Festivals

The weather has warmed up and the festivals are in full swing! From coast to coast there are amazing things to check out. Whether it's cheese in Seattle or BBQ in New Jersey, there's a lot of food waiting to be gobbled up. So if you're wondering what to do this weekend, then look no further. There's something for every region this weekend.

• Nantucket, MA: Nantucket Wine Festival — May 14-18
• Buckhannon, WV: Strawberry Visions — May 14-18
• Alpharetta, GA: Taste of Alpharetta — May 15
• Memphis, TN: World Championship BBQ Contest — May 15-17



• Monterey, CA: Cooking for Solutions — May 16-17
• Intercourse, PA: Rhubarb Festival — May 16-17
• Washington, DC: Savor — American Craft Beer & Food Experience — May 16-17
• Magnolia, AR: Magnolia Blossom Festival and World Championship Steak Cookoff — May 16-17
• Dermott, AR: Crawfish Festival — May 16-17
• Fruita, CO: Mike the Headless Chicken Festival — May 16-17
• Seattle, WA: Seattle Cheese Festival — May 16-18
• Little Rock, AR: International Greek Food Festival — May 16-18
• Lodi, CA: ZinFest — May 16-18
• Taylorsville, KY: Gourd Festival — May 16-18
• Pasadena, TX: Strawberry Festival — May 16-18
• Paso Robles, CA: Paso Robles Wine Festival — May 17
• San Francisco, CA: Uncorked! Wine Festival — May 17
• New York, NY: Taste of Tribeca — May 17
• Norfolk, VA: Annual Beer Festival — May 17

There's a ton of other events — including homebrew and oysters! — so be sure to read more

Spring is food-festival season, and there's no shortage of events to attend this weekend. From shrimp to strawberries, there's food for everyone to enjoy. If something is missing from this list, let us all know about it in the comments below!

• Fort Lauderdale, FL: Las Olas Wine and Food Festival — May 1
• Fernandina Beach, FL: Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival — May 1-4
• Mountain View, AR: Heritage Herb Spring Extravaganza — May 2-3
• Arab, AL: Poke Salat Festival — May 2-3
• Dover, OR: Dandelion Fest and Cook-off — May 2-3
• Huntsville, AL: WhistleStop Festival and Rocket City BBQ — May 2-3
• Pensacola, FL: Pensacola Crawfish Festival —May 2-4
• Breaux Bridge, LA: Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival — May 2-4
• Portland, OR: Portland Indie Wine Festival — May 2-4
• Long Grove, IL: Long Grove Chocolate Festival — May 2-4



• Orange Beach, AL: Wine & Culinary Festival — May 2-4
• Hamburg, AR: Armadillo Festival — May 2-4
• Waikiki, HI: Spam Jam — May 3
• Somers, CT: New England Regional Chili Cook-off — May 3
• Atlanta, GA: Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show — May 3-4
• Lahaska, PA: Strawberry Festival — May 3-4
• Ruskin, FL: Ruskin Tomato & Heritage Festival — May 3-4
• Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh Wine Festival — May 3-8
• Cosby, TN: Cosby Ramp Festival — May 4
• Humboldt, TN: West Tennessee Strawberry Festival — May 4-10
• San Francisco, CA: Obama Rama hosted by our very own CasaSugar! — May 6

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• Washington, DC: Rhone Renaissance — April 17
• Biloxi, MS: Crawfish Festival — April 17-20 and 24-27
• Dallas, TX: Côtes du Coeur International Fine Wine Auction and Celebrity Chef Dinner — April 18
• Harrisonburg, VA: Virginia Beef Expo — April 18-20
• Springfield, MO: 9th Annual Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival — April 18-19
• Faunsdale, AL: 2008 Alabama Crawfish Festival — April 18-19
• Salisbury, MD: Pork in the Park BBQ Festival — April 18-20
• Santa Barbara, CA: Santa Barbara County Vintners' Festival — April 18-21
• Alma, AR: Spinach Festival — April 19
• Cary, NC: Uncork The Fun — April 19
• West Memphis, TN: Gumbo Fest — April 19
• Mundelein, IL: Spring Wine & Food Festival — April 19
• Jackson, MS: Sante' South Wine Festival — April 19
• Celebration, FL: Great American Pie Festival — April 19-20
• St. Augustine, FL: Food, Flowers & Fun — April 19-20
• Lancaster, CA: California Poppy Festival — April 19-20
• Sugar Land, TX: Grand Wine & Food Affair — April 23-27

Looking for something tasty to do this weekend? Here are some noteworthy events you might want to check out. There's a lot going on this weekend, and from strawberry fairs to chocolate salons — I'll be at this event! — there's something for everyone. If you know of an event that's not listed, please let us know in the comments below!

