From Spain to Singapore and São Paulo, food and drinks festivals are an international phenomenon that unites foodies and cocktail lovers across the world. Offering a range of activities from hands-on masterclasses led by the planet’s top chefs to food markets, once-in-a-lifetime cooking collaborations and inspirational debates, these festivals will feed both the mind and the soul. Take inspiration for your 2020 travels from our list of 21 festivals you don’t want to miss.
1. Madrid Fusión
13-15 January | Madrid, Spain
Why attend: Deepen your gastronomic knowledge with the world’s leading cooks
One of the most established gastronomic summits in the world, Madrid Fusión returns in early 2020 for its 18th edition. The event will include on-stage presentations, competitions, auctions, workshops and demonstrations focusing on the theme ‘Essential cuisine, thoughtful simplicity’, all of which will take place over three days in the Spanish capital. Among the many 50 Best chefs who will share their knowledge at the forum are Joan Roca (El Celler de Can Roca, Spain), Niko Romito (Reale, Italy), Elena Arzak (Arzak, Spain), and a closing presentation by the legendary Andoni Luis Aduriz (Mugaritz, Spain).
madridfusion.net
2. Cayman Cookout
16-20 January | Cayman Islands
Why attend: Combine a Caribbean holiday with world-beating food experiences
The Cayman Cookout in the famous Caribbean archipelago may well be the best possible way to start the new year with delicious dinners, tastings and culinary tours. In 2020, the five-day festival will be hosted by chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin in New York, a regular on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, who will be joined by American Express Icon Award winner José Andrés. A face-off between the two celebrated chefs is already in the programme, when they will each defend their country’s iconic recipes – bouillabaisse for Ripert and paella for Andrés. Two of The World’s Best Female Chefs are also taking part: Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn, US) and Clare Smyth (Core by Clare Smyth, UK).
caymancookout.com
3. St. Moritz Gourmet Festival
31 January-8 February | St. Moritz, Switzerland
Why attend: An all-female line-up of chefs cooking in the middle of the Alps
Taking place over nine days in the popular alpine resort of St. Moritz, the next edition of this gourmet festival brings some of the world’s leading female chefs to Europe for a series of dinners, masterclasses, tastings and varied celebrations of great food and wine. Bee Satongun of Paste (Thailand) and Lanshu Chen formerly of Le Moût (Taiwan) will be representing the Asia’s Best Female Chef contingent, while Carolina Bazán of Ambrosia (Chile) and Kamilla Seidler (formerly of Gustu in Bolivia, now at Lola in Denmark) are two previous winners of the Latin America’s Best Female Chef Award – all will be cooking at various events in town.
stmoritz-gourmetfestival.ch
4. Identità Golose
7-9 March | Milan, Italy
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Why attend: Join inspirational discussions around sustainability and responsibility
Led by Italian journalists Paolo Marchi and Claudio Ceroni, Identità Golose is Italy’s leading food conference held annually in Milan. The festival’s 16th edition, taking place in March, will focus on ‘A sense of responsibility’, seeking to point restaurants towards ‘good practices and changes that are necessary and destined to become more and more popular’. Previous editions of the congress have seen big-name chefs from Europe and beyond – including Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana, Italy) and Ferran Adrià of now-closed El Bulli (Spain) – gather in Milan to discuss cooking techniques, culinary creativity, the role of memories in gastronomy, and much more.
identitagolose.com
5. Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
19-29 March | Melbourne, Australia
Why attend: A wide array of culinary activities taking over the whole city
This city-wide celebration of good food is an eclectic mix of one-off dinners, culinary inspiration and other foodie events, including the festival’s renowned World’s Longest Lunch, taking place in the atmospheric Treasury Gardens. Among the highlights of the 2020 programme, chef Ben Shewry of acclaimed restaurant Attica will lead a day of talks and performances on Sunday 29 March, and Uruguayan-born cook Ignacio Mattos of Estela in New York will take over Melbourne restaurant Cutler & Co for a world-crossing culinary experience.
melbournefoodandwine.com.au
6. European Food Summit
28-30 March | Ljubljana, Slovenia
Why attend: Discover how food can help save the world
A concept launched in 2019, this event will give you a chance to explore a relatively undiscovered country in Europe while also doing your part to make the world a better place through gastronomy. Created with the mission of ‘spreading awareness of the global impact of food’, the festival has former World’s Best Female Chef Ana Roš of Hiša Franko among its creators. The events bring together people from all sectors of the hospitality industry to discuss sustainability, food waste, responsibility and more, and in 2019 it attracted personalities such as Andreas Caminada (Schloss Schauenstein, Switzerland), Leonor Espinosa (Leo, Colombia) and Riccardo Camanini (Lido 84, Italy).
