Food festivals in New York City are a unique and fun experience for you and your family. Petty much anyone who enjoys food or cooking will have an exceptional time if they visit. Every year you have the opportunity to go to an NYC food festival of your choice, and the selection is wide. It depends on what type of food you are into. On the other hand, it isn’t of great importance anyway. Food festivals in New York City are a fantastic opportunity to try the dishes you’ve never eaten or even heard of. The versatility of cultures and their cuisine is astonishing. So take your family, friends, and loved ones and make unforgettable memories.
Smorgasburg
Smorgasburg’s open-air market is one of the most popular attractions in New York for all passionate food lovers. For many, its start marks the end of winter and the beginning of the outdoor events that come with good weather. This spring festival was founded in 2011 by Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby and ever since attracts 20,000-30,000 visitors to Brooklyn every weekend, where 100 local vendors offer a variety of quality food. Everything you can imagine is on offer. The New York Times once called Smorgasburg “the Woodstock meal.” You can visit the festival every Saturday on the Williamsburg waterfront and Sunday in the green Prospect Park from April to October. This year, you can also find it at the World Trade Center. From its foundation until today, it has expanded to several cities like Jersey, Los Angeles, Miami, and Toronto. The festival also operates pop-ups in Japan and Brazil.
The best food festivals in New York City: TASTE Williamsburg Greenpoint
Taste Williamsburg Greenpoint is another top culinary event you can visit every September in Brooklyn. The local community is using the income generated by the festival to finance significant projects. You can sample North Brooklyn’s local cuisine specialties from over 40 restaurants, bars, breweries, and wineries. Learn a thing or two about preparing your favorite dishes at the cooking demonstrations or be entertained by one of the live music performances. Festivals like these and many other events held throughout the year make Brooklyn a fantastic tourist destination but also a great place to call home. If you decide to move, you can reach Brooklyn with ease by hiring professional long distance movers. They will make your move easy and stress-free.
New York Wine and Food Festival
This four-day festival takes place every October and is the largest food festival in New York. Funds raised at the festival are donated to charities such as God’s Love We Deliver, the Food Bank for New York, and the Share Our Strength’s No Child Hungry campaign. The festival has raised nearly $15 million so far. More than 500 chefs participate in it, with the presence of world-famous culinary stars. You can try the prepared food at the tasting booths. More than 80 accompanying events are organized in various places throughout the city. Learn about cocktail making and food preparation from top professionals.
Ninth Avenue International Food Festival
It is the oldest and one of the largest food festivals in New York City, organized for the first time in 1973. Since then, it has been regularly held every year in mid-May. For two days, Ninth Avenue turns into a colorful gastronomic carnival that offers the most delicious meals of ethnic cuisines from different parts of the world. Here you can try Argentinian, Ethiopian, Brazilian, Dominican, Greek, German, Polish, Spanish, Ukrainian, and many other types of cuisine. Ethnic music from all over the world is performed live on two stages. You can buy clothes, jewelry, and other ethnic handicrafts at over two hundred sales points. All this makes this festival, as well as New York itself, a true celebration of diversity. Additional activities at the festival include the children’s pavilion on 53rd and 54th streets, where the whole family can have a great time.
Uptown Night Market
Another festival that celebrates diversity and promotes ethnic cuisines all around the world is the Uptown Night Market. Once a month, every second Thursday of the month, you can come here and find over 70 different vendors representing every culture and practically every cuisine imaginable, with lots of delicious treats out there. The first festival took place in the Bronx in 2017, but due to the large number of visitors, it has moved to a larger space. Today, it attracts over seven thousand visitors and is a must for any food lover in Manhattan.
Harvest in the Square
Union Square has hosted the Harvest on the Square festival for a quarter of a century. It’s an enjoyable evening of food, drink, and fun that brings together the Union Square Partnership. This organization works to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood by creating a safer and more pleasant environment. Over 50 local restaurants and 20 beverage producers participate in the festival. Chefs prepare food on site, and hundreds of guests have the opportunity to try their food.
Feast of San Gennaro
An excellent opportunity to enjoy Italian food is the San Gennaro holiday. The tradition was started by Italian immigrants from Naples back in 1926, honoring the patron saint of their hometown. The celebration lasts for eleven days, and during that time, you can try authentic Italian dishes at the traditional fair on Mulberry Street. Also, you can enjoy parades, cannoli eating contests, and great traditional music.
Conclusion
If you’ve had any doubts about going to food festivals in New York City before, we hope you’ve changed your mind now. Look at this as a fun experience where you will get to see and try something new and tasty. If you’re not from New York, going to one of these festivals is a great chance to see and explore the city as well. Whatever you choose, Uptown Night Market, Wine, and Food festival, Smorgasburg, or any other – you won’t make a wrong decision. If you have enough free time visit more than one!