• Tallahassee, FL: Florida Wine Festival — April 10-12
• Blowing Rock, NC: Blue Ridge Food & Wine Festival — April 10-13
• Austin, TX: Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival — April 10-13
• Bozeman, MT: Montana Beer Festival — April 11



• Fort Lauderdale, FL: Wine & Culinary Celebration — April 11
• San Diego, CA: California Wine Festival — April 11-12
• Novi, MI: Michigan International Wine Expo — April 11-12
• York, PA: Pennsylvania Herb Festival — April 11-12
• Lancaster, PA: Mid-Atlantic BBQ Expo — April 11-12
• Ponchatoula, LA: Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival — April 11-13
• Poteet, TX: Poteet Strawberry Festival — April 11-13
• St. George, SC: World Grits Festival — April 11-13
• Palm Springs, CA: Palm Springs Food & Wine Festival — April 11-13
• Moulton, AL: Alabama Chicken & Egg Festival — April 12-13
• San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International Chocolate Salon — April 13

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Looking for something tasty to do this weekend? Here are some noteworthy events you might want to check out. There's a lot going on this weekend, but if we missed one, let us know in the comments below!

• Vail, CO: Taste of Vail — April 2-5
• Meyersdale, PA: Pennsylvania Maple Festival — April 2-6
• Miami, FL: Miami Wine and Food Festival — April 3-5
• Newport, NC: Newport Pig Cookin' Contest — April 4-5
• Kilgore, TX: Party in the Patch — April 4-5



• Baton Rouge, LA: Wine and Culinary Festival — April 4-6
• Toronto, Canada: Toronto Wine and Cheese Show — April 4-6
• South Bend, IN: IGS State Gourd Show — April 4-6
• San Francisco, CA: Junior Achievement Wine Tasting and Auction — April 5
• Vergas, MN: Vergas Maple Syrup Fest — April 5
• Belzoni, MS World Catfish Festival — April 5
• Chicago, IL: Sweets: A Journey Through Midwestern Dessert Traditions — April 5
• Seattle, WA: Taste! Washington — April 5-6
• Pittsburg, PA: Pennsylvania Restaurant and Food Service Expo — April 6-7
• Scottsdale, AZ: Scottsdale Culinary Festival — April 8-13

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This weekend marked the First Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine event, and let me tell you, it was definitely a lavish affair. While the full shebang would have cost you $4,750 — including lodging for the four-day affair, as well as admission to all the events, including classes, seminars, parties and tastings — a single-day Grand Tasting Pass cost only $165. Pennies in comparison.

So what exactly did $165 buy you? Try access to over 200 wineries — one of my faves was Revana, whose wines are normally only available at restaurants and cost more than I normally spend on a bottle — nibbles by some of the most famous chefs in the world, and a wildly surreal surrounding — think models doing slow motion dancing in head-to-toe stretch material and a beautiful ocean nearby. Sure it's pricey, but it was definitely a fun event for a food lover. Oh and if you plan it correctly, you may even get to hob knob with celebrities. Rumor has it that several Top Chef faves were on hand, as was Thomas Keller, Todd English, and Ted Allen.

But enough talking, what you really should do is check out the full gallery. But before you do, grab a napkin, you're gonna need it! To see all the pictures, read more

Looking for something tasty to do this weekend? Here are some noteworthy events you might want to check out. If we missed one, let us know in the comments below!

• Pebble Beach, CA: First annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine — March 27-30
• Macon, GA: Cherry Blossom Festival — March 28 - April 6
• Ybor City, FL: International Rum Festival — March 27-29
• Kona, HI: Kona Chocolate Festival — March 27-29
• Washington, DC: National Cherry Blossom Festival — March 29 - April 13
• Gilbert, AZ: Slow Is Local: Farm Tour and Dinner — March 30
• Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Wine Festival — March 28-29
• Hermann, MO: Wurstfest — March 29-30
• Las Vegas, NV: International Pizza Expo — April 1-3

Looking for something tasty to do this weekend? Here's some noteworthy things you might want to check out. If I missed one, let us know in the comments below!

• Maywood, CA: Guacamole Festival — Mar. 22-23
• New Orleans, LA: Cocktail Film Festival — Mar. 21-22
• Fountain Hills, AZ: Fountain Hills Fine Art & Wine Affaire — Mar. 21-23
• Washington, DC: Tequila & Mezcal Festival — Mar. 18-30

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Every year, on the last Wednesday in August (which happens to be today), the folks of the Spanish town of Bunol get together for the annual tomato throwing festival. That's right, the town citizens, along with tens of thousands of tourists, get together for a giant tomato food fight called La Tomatina.

For exactly one hour (11am-noon), 117 tons of plum tomatoes were hurled into the air, at folks, into the streets, everywhere. At noon a rocket was shot into the air signaling the end of the fight. Once it was over, residents used garden hoses to spray down the town.

There were no reports of injuries this year, mostly because everyone seemed to respect the rules: Only throw tomatoes, don't throw tomatoes that are green (meaning that they're hard), squeeze the tomatoes first to make them burst easier (easing the sting).

So how did the event begin?

Local legend claims the event began in the mid-1940s after a group of youngsters waged a food fight near a vegetable stand on the town square. They met again the next year and pelted each other — and passers-by — creating the annual tradition.

Sounds pretty wild, but from the look of things, it sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe I should book a hotel for next year...

Source: International Herald Tribune
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