foodsummit.eu
7. Ubud Food Festival
17-19 April | Bali, Indonesia
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Why attend: Visit Indonesia’s dreamy island in its foodiest season
Set in one of Indonesia’s gastronomic hotspots, the Ubud Food Festival features a host of events: cooking demos, food tours and talks, workshops, masterclasses, music, performance, films and markets. The theme for the next edition is ‘Heroes’, aiming to champion ‘mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers who provide food rich in history and taste to their loved ones’. While you visit Ubud and make the most of the festival, don’t forget to pay a visit to Locavore, the only Indonesian restaurant featured on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
ubudfoodfestival.com
8. The Food Film Festival
17-19 April, Tokyo, Japan | 22-25 October, New York, USA
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Why attend: A unique opportunity to taste the dishes you see on the screen
A singular concept first conceived in 2007, The Food Film Festival allows you to watch films about your favourite topic – food, of course – while also tasting the dishes you’re seeing on screen. The festival’s Selection Committee chooses the pick of the films submitted every year, which are then screened to guests as part of a three-day celebration that involves a film competition and plenty of gastronomic activities. In 2020, The Food Film Festival is holding its first ever edition in Japan in April, which will be followed by the annual New York event in October.
thefoodfilmfestival.com
9. Ñam
April | Santiago, Chile
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Why attend: Discover and celebrate Latin American cuisine
A week-long festival taking place in Chile’s capital, Ñam celebrates all aspects of Latin American cuisine with a series of events and festivities. There is everything from family-friendly activities to cooking classes led by some of the region’s best chefs, workshops on front of house skills and one-off collaboration dinners. Stay tuned to the festival’s social media channels to discover the 2020 line-up for the event, which has previously attracted many of the chefs behind the venues voted into Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants.
niam.cl
10. Terroir Symposium
4 May | Toronto, Canada
Why attend: A one-day immersion in Canada’s leading food discussions
This forward-thinking gastronomic forum, one of the leading ones in Canada, is coming back in 2020 to discuss the theme ‘The power of partnership’. The forum takes place over the course of a single day, when people from all sectors of the hospitality and tourism industry come together to discuss and connect, with over 40 speakers from all over the world as well as workshops, plentiful food and an unmissable after-party.
terroirsymposium.com
11. Singapore Cocktail Festival
15-22 May | Singapore
Why attend: Taste the best of Asia’s drinks scene
One of the hottest cities in the world for food and drinks, Singapore also hosts the Singapore Cocktail Festival in May, a yearly appointment for drink makers and lovers from around the world. The fourth edition of the festival in 2020 will feature the classic festival village, workshops, parties, special cocktail promotions across the city and pop-up bars with visiting bartenders. As many as 11 of Asia’s 50 Best Bars are found in Singapore, and the annual awards ceremony will take place in the city-state once again in 2020 – which means that leading bartenders from across Asia will be hosting ’50 minutes x 50 Best’ masterclasses at Singapore Cocktail Festival too.
singaporecocktailfestival.com
12. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
31 May-2 June | Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium
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Why attend: Learn from the best chefs in the world and taste their food
Continuing its world tour, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, will be heading back to Europe in 2020, where it will host a series of gastronomic events in Flanders at the beginning of June. The full event programme is still to be confirmed, so stay tuned for the announcement of events open to the public, such as the #50BestTalks culinary forum. The programme will culminate in the ‘Oscars of global gastronomy’ – the awards ceremony during which the full list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2020 will be revealed.
theworlds50best.com
13. Tales of the Cocktail
21-26 July | New Orleans, USA
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Why attend: Mix with international bartenders and widen your cocktail knowledge
Since 2002, Tales of the Cocktail has attracted drinks aficionados from all over the world to New Orleans. Over six days, more than 300 events are set to take place, including seminars, unique happy hours and cocktail tours. Next year’s theme is ‘Catalyst’, with the intention of celebrating ‘how growth is fostered within the drinks industry – from craft to people’. Among the world-famous bartenders that participated in 2019 are Ryan Chetiyawardana (Lyaness, UK), Diego Cabrera (Salmon Guru, Spain) and Gabriel Carlos (Manhattan, Singapore).
