Get a Taste of the Empire State at These 8 New York Food Festivals
From the fast pace of New York City to the low-key life upstate, there’s no shortage of stellar food in New York. With all that acreage, there are farms growing produce, churning out milk, butter, and cheese, and providing all kinds of meats to enjoy. Ready to plan your culinary tour of the Empire State? Check out these eight New York food festivals you won’t want to miss.
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Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival
New York City
The star-studded Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival lasts four days and features more than 80 separate events in the Big Apple. No matter what kinds of foods you love, you’ll find an event here for you. There are dinners and samplings, demonstrations and seminars, late-night parties and daytime fitness events. Late fall is a great time to check out New York City for this can’t-miss foodie event. The festival also raises millions of dollars for Food Bank For New York City and No Kid Hungry.
See more: The Top 5 Farm-to-Table Dining Experiences in NYC
Chowderfest
Saratoga Springs
Warm up from the cold New York winter with a visit to Chowderfest in Saratoga Springs. Cups of chowder are just $1 each, and there are more than 80 vendors in and around downtown dishing up their best version. Try as many as your stomach has room food, then vote for your favorite. As you wander around town, you’ll find an ice bar, ice sculptures and plenty of places with live music. Stop by the visitor’s center for all kinds of activities and an indoor clam dig for prizes. It’s the perfect way to spend a winter day.
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Gardiner Cupcake Festival
Gardiner
Located about 80 miles North of New York City, the Gardiner Cupcake Festival makes for a great day trip to satisfy your sweet tooth and spend some time in the fresh air on a 450-acre farm. This springtime event includes over 10,000 different styles of cupcakes to choose from. The festival also features live music, wine tastings, children’s activities, cupcake contests and more. Plus, it all takes place under tents, so you can enjoy the sweetest day of the year rain or shine.
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Spiedie Fest
Binghamton
Spiedies are small pieces of marinated meat (lamb, chicken, pork or beef) that are skewered, grilled and then served up sandwich style on a long roll. You will pretty much only find them in Binghamton, New York, when the town celebrates its unique three-day Spiedie Fest in August.
The festival also hosts a number of concerts with national headliners, a night hot air balloon glow, a frisbee dog show and more. This big festival has been recognized at the state and national level, and there’s truly nothing quite like it anywhere else. Tickets are not sold on the day of the event, so plan to purchase them in advance.
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Naples Grape Festival
Naples
Late September in the Finger Lakes Region of New York means harvesting grapes and making wine. And the Naples Grape Festival has celebrated the winemaking culture of the area for more than 50 years. The festival includes a juried art show, a grape pie-baking contest and auction, live music, a delicious beverage garden, artisans and crafters displaying wares for every budget, and, of course, any kind of grape-related food or drink you could ever want. Sample wines and then pick up a few bottles to enjoy at home.
See more: 5 California Vineyards to Visit Beyond Wine Country
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Hudson Valley Garlic Festival
Saugerties
If you’re one of those people who looks at a recipe and automatically doubles (or triples) the amount of garlic called for, the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival is the food festival is for you. For two days in the Catskills, you can taste every type of garlic food imaginable, from traditional garlic bread and cheese to sweet garlic fudge, ice cream, cotton candy and caramel. You probably never imagined putting garlic in your dessert, but the vendors here have big imaginations, and you’ll find some of the most interesting and unique garlic creations you’ve ever seen. Held annually in September, the event features live entertainment, cooking and chef demonstrations, craft and children’s areas, garlic braiding, and more.
National Buffalo Wing Festival
Buffalo
Where else would you celebrate the all-American buffalo chicken wing than on the outfield of a AA baseball stadium in Buffalo? In the 18 years that the National Buffalo Wing Festival has been running, they’ve served up 5 million chicken wings. Each year, you can find more than 100 different flavors of hot wings served up over the course of two days on Labor Day weekend. More than a dozen different contests take place at the festival – from bobbing for wings to a Miss Buffalo Wing pageant – and it all culminates with the U.S. Chicken Wing Eating Championship.
See more: The Origins of Buffalo Chicken
Finger Lakes Cheese Festival
Odessa
In late July, The Finger Lakes Cheese Alliance puts on the Finger Lakes Cheese Festival to highlight the local farms producing delicious cheeses. It takes place at a farm in Odessa, and while there’s plenty to eat and sip, you can also enjoy farm tours, hayrides and more. Throughout the day, you can attend seminars and classes for a small additional fee; topics range from cheese and beer (or cider or wine) pairings to cooking with cheese and cheese-making. There’s also live music on two stages, plus several family-friendly activities that make this festival a great way to spend the day.
See more: 9 Cheese Experiences You Need to Have in Wisconsin