Take a Bite Out of These Top California Food Festivals
Whether you want to line up some plans for your upcoming trip to California or you’re a resident looking to explore your own backyard, the Golden State is home to some of the most interesting foodie events in the country. Take a look at nine drool-worthy California food festivals to get you started.
Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival
Pebble Beach
Known as a “premier epicurean lifestyle event,” Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival is a dream come true for anyone who enjoys one-of-a-kind dishes and drinks. With more than 200 wineries and 100 chefs represented at this four-day festival, you can spend your days enjoying wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, exclusive lunches and dinners, and more. Be sure to check out the special events before you arrive in case you find something a little more exclusive that strikes your fancy.
See more: California Gift Guide: 8 Local Products From the Golden State
Carrot Festival and Street Fair
Holtville
Yes, you read the name right. Holtville has hosted the annual Carrot Festival and Street Fair for more than 70 years, and it includes everything from barbecues and beauty contests to parades, a carnival and carrot cooking contests. Even if you aren’t a carrot fanatic, you can enjoy the kick-off concert, complete with live music, a beer garden and a variety of food vendors. There’s even a carrot race for those who feel like burning a few calories before sampling a slice of decadent carrot cake.
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Napa Truffle Festival
Napa
If you want to experience the magic of the mysterious truffle, you are going to love the Napa Truffle Festival. You can savor some of the most mouthwatering truffle dishes paired with wine from the finest wineries in Napa. Then, learn how to incorporate truffles into dishes you can make at home from Michelin star and master chefs. Those particularly curious about the truffle world can even explore truffle orchards to learn how they’re harvested.
See more: 5 California Vineyards to Visit Beyond Wine Country
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Mendocino Crab & Wine Days
Mendocino
Whether you are a crab connoisseur or you’ve never tried it before, the Mendocino Crab & Wine Days is one festival you don’t want to miss. Coastal Living even rated it as one of the top seafood and wine festivals in the country.
Because this festival occurs in January, there are plenty of opportunities to take advantage of the Dungeness crab season harvest. All-you-can-eat crab feeds, cooking classes, crab cake cook-offs and winemaker dinners are just a few of the many activities to enjoy at this spectacular event.
Tomato & Vine Festival
Fairfield
If you want to spend a cheerful weekend celebrating the region’s rich agricultural roots, look no further than the Tomato & Vine Festival in Fairfield, California. The Tomato Marketplace is the heartbeat of the entire event, where you can stock up on California-grown heirloom tomatoes, pick up something to munch on from a gourmet food vendor and peruse a variety of agricultural displays. Don’t forget to cheer someone on in the tomato eating contest, watch a cooking competition, and stop by the beer and wine garden while you’re there.
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California Avocado Festival
Carpinteria
Any list of California food festivals would be incomplete without one dedicated to the humble avocado. For more than 30 years, the town of Carpinteria has celebrated the beloved fruit at the California Avocado Festival. The event features live music performances, avocado dishes and more artisan vendor booths that you can count. They also have an expo tent full of agricultural photos and history lessons if you want to learn more about avocados. You might even spot the winner of the largest avocado contest while you’re there.
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Sacramento Banana Festival
Sacramento
The Sacramento Banana Festival is more than an event dedicated to one of the most popular fruits in the world. It’s a multicultural festival celebrating the wide variety of countries that use bananas in popular dishes.
The event runs for two days and is designed to delight children and adults of all ages. Whether you want to peruse the cultural exhibits, grab lunch from a food truck, sample a variety of banana-flavored cuisines or enjoy a little live entertainment, you’ll have a blast at this unique California food festival.
See more: 7 Foods That Came From California
Festival Napa Valley
Napa
Festival Napa Valley is a festival centered around food and wine – but with a twist. The event commemorates the region’s abundance of beauty and cuisine while also celebrating its finest performing arts. Hundreds of wineries, chefs, restaurants and vintners participate every year alongside the area’s top resorts and theaters, so visitors can truly experience everything that Napa Valley has to offer.
If you call yourself a foodie, be sure to reserve a spot at the annual Taste of Napa event, where you can enjoy delicious food, wine and music. And don’t forget to make your way through the artisan market and pop into one of the tasting stations too.
See more: 5 California Vineyards to Visit Beyond Wine Country
Spirits of the West Brewfest
Big Bear
Dedicated to Big Bear Valley’s rich history in cattle ranching, the Spirits of the West Brewfest is for those who want to reminisce about simpler times. The event lasts for three days, giving you plenty of time to try the mechanical bull, take free country dance lessons and enjoy a little live music. And the main event includes beer and spirit tastings from a wide range of breweries and distilleries. The party wraps up with a cowboy brunch complete with bottomless mimosas and a flavorful Bloody Mary bar.