Man, this food festival project started messy. I was scrolling through Instagram when this reel about Tokyo’s fish market festival popped up. Got me thinking – where else is doing amazing food events next year? Grabbed my laptop right there on the couch.
Step one was basically throwing spaghetti at the wall:
- Typed “biggest food festivals 2025” into Google – duh. First page was all boring listicles from like 2018.
- Went down this rabbit hole on travel forums. Reddit threads saved me – real people posting about street food festivals in Mexico City someone found buried in some tourism board blog.
- Searched specific countries + “food event calendar 2025”. Half the official tourism sites hadn’t even updated yet! Total headache.
- Stumbled onto this tiny newsletter focused on culinary tourism. Goldmine for hidden stuff, like that truffle shindig in Croatia nobody talks about.
Next came the torture test – comparing them. Made this giant spreadsheet like some kind of nerd.
- Dates first. That Singapore hawker fest clashes with my sister’s wedding? Axed.
- Budget check. Saw “Paris Gastronomy Festival” – nearly choked seeing the prices. Found Lisbon’s fish grill fest instead, way friendlier on the wallet.
- Vibes matter. Fancy Michelin stars? Or elbows-deep street food chaos? Highlighted Thailand’s chili eating contest bright yellow.
Finally dragged myself out for some boots-on-the-ground recon.
- Hit up Taste of London first (it’s close). Felt like herded cattle, honestly. But those Jerusalem mixed grills? Fire. Note: Get VIP or skip it.
- Flew to Naples for pizza fest after seeing a forum hype. Spent two days just eating fried pizza pockets. Zero regrets. Crazy loud, messy, perfect. Cheap flights saved it.
- My mate dragged me to this cheese rolling thing in Gloucestershire. Does it count as food festival? Dunno. Nearly broke my ankle. Made the list anyway – pure madness.
Wrapping it up:
- Asia kills street eats (Taiwan’s night market tours always deliver).
- Europe’s expensive unless you hit Eastern spots like Budapest’s ruin pubs during paprika season.
- South America? Go hungry. Argentina’s asado festival had meat sweats for days.
- Always, always bring cash. Half those little stalls laughed at my contactless.
Still got that Peru trip brewing for their potato festival next spring. Not done digging yet. Feet hurt, stomach’s confused, but man – worth every bite.
