If you're a foodie and you love travel, then you're in for a serious treat: a scrumptious journey around the globe sampling some of the world's finest cuisines through a range of food festivals. So cleanse your palate and loosen your belt, because today we're going on a journey through the world's tastiest food festivals.
Pizzafest - Naples, Italy
Pizza would have to rank up there as one of the best food inventions in culinary history.
Travel to most places in the world and you are pretty much guaranteed to find a local version of pizza. The original comes from Italy, and since Naples is the birthplace of the authentic Italian pizza, it makes sense that they hold the largest celebration of pizza in the world.
Pizzafest runs for 11 days in Napoli Pizza Village. Thousands flock to the village to sample some of the most famous pizzerie from around the world as they compete against the local pizzaioli. Tables and stands are set up for people to taste a variety of pizzas, and at the end of the festival, judges decide who wins the prize for the world's best pizzaiolo. Fancy yourself a pizza connoisseur? Then perhaps you should head to Naples for eleven days of pizza. Incoming food coma!
When: June
Where: Napoli Pizza Village, Naples, Italy
Beirut Street Food Festival - Beirut, Lebanon
The Beirut Street Food Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating homemade Lebanese food culture for over 20 years. True to Lebanese culture, the festival runs for five days and features a live Lebanese band with traditional Lebanese dancing demonstrations outside in a large square in the middle of Beirut. It includes a full menu of the best Middle Eastern cuisine and street food you could ever ask for.
The Lebanese food festival attracts thousands of local and international visitors each year yearning for a taste of traditional falafel, hummus, tabouli, and chicken shawarma. (If you haven't tried chicken shawarma before, do yourself a favor and mark it off your culinary bucket list asap!)
When: September - October
Where: Beirut, Lebanon
Salon Du Chocolate - Quito, Ecuador
Who doesn't want an exotic trip to Ecuador? How about attending a festival centered all around chocolate? At what may be our favorite food festival around the world, you can do both!
While there are several chocolate festivals out there, the top-quality chocolate in Ecuador sends this one to the top for us. Then there's the romanticism of the capital Quito, the UNESCO World Heritage listed city in which the festival takes place.
About 15,000 attendees turn up every year to Salon Du Chocolate to get involved in the chocolate tastings and cookery classes. The chocolatey climax comes on the final day when winners of various awards are given. The crowd favorite is the best chocolate sculpture!
When: June
Where: Catholic University, Quito
Singapore Food Festival - Sentosa Island, Singapore
This Asian food festival boasts some of the world's best foods, celebrating unique flavors from Singapore and around the world. Almost 30 years running, the innovative Asian food fest is both an in-person event and a virtual experience. Regular visitors can participate in master classes by Michelin-starred chefs, take foodie tours through Singapore's scenic neighborhoods and enjoy a smorgasbord of premium-item cuisines.
For those who can't make it to the Singapore Food Festival, you can enjoy virtual tours from your living room through the iconic street food neighborhoods of Little India and Tiong Bahru.
When: June - July
Where: Sentosa Island, Singapore + Virtual
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival - Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city and its cultural capital, has been hosting the food and wine festival for over 30 years. What started as a small not-for-profit event to promote Melbourne's food and wine culture has grown to become one of the world's most famous culinary festivals. The festival works closely with the State of Victoria's culinary industry to include fun events for guests to participate in including cooking classes, massive banquets and gala dinners.
In 2022, its 30th anniversary, they featured 30 Under 30 - a selection of 30 of Victoria's best chefs under 30 years old. Exciting gala dinners feature fresh talent showcasing their innovative approach to tomorrow's cuisine. Moreover, diners get the chance to see them work their magic and hear from them in an intimate setting at some of Melbourne's most-renowned eateries including Stokehouse, Cutler & Co, Matilda 159 and Society and Embla.
When: March - April
Where: Downtown Melbourne, Victoria
Taste of Chicago - Illinois, USA
The Taste of Chicago is huge, attracting over 3 million visitors each year. The festival dates back to 1980 and has since grown exponentially to represent Chicago's artistic and cultural vibrancy.
