New York is known to the world for its buzzing life, endless skyscrapers lining the skyline, yellow cabs, districts, and nature.
However, New York has a lot to offer besides endless energy, especially if you are looking for affordable, delicious food.
If you want a taste of the best wines and food, New York has several amazing food festivals you can try.
Today, we go through 6 amazing food festivals in New York.
6 Amazing Food Festivals in NYC
New York hosts food festivals throughout the year, ranging from walk-throughs to intimate settings, signature events, or cocktails.
If you prefer to avoid going out during winter, you can join the festivals in spring and vice versa.
The top 6 amazing food festivals in NYC include.
1. Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival
In the cold of winter, Manhattan gets a taste of the Southern USA with the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ festival.
The festival offers no limit to what you can get, but it only comes with a limited number of tickets.
Serving an array of barbecue, beer, and bourbon, you can easily spend a day enjoying some meat and drinks.
You can choose one of the festival’s 60+ beers or 40+ bourbons.
An important point to note is that Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival is a traveling food festival in New York.
The group moves from the South, headed for Manhattan, where they get to serve:
- Whole hogs
- Briskets
- Sausages
- Ribs
- Chicken
So, if you miss them in New York, you can follow them to the next city.
The festival is usually held at the Brooklyn Expo Center, and you can get a ticket for $54 for general admission.
However, for an extra $30, you get a special VIP Lounge Area, a BBQ Plate dinner, and an additional 2 hours of sampling.
Food is only one of many products available during the festival.
You can play games with your friends, such as giant Jenga, cornhole, and connect four.
Alternatively – You can listen in on the live music bands, dance to their tunes, or even go shopping for cool exhibitions from the participating members.
And being a Southern-themed festival, you can expect to see hot sauces, cigars, and much more.
2. New York City Wine & Food Festival
Ever wondered what 3 days of fun, food, and wine would look like to a New Yorker?
Well, the NYC Food Festival is the best way to find out.
The New York City Food Festival is a partnership with God’s Love We Deliver.
It prepares and delivers food to people with food and nutritional insecurities, intending to support their well-being and health.
While the charity runs all year long, NYCFF holds a 4-day culinary extravaganza over the weekend at the New York Wine& Food Festival.
You can walk through many vendors while sampling their foods or drinks during this period.
Remarkably, a ticket to this walk-through tasting event gives you access to all foods and drinks showcased in the festival.
To Consider – If you do not want to walk around, you can book a ticket to the master classes from the nation’s top chefs for an intimate dinner with your loved ones.
You can even choose the grand tasting, where you can choose from over 200 innovative food products, wines, and spirits.
Due to the event’s popularity in NYC, most tickets sell out months before the actual events.
However, you can still get a general admission ticket for $115 in the location of your choice.
3. Smorgasburg
Smorgasburg is one of the largest open-air food festivals in New York.
Since launching in 2011, the festival has seen thousands of people flocking in to enjoy food from thousands of vendors.
Smorgasburg takes place in 2 folds; one event on Saturday and another on Sunday.
The event on Sunday takes place in Prospect Park and attracts over 10,000 people.
On Saturday, the Smorgasburg open-air food festival brings together over 15,000 people in Williamsburg.
Also, the event sees over 70 vendors showcase their foods, beverages, and shopping scenes to visitors.
You get various foods such as:
- Waffles
- Lobster Nachos
- Stuffed Crepes
- Cookies
- Pop-Up Beers
- Fresh Juice
- Ice Cream
Any ticket you buy for the event will be exclusive to the vendor.
That is why they are priced differently. This ranges from $10-$30 per vendor.
Also, you can pay for your meals in cash or use credit/debit cards to make payments.
4. Taste of Buffalo
For over 30 years, restaurants, wineries, and entertainment establishments have come together to create one of the largest food, fun, and drink festivals in New York- Taste of Buffalo.
The festival brings together thousands of people between July 9 and July 10.
There are also over 40 restaurants and food trucks, for the ultimate food testing experience.
Here you can taste wines from 5 of the top New York State wineries at the festival, enjoy live music, and much more.
In a single day, you get to live out the best culinary experiences of the City of Buffalo.
Note with such an open-air food festival, you do not need an admission ticket to enter the venue.
Heads Up! You would need to pay, either in cash or via credit card, to individual vendors as you purchase food.
These tickets come in sheets. For $6, you get 10 tickets, which you can then use to buy food, which would cost you 2-10 tickets.
5. New York Pizza Festival
There are many things unique to New York, and pizza is at the top of that list.
At the New York Pizza Festival, you interact with the city’s most renowned pizza makers, culinary experts, and chefs.
In the 2 days when the event is open, you also interact with over 30,000 pizza lovers.
The festival, which runs from October 5 to October 6, brings together 25 US pizza makers, 5 chefs from Italy, wine, beer, and live music at Crescent Avenue in the Bronx.
The tickets sell for $39, including unlimited pizza during your visit.
However, for a VIP admission ticket for $100, you also get:
- 5 drinks from wine and beer tents
- special access to VIP lines at each booth
- and more slices of pizza
The festival brings pizzaioli from the 5 boroughs of NY, LA, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, and other parts of the country.
6. Taste the World Festival
A good food festival has good food, excellent music, tantalizing drinks, and amazing cooking shows.
The Famous Food Festival, held in Long Island, has all these packaged into one fun-filled day.
You can choose to attend all 4 days of the hosting or single out your favorite day to attend.
The festival is held at 152 The Arches Circle, Deer Park, NYC.
The festival is all-inclusive, covering food from the Middle East to Mexico.
With one ticket, you can get:
- Empanadas
- ice cream
- Lebanese cuisine
- Asian fusion foods
- Caribbean cuisine
The dress code is simple and casual.
All you need is a ticket, which goes for $10.56 for adults, and you can drink beer, taste wines, and participate in cooking shows.
Besides the food, the Famous Food Festival also showcases art from local artists and has mini golf sets.
You can also listen to live music jams or take your shot at the vampire escape rooms.
What to Expect? If you get a VIP admission ticket for $51, you also get exclusive entry to the best spots, including a private bar, a food token, merch, and a sitting section, among many more.
Final Thoughts
If you have never attended a New York food festival, then you should definitely try any of the ones listed above.
In these, you can enjoy a full-course meal at a fine dining restaurant or choose a walk-through, where you taste samples from the best cooks in the region.
Overall, you are guaranteed to have an amazing time.
