebrate them best. Held for three days every September since 1954 to rejoice at the start of Ireland’s oyster season, the Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival is the oldest oyster festival on the planet. Throughout the years, the event has helped overall more than 500,000 people from all over the world enjoy Ireland’s salty bounty from the sea.
The festival includes oyster farm tours, a seafood restaurant trail, a “pearl” beauty pageant, an oyster opening contest, a ball, an oyster eating competition, cooking demonstrations, and more, with many of the festivities happening in the Galway City Centre. General admission for the biggest events is free, while some of the others have a cost for booking. The festival has been spotlighted by many media outlets including Travel & Leisure, The New York Times, Bon Appétit, and more.
Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, Hong Kong, China
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If you love being a foodie in the know, the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival in China is practically made for you. That’s because this five-day festival, usually held in late October at the Central Harbourfront Event Space, is known for being the showcase for international chefs’ new dishes, ranging from street food to upscale eats. It’s no wonder that in 2025, more than 160,000 people attended the event on the Victoria Harbour.
Admission has three tiers, the most affordable being a general admission pass for HK$40 (about $5 USD). The second tier is a Tasting Pass, which costs HK$268 (or about $34) and includes general admission as well as a standard wine glass and eight tokens so visitors can choose which dishes to get from the more than 300 vendor booths. If you truly want to sample everything the festival has to offer, the Grand Tasting Pass is HK$498 (about $63 USD) and includes admission, 16 tokens, a grand wine glass, and access to the BEA Grand Wine Pavilion. Vendors specialize in everything from Japanese to French fare, and vintners offer equally diverse wines. Like the food, some wines are “sneak peeks” that are not even on the market yet.
If you want to take your Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival experience to the next level, there are plenty of ways to do that, too. The event has included plenty of additional ticketed experiences, including wine tasting classes, cooking demonstrations, and more. And if you’re still in the city after the festival, November is Wine & Dine Month in Hong Kong, when local restaurants and bars offer their own limited edition menus.
Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Melbourne, Australia
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The 10-day Melbourne Food & Wine Festival in Australia is so massive that it can’t even be confined to one building. Instead, the March festival — held by Food + Drink Victoria, a nonprofit organization that brings attention to the local food scene — holds more than 400 food events across the city and the wider area. With more than 150,000 annual attendees, it’s the biggest food event in the country. Even more impressive is the fact that it’s grown to that size in just a little over 30 years: The festival started in 1993 with just a dozen food happenings.
The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival’s wide range of events have included experiences like a suckling pig feast, a chocolate garden held on a roof by the only Belgian chocolate master in the country, and a blind Scotch tasting that includes tastings of a very pricey bottle. Its events have featured prominent food personalities including David Chang, Anthony Bourdain, and Nigella Lawson. Its range of experiences means that festival-goers can choose for themselves which events are worth their money, as events range from being free to to costing several hundred dollars depending on the experience. While you’re there, don’t miss out on Melbourne’s unique pedestrian paths that unlock the secret to how Australian locals find hidden culinary gems.
Mistura Food Festival, Lima, Peru
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Throughout its history, Peru has been inhabited by a wide range of people, and their influence is reflected on people’s plates today. There’s arroz chaufa, which is essentially Peruvian fried rice. There’s tallarines verdes, a noodle dish inspired by Italian pasta, and there’s tiradito, a sort of Japanese-Peruvian sashimi. With such a mixture of food cultures — or “mistura” in Spanish and Portuguese — it’s no surprise that the Mistura Food Festival is such a prominent foodie event held every August or September in Lima. Hosted at the Jockey Club Exhibition Center over 10 to 12 days, it’s the biggest food festival in Latin America, attracting more than 400,000 people in 2026. Every year, it has a new theme, which have included healthy eating and biodiversity.
By purchasing general admission tickets for just about $8 to $12, although there are also premium experiences that can also range between $150 and $300 USD. Visitors have access to more than 500 vendors to buy dishes from. Just a few of the items they can try include several types of ceviche (fish cooked in citrus), alfajores (shortbread cookie sandwiches with dulce de leche filling), anticuchos (grilled beef heart skewers), and pisco sour cocktails. They can also elevate their culinary experiences by attending Mistura chef competitions and discussions.
Mistura Food Festival got its start in 2008, when the festival was founded by APEGA (Sociedad Peruana de Gastronomía) to showcase Peru’s unique culinary offerings. Efforts were led by Gastón Acurio, chef at acclaimed Peru restaurants Central and Astrid & Gastón. It had 30,000 attendants just in its first year.