talesofthecocktail.com
14. Copenhagen Cooking and Food Festival and MAD Symposium
21-30 August | Copenhagen, Denmark
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Why attend: Discover what Nordic gastronomy is all about
The European city that is home to the No.2 restaurant in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 – René Redzepi’s Noma – truly comes alive at the end of August. The Copenhagen festival celebrates Nordic gastronomy and the city’s food scene in all its facets, with cooking events, thought-provoking workshops, culinary debates and more over 10 days. This year it is likely to coincide with Redzepi’s bi-annual Mad Symposium, which seeks to spread gastronomic knowledge and recognise the many ways in which food is ‘inseparable from society’s global challenges’. Discussions around food, social entrepreneurship, science, health and creativity have been held here by some of the industry’s greatest luminaries, including David Chang (Momofuku, US), Jay Fai (Jay Fai, Thailand) and Redzepi himself. Stay tuned to their social channels to discover the 2020 dates for the Mad Symposium.
madfeed.co/mad-symposium
15. Omnivore
12-15 September | Paris, France
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Why attend: Discover upcoming personalities and trends in the food world
In 2020, Omnivore turns 15 years old, and the festival is planning to celebrate the occasion with big changes. It is moving to a new location – Paris’ botanical garden Parc Floral – and changing seasons too, moving from March to September, with two days of free events open to the general public. The Omnivore platform, as well as the festival, celebrate ‘young cuisine’, championing the upcoming personalities changing the world of food through workshops, masterclasses, pop-up dinners, cooking demonstrations and many more culinary activities.
omnivore.com
16. World Gourmet Festival
September | Bangkok, Thailand
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Why attend: Get a taste of Asia’s best gastronomy in Bangkok
Held annually in Bangkok, Thailand’s capital and home to one of the continent’s biggest arrays of food and drinks experiences, the World Gourmet Festival brings together chefs and restaurateurs from all over Asia for a week of delicious dinners and insightful masterclasses. In 2019, cooks came from the four corners of the globe – from Belgium to Taiwan and Italy – to collaborate and celebrate at the Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel. Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2020 dates.
worldgourmetfestival.asia
17. Gastronomika
4-7 October | San Sebastian, Spain
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Why attend: Dive deep into the philosophies of top international chefs
This world-famous congress held in Spain’s Basque Country attracts over 1,500 participants every year, who converge on the Kursaal Congress Centre for four days of brilliant talks, masterclasses and tastings curated and attended by cooks from all over the world. In 2019, it assembled Spain’s top culinary talent as well as top chefs from Chile, Indonesia, Colombia, Russia, Morocco and further afield.
sansebastiangastronomika.com
18. Bar Convent Berlin
12-14 October | Berlin, Germany
Why attend: Explore a unique drinks and mixology playground
This staple event in the drink industry’s calendar sees Berlin transformed through the arrival of bartenders and drinks aficionados from five continents. Over three days, the festival – which in 2020 is moving to a larger venue – gives you an opportunity to attend presentations from industry experts, take part in networking opportunities and explore a wide range of exhibitors. Next year, Bar Convent Berlin is also inaugurating a new concept, ‘City Life Spirits’, so there should be plenty of surprises to look forward to.
barconvent.com
19. Food on the Edge
19-20 October | Galway, Ireland
Why attend: Ted Talk-like presentations pushing food into the future
This condensed two-day symposium in Ireland sees over 50 top chefs take to its stage every year, delivering punchy 15-minute presentations aimed at questioning the gastronomic status quo and fostering innovation, passion and influence. An unmissable appointment for many 50 Best chefs, past editions have seen personalities such as Alex Atala (D.O.M., Brazil), Albert Adrià (Tickets, Spain), Jorge Vallejo (Quintonil, Mexico) and many more deliver talks on the FOTE stage.
foodontheedge.ie
20. New York City Wine & Food Festival
October | New York, USA
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Why attend: An eclectic mix of gastronomic activities with a good cause at heart
Over its 11 editions, the New York City Wine & Food Festival has raised over $12.5 million to support the fight to end hunger with Food Bank For New York City and the No Kid Hungry project. It has done so by hosting a yearly four-day programme of events including rooftop dinners, culinary demos, tastings and other gastronomic happenings around Manhattan and Brooklyn. The events attract top talent from the US and beyond, which in 2019 included Elena Arzak (Arzak, Spain), Dan Barber (Blue Hill at Stone Barns, US) and Hélène Darroze (Marsan, France). Stay tuned for the announcement of the exact 2020 dates.
nycwff.org
21. Mesa São Paulo
October | São Paulo, Brazil
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Why attend: Family-friendly activities and tastings to discover Brazilian cuisine
The four-day festival Mesa São Paulo is organised by Prazeres de Mesa, Brazil’s leading food and drinks publication. Over this period, food lovers descend on the Brazilian megacity to enjoy talks, workshops, family-friendly activities, dinners and much more. The events are a celebration of Brazilian cooking, but also a chance to learn more about other Latin American cuisines and ingredients, to network and to taste amazing produce. The country’s top chef, Alex Atala of D.O.M., is a regular.
prazeresdamesa.uol.com.br
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