Travel&Vacation

Any season is a great time for food-related travel. If you want to sample a variety of cuisines during your next getaway, we’ve highlighted some of the hottest food festivals for a delicious weekend getaway. And with affordable admission prices, it’s a great way to feast while traveling on a budget.

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  Boston Wine Festival
  : The 18th annual Boston Wine Festival will be held this year through April 6. The country’s longest-running series of food and wine pairings, the festival once again returns to the Boston Harbor Hotel for theme dinners, seminars, brunches, and more. Admission varies by event; prices range from $70 to $315. Get more information on the Boston Wine Festival website.
• 
  Elmira Maple Syrup Festival, Ontario
  : Ontario, Canada, offers “the world’s largest one-day maple syrup festival” on March 31 this year. Events include an antiques sale, pancake breakfast, dog show, and quilt and craft show. Admission varies by event; most tickets cost between $2 and $4 per adult. Visit the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival website for more details.
• 
  Taste of Vail, Colorado
  : This four-day festival highlights premier food and wine pairings set against the backdrop of the famous Vail mountains. Events include an après-ski tasting, seminars, and an auction. The festival is scheduled April 11 through 14; tickets start at $95 and vary by event. Visit the Taste of Vail website for additional details.
• 
  Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, Louisiana
  : The 2007 festival, the 36th annual, will be held from April 13 through 15. The event features a parade, live music, a baking contest, an auction, and rides. Food available for purchase includes strawberry pastries, funnel cakes, fried alligator, and other local specialties. For more information, visit the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival website.
• 
  World Grits Festival, St. George, South Carolina
  : Scheduled for April 13 through 15, the World Grits Festival offers grits dinners, grits grinding demonstrations, and contests including corn shelling and grits eating competitions. For more information, visit the World Grits Festival website.
• 
  Vidalia Onion Festival, Vidalia, Georgia
  : From April 24 through 29, Vidalia will celebrate its famous onions with a variety of events. This festival features a “culinary extravaganza” with recipes and samplings, a cook-off, a carnival, farm tours, a rodeo, and more. Admission varies by event. Visit the Vidalia Onion Festival website for more details.
• 
  25th Annual Strawberry Fest, Long Grove, Illinois
  : One of the Chicagoland area’s tastiest events, Long Grove’s Strawberry Fest welcomes more than 50,000 visitors yearly to celebrate the fruit. The three-day festival features live entertainment, a classic car show, and dishes including strawberry doughnuts, chocolate-covered strawberries, smoothies, and more. This year’s events will be held from June 22 through 24. Get more information on the Long Grove website.

Don’t see a festival that interests you? Check FoodReference.com or Chef2Chef.net for extensive listings of food and wine festivals, shows, and events across the U.S. this season and beyond.