National Cherry Festival, Traverse City, Michigan
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Traverse City, Michigan is the cherry capital of the world, so the month of July is also cherry season here. The city has been going big with its National Cherry Festival to celebrate it since 1926. And when we say big, we mean it. This is one of America’s best summer food festivals with the tastiest fresh produce, so it attracts about half a million people every year — a huge turnout for such a tiny stone fruit.
Over the course of eight days, the festival hosts over 150 events — the majority of which are free and held throughout the city. Some additional experiences cost anywhere from $68 for general admission to $128. The festival plays host to parades, marching bands, whimsical activities like a “bed race,” and live concerts from hugely popular artists, including David Lee Roth, Bow Wow, KC and the Sunshine Band, and The Fray, in previous years. And of course, there are plenty of opportunities to indulge in cherries tucked into pies, cocktails, cheese, and more.
All that sweet goodness has helped the National Cherry Festival win a slew of accolades, including being called a top event featured by USA Today and being mentioned as the favorite festival in the state by AAA Michigan Living Magazine. Even more impressively, it’s nearly entirely volunteer-run, with hundreds of contributors (and only a handful of full time staff members) who help this festival happen every year.
Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, New York City, New York
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Many foodies love a good Food Network binge, and that’s what they’ll find at the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival (NYCWFF) — but instead of just watching the screen, they’ll actually get to taste what they’re seeing. The event, held for four days every October at the Invesco QQQ Festival Campus in The Seaport at Pier 17, features over 300 culinary stars including Food Network celebrity chefs and restaurateurs like José Andrés and Masaharu Morimoto. There’s also musical and comedic entertainment, which, in 2026, features Method Man and Cedric the Entertainer.
NYCWFF has been an epicurean staple since 2007 (previously known as SWEET, which was changed to NYCWFF the following year), and it now attracts 35,000 annual visitors. But good luck deciding which events to stick on your calendar. This jam-packed long weekend has over 50 events to choose from, including walk-around tastings, cooking demonstrations, and seated dinners at bucket list spots. Visitors can purchase individual tickets for events of their choice, or opt for inclusive tickets like the popular Grand Weekend Tasting Package for $380. General admission tickets start at $195.
Plus, you can eat easy knowing your money goes to good causes. Since the New York City Wine & Food Festival’s inception, it has raised $14.8 million for various organizations. This year, proceeds benefit nonprofit organizations the James Beard Foundation, which helps to elevate new chefs and their craft, as well as the Event Zero Foundation, which helps the limit the environmental impact of events.
Coca-Cola Pizza Village, Pozzuoli, Italy
You could spend your Italian vacation traversing the country, trying the best pies, and deciding for yourself which is the “best pizza.” Or, you could simply head to the Coca-Cola Pizza Village, in held in Pozzuoli. Since 2011, the annual July festival is a gathering of over a hundred Italian and international pizzaioli (professional pizza makers) who compete to see who is the best of the best. They make pies fresh throughout the festival in outdoor wood-fired ovens. While admission to the festival is free, attendants need to purchase a menu pass to actually eat some pizza. The cost of the pass can vary, but usually includes a beverage, a dessert, and a coffee (this is Italy, after all), depending on what price point you choose.
The event is so big, it also has iterations in other destinations worldwide, including Milan, Rome, Berlin, London, Saudi Arabia, and New York. It’s also the biggest event in Italy, attracting over 1 million people every year — 600,000 for the Naples/Pozzuoli event alone. Naples is also a fitting locale, since pizza was invented there around the 1700s. As if chowing down on delicious pizza wasn’t enough, Pizza Village also offers evening concerts, as well as master classes, workshops, and more. Pizza Village has activities for little ones, too, like classes where kids can learn to roll pizza dough.
Salon du Chocolat, Paris, France
In France, chocolate isn’t just something you have at the end of your meal. Working with chocolate is a true artform made by trained professionals, so it’s no wonder that Paris makes a whole celebration out of it at Salon du Chocolat. This event has been held annually since 1994 over five days in early November at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. More than 100,000 attendees from all over the world — including pastry chefs, chocolatiers, cocoa farmers, and anyone with a ravenous sweet tooth — gather for this chic and tasty event. It’s the planet’s biggest and most influential chocolate exposition as well as one of the most visited shows in France.
We’re sure that just trying chocolatey confections, such as croissants, gelato, and more, from the festival’s 250 vendors would be enough for any chocolate lover. But the Salon du Chocolat has plenty of other unique offerings, including a couture chocolate fashion show, workshops and masterclasses, a chocolate themed musical performance, massive chocolate sculptures, a pastry competition, and a chocolatier competition. Plus, tickets to the festival are surprisingly affordable, though they can range in price. For example, an opening night adult ticket costs 25 euros (about $28 USD). There are also various discounted rates, ticket options for both weekdays and weekends, and higher-tier passes. After the festival, check out Carette, which serves Paris’ TikTok-famous hot chocolate.
