Here at dealchecker we like nothing more than chowing down on a cake or two. And pasta. And also burgers. Basically, if you put food in front of us, chances are it’ll be gone in minutes. So, we’d like to think we’re more than a little qualified to give you the lowdown on the food festivals around the world that should be making it onto your bucket list, pronto. Disclaimer: we cannot be held responsible for any drooling that might occur in the course of reading this blog.
Pizza Festival, Naples – June
If there is any sweeter combination of words in the world than ‘pizza’ and ‘festival’, we don’t want to know about it. Naples, the home of the world’s favourite food, celebrates its marvellous invention each year at the cheesy, crusty extravaganza that is Pizza Festival. More than 100,000 pizzas are pumped out over the festival’s nine days, by some of the world’s top pizzaioli (pizza chefs). It doesn’t matter whether you fancy a capricciosa, a quattro formaggi, or a margherita, you’ll find them all here. A slice of each for us, please!
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Australia – March
Image © Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
Australia’s credentials as a culinary melting pot are on full show at the Melbourne Food and Wine festival, where hundreds of thousands of foodies gather to bite down on delicacies from the kitchens of some of Australia’s best and most exciting chefs. Along with eating your body weight in all kinds of tucker – Turkish, Italian, Chinese and modern Australian to name but a few of the cuisines you can try – the festival also holds cooking workshops, Italian street parties hosted by local restaurateurs, and wine micro-festivals.
Giant Omelette Celebration, Bessieres, France – March/April
Image © Sally Neate
We can all agree that Napoleon didn’t contribute a lot to the world, aside from loads of statues… but, as it turns out, he did make one very important contribution: he was the inspiration for the annual Giant Omelette Celebration in the French town of Bessieres. When he made a stop in the village, he was served an omelette that he enjoyed so much that he had every egg in town broken to create one giant omelette for his soldiers to eat. Ever since, the Giant Omelette Brotherhood of Bessieres (yes, that’s a thing) has made a 15,000-egg omelette every Easter in the town’s main square. Eggscelent!
Taste of Chicago, USA – July
Image © Peter F
America doesn’t do things by halves, and every year, more than two million people descend on Chicago for the world’s largest food festival. The city’s restaurants swing open their doors, serving tastes of their best dishes, pop-up restaurants fill empty storefronts, and food trucks roam the streets flogging their delectable wares. Stay well-lubricated at the festival’s beer hall, cocktail lounge and wine garden, learn the secrets of some of the world’s most famous chefs, listen to live music, and watch local artists create new work right in front of your eyes. Phew!
Taste of London – June and November
With around 20,000 restaurants in London, it’s a near-impossible task to try and visit all of them in your lifetime. Make the task a little easier with a jaunt to the Taste of London, where some of the capital’s biggest names in food sling their best-loved dishes, often for cheaper than you’ll find in their actual restaurants. There’s also live demos, whisky and wine tastings, cocktail-making classes, and live music. The best part? It’s held twice a year, so you won’t have to wait too long between dishes!
Galway Oyster Festival, Ireland – September
Image © Rihardzz
Launched in 1954, the Galway Oyster Festival is the oldest oyster festival in the world, and one of Europe’s longest-running food events. Visitors throw back thousands of Galway’s famous molluscs over the course of a weekend every year, washing them down with local beer and wine. There are also oyster-shucking competitions, DJs and a masquerade ball. The Irish are notorious for having a rowdy good time, so why not join in the fun?
