Food and travel are inextricably linked. There’s arguably no better way to get a sense of a place’s spirit than through its food, and what better way to achieve so than by attending a food festival, where you can watch hands-on culinary demos, meet up with other foodies, and sample regional specialties?
Food festivals in India have gone a long way in the last few years. Cities around the country have transformed into ‘foodie hotspots,’ with an amazing roster of food festivals to choose from.
So, pay a visit to one of these 15 fantastic food festivals to celebrate all things delectable. These epicurean extravaganzas are sure to be an event you will remember for a long, long time, whether you want to brush up on your cooking abilities, learn about the latest health food fads, or simply sample the products!
1. The National Street Food Festival
Delhiites adore street food, whether it’s chaat, momos, or the spicy chole kulcha. The NASVI National Street Food Festival brings together popular street foods from around India in one location. It’s no surprise that the capital’s foodies are excited to host this event!
2. Mei Ram-ew
Mei Ram-ew is a little-known Meghalaya ethnic food festival organised by the North-East Slow Food and Agro-biodiversity Society (NESFAS) to conserve and promote the different forest-foraged and locally-grown dishes made in Northeast India, indigenous tribes provide service.
3. Asian Street Food Market
The Asian Hawkers Market, which takes place over three days, is a one-of-a-kind al fresco culinary extravaganza with sights, sounds, aromas, and tastes that might easily be mistaken for a bustling Southeast Asian market. This fiesta brings the best of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisines under one roof, with food stalls providing a range of dim sums, sushi rolls, tempura, stir fries, and seafood platters.
4. India’s Great Food Festival
The Great Indian Food Festival boasts enough variety to put you right into a gourmet coma, with over 75 food vendors from over 12 states — from paranthas to butter chicken, halwas to ice creams, galouti kebabs to a variety of chaat. There are also thrilling competitions like as golgappa-gulping and vada pav-eating competitions at the festival!
5. The Grub Fest
The Grub Fest is a fantastic combination of food, fun, and entertainment. Along with culinary courses, an organic food market, live music, and a variety of popular restaurants, the festival also features the Grub Mile, a specific stadium for mini-food trucks. To top it off, they also show food-related films – imagine eating spaghetti while watching Ratatouille!
6. Food and Cultural Festival in Goa
The Goa Food and Cultural Festival, organised by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), is a celebration of the sunshine state’s genuine cuisine, rich heritage, and vibrant folklore. The festival showcases why Goan cuisine is much more than just fish curry and rice, with over 70 stalls serving much-loved traditional delicacies.
7. The Palate Festival
Palate Fest, a much-anticipated three-day food and music festival, brings together some of Delhi’s most popular restaurants, food stalls, and even some embassy kitchens. Palate Fest Mini, a smaller counterpart of the main event, attracts large crowds of Delhiites who come for a high dosage of fun, food, and frolic, in that order.
8. Bangla (Ahare)
Food is a topic that Bengalis are quite enthusiastic about Ahare Bangla, a five-day culinary festival hosted by the West Bengal government, is a perfect venue for foodies to sample traditional Bengali cuisine (such as bhapa ilish and kosha mangsho) as well as new specialties they’ve never eaten before (like emu steaks and aromatic tulai panji rice).
9. 10 heads of Foodistan
Foodistan is a small gastronomic fiesta that is part of the 10 Heads Festival, a large super-festival. The name 10 Heads comes from the fact that it is a constellation of ten different events established by ten curators who were hand-picked! Foodistan brings together high-end restaurants, wacky food trucks, and Chandni Chowk street food vendors to take tourists on a fascinating gastronomic trip.
10. Bengaluru Food
The city’s largest food festival, Bangalore Food Fete, brings together the city’s greatest cafes, restaurants, bars, and food trucks. The festival has stand-up comedians, flamethrowers, live music, and dance performances in addition to providing a platform for home chefs, amateur bakers, and aspiring restaurateurs. This year, it will host the city’s largest Zumbathon!
11. Bhukkad Flea
The Bhukkad Flea is a one-of-a-kind gathering place for Mumbai’s foodies. It is solely organised for home chefs, culinary start-ups, small eateries, street sellers, and women entrepreneurs. At this fantastic festival, attendees can sample 100 different varieties of food on a single platter while listening to live music!
12. Sattvik Festival
Sattvik Food Festival, which has been organised by the NGO Sristi for the past fourteen years, features over 75 stalls serving nutritious, delicious, and inventive cuisine from all over the nation. Oats tikki chaat, makai na paania, soya cutlets, spinach roll, beetroot halwa, dates cookies, pineapple jalebi, tomato halwa, aloe vera pickle, red bhindi juice, and organic soya paneer are some of the popular specialties.
13. Itsy Bitsy Food Festival
Itsy Bitsy is India’s first zero-waste food festival, allowing visitors to sample a larger range of delicacies while eliminating food waste. Over 30 food booths (put up by some of Mumbai’s most prominent eateries) provide bite-sized servings of standard dishes at this one-of-a-kind festival. All non-reusable materials from each food station are donated to the Roti Bank team and Robin Hood Army, an organisation that distributes surplus food to the disadvantaged, after the event.
14. Restaurant Week
Restaurant week is currently hosted in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune, and is a celebration of the finest culinary experiences in formal fine dining establishments across India. It offers specially crafted three-course prix fixe menus at a fraction of a la carte prices, allowing diners to sample cuisines as diverse as Vietnamese and Persian.
15. Festivals of Food Trucks Across India
Food truck festivals are sweeping Indian cities, with Delhi’s first ever food truck festival – Horn – just taking place. Please accept my thanks. The Bangalore Food Truck and Music Festival has been held for the past four years, while the inaugural food truck festivals in Mumbai and Ahmedabad were held last year. It’s no surprise that these events are great crowd-pullers, with delicious meals on wheels, foot-tapping music, and a lively atmosphere!