Singapore Food Festival, Singapore
Singapore Food Festival got its start in 1994 and takes over some of the coolest venues in the city-state. It brings deliciousness to every corner through dozens of events, including rooftop dinners, long table meals, special menus and events, such as farmers’ markets, gastrogeography walks, and masterclasses. Ticket costs vary based on the event, but there are also community events that are free and open to the public.
They’re attended by all types of food aficionados, including acclaimed chefs and people who just love to eat, culminating in half a million annual attendants. In the past, some of the stars of the festival helping to lead the charge have been Chef Christina Rasmussen, who is the chef-owner of FURA in Singapore; Chef Javier Vicente Rejas, who is the co-owner of the London Paella School; and Chef Paul Hallett, executive chef of SUSHISAMBA Singapore.
It should be noted that the most-recent Singapore Food Festival took place in 2025, but there are tentative plans for the next event in 2027. If you can’t make it all the way to Singapore, check out Urban Hawker, a Singapore-style food hall in New York City that was in part inspired by Anthony Bourdain.
Taste of London, London, England
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The Taste of London in London, England is currently held outdoors in Regent’s Park in the summertime. However, don’t expect casual, outdoorsy dishes at this beloved event that has been a city staple since 2004. Instead, the festival features food stalls run by 36 top London restaurants serving more than 130 dishes, some of which are exclusive to the festival. A few of those dishes have included Sexy Fish’s ancho chili-glazed braised wagyu tacos with tahoon mayonnaise and shallots and Big Mama Group’s parmigiana bombs. You, and about 55,000 others, can try unique dishes such as these by checking out Taste of London during its annual five day run in June. That makes early summer one of the best times to visit London.
Besides tasting goodies from London restaurants that some of us can only dream of scoring a table at, Taste of London also features a market with more than 160 artisan vendors, cooking demonstrations, live music, and alcoholic drinks. Admission tickets to four hour sessions, which do not include food tastings, start at £24 GBP, or about $32 USD. Visitors can also opt for admission tickets that include two tastings of fare only available for festival-goers, which are £39 GBP, or about $52 USD.
Tokyo Ramen Festa, Tokyo, Japan
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This isn’t the instant ramen that you can get at the grocery store. In Japan — where ramen was invented during the Edo period — this soup is so nuanced and regional that it differs vastly depending on which prefecture you’re in. The Tokyo Ramen Festa in Tokyo, Japan, (formerly the Tokyo Ramen Show) is the biggest ramen festival in the country with up to a half million attendants in past years. Here, visitors can try a variety of delicacies from the 39 best ramen shops in Japan, including broth styles like Hokkaido miso and Hakata tonkotsu.
The festival annually takes place in Komazawa Olympic Park in Setagaya during late October and early November, with different ramen shops spooning their stuff throughout the festival’s 12-day run, (which is organized in three periods with different shops serving in each). Admission is technically free, but festival goers will have to pay for their chosen ramen, which is ¥1,100 per bowl (or about $7). Tickets for ramen bowls can be bought at the door or in advance at 7-Eleven stores throughout Japan. Bring your patience, because wait times at prominent ramen purveyors’ stalls can stretch up to two hours.
Ubud Food Festival, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
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The Indonesian island of Bali is perhaps best known for its beautiful beaches, where countless sun seekers flock for a vacation full of white sand and turquoise waters. However, to foodies — especially for four days in late May — Bali has an entirely different appeal, especially in the village of Ubud, which is Bali’s artsy neighborhood in the jungle. This is when the Ubud Food Festival is hosted in Taman Kuliner, an outdoor event venue. It’s been a must-visit festival since it was founded in 2016 by Janet DeNeefe of Casa Luna Bali, a local eatery and culinary school. Every year, it has an everchanging theme, which in 2026 was “Farmers: Guardians of Land and Sea.” In 2026, it attracted more than 18,000 people.
The free-admission festival features food stalls run by some of the most renowned restaurants on the island. It also has intimate, ticketed events (which vary in cost) such as panel discussions, workshops, interactive masterclasses, and cooking demonstrations hosted by lauded chefs from throughout Asia. Those food-friendly offerings are complemented by musical and dance performances as well as art shows for a well-rounded showcase of all things Bali. Visitors can finish out their Ubud Food Festival experiences in town, as local eateries often host special dinners of their own and food tours are available to get in on the fun outside of the festival grounds.