Chicagoans know how to eat. They have incredible culinary diversity along with some unique takes on traditional foods, including the Chicago-style barbeque, deep dish pizza, the Chicago hot dog and their famous cheesecake. The city itself is very diverse with the influence of all the different cultures contributing to the uniqueness of Chicago cuisine.
The Taste of Chicago festival celebrates all this and more. Every summer, visitors from all over America (and the world) descend on downtown's beautiful Grant Park on the city's magnificent lakefront to indulge themselves. Illuminated by the bright, beautiful lights of Chicago are food stalls serving up some amazing fare. The diverse array is complemented with live music for your listening pleasure and exciting activities that will keep you and your family busy all day long!
When: September
Where: Grant and Birmingham Parks, Downtown Chicago
Taste of Mexico - Tulum, Mexico
The Taste of Mexico Festival in beautiful Tulum pays homage to mezcal and Mexican street food, ranked among the best in the world. They partner with some of the best sponsors, restaurants and chefs of the region to serve up lunch, dinner and dessert consisting of all the T's-- tacos, tamales, tortas, tlayudas, tlacoyos, tostadas and taquitos…tasty!
The other appeal of Taste of Mexico is the fact it's located in Tulum, a Caribbean Coast town with incredible beaches and ancient Mayan ruins to explore. Besides its multifaceted foodie scene and historic attractions, Tulum is known for its mezcal (cooked inside lava rock-lined earthen pits filled with wood and charcoal before being distilled in clay pots). Expect many unique and delicious mezcal cocktails (and tequila too)!
When: May
Where: Tulum, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
St. Moritz Gourmet Festival - St. Moritz, Switzerland
The St. Moritz Gourmet Festival has been running for almost 30 years now and is one of the world's most celebrated food events, hosted in one of the world's luxury ski resorts. The festival pulls international culinary icons and stars from over 30 nations around the world showcasing some of the best gastronomic skills globally. As a result, the festival has gained a cult-like status attracting thousands of foodies from all over the world every year to the winter wonderland of Upper Engadine.
Despite its elite sponsors and chef royalty, this food and cultural festival does not focus on competition but rather collegial cooperation. The world's best chefs inspire each other and work together to bring the guests next-level delicacies and culinary experiences.
However, it's not all about the celebrity chefs and their masterpieces. They support the local food scene by hosting a competition for the up-and-coming ‘Young Engadine Talents’, where the chefs invited to participate are apprentices from Engadine in their third year of training.
Bon Appetit!
When: January to February
Where: Upper Engadine, St. Moritz
Tokyo Ramen Festa - Tokyo, Japan
Formerly known as the Tokyo Ramen Show, the Tokyo Ramen Festa is the biggest food festival in Japan celebrating all things ramen, a style of Japanese noodles served in a broth with vegetables and meat. The festival certainly lives up to its name, with ramen, more ramen, and just when you think you could not get any more ramen... lots and lots more ramen. The variety of merchants is impressive, brought in from every corner of the country, each offering their own unique twist on the popular dish. Over 30 varieties of the noodle dish can be tasted at this one event, which is spread out over 11 days.
When: October - November
Where: Tokyo, Japan
Mistura Food Festival - Lima, Peru
We’re going to finish off this post with a proper South American food fiesta, the Mistura Food Festival, in Lima, Peru. Lima is arguably the culinary capital of South America and they celebrate it well with this 10-day festival of high-quality and inventive fusion food. Travelers flock here to get a taste of the flavorful dishes prepared by some of Peru's top chefs.
Mistura attracts big crowds, with a record visit of 600,000 attendees. It is like a 10-day long food party on Lima's Costa Verde complete with street-cart vendors, themed food tents, and live concerts. You can sample the best Peruvian dishes from the cities to the Andes to the depths of the Amazon jungle. Their highly popular fusion dishes blend native ingredients with international flavors and cooking techniques. The results are phenomenal. If you haven't tried Peruvian cuisine (and you like a good fiesta), get yourself to Lima for the Mistura Food Festival.
When: August - September
Where: Costa Verde, Lima, Peru
If you enjoyed this feast then you might like our Wines of the World to wash down your food with.
Storylines
Storylines is a community of global citizens living aboard a luxury residential ship while it travels the world. We seek participation in cultural experiences and philanthropic endeavors while practicing and advocating sustainability travel. Check out our website for more information.