Best festivals for food lovers this season in Palm Beach County
Now that the worst of the South Florida heat has passed, it's easy to build an appetite for the outdoors, especially when the outdoors are offering some fun feasts and festivals. From the state's largest Italian food festival to an event highlighting the best of vegetarian fare, with a fair amount of gourmet food, wine and garlic for all, there's something for everyone.
To get things started, we suggest you put these food events on your to-do list.
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Feast of Little Italy, Jupiter
The Feast of Little Italy at Abacoa in Jupiter will be celebrating its 21st anniversary and, like always, will celebrate Italian cuisine and culture.
With more vendors this year than ever, this three-day celebration remains the largest Italian festival in the state.
This is the place to go to sample one authentic Italian dish after another. From fresh pasta, to brick oven style crispy pizzas, to sizzling sausage and peppers, fried ravioli and much more. In addition to the savory, this festival packs plenty of sweet Italian treats as well including zeppoles with powdered sugar, sfogliatella and cannolis.
If you love those classics so much that you want to learn how to make them at home, this festival has that covered as well with multiple cooking demonstrations.
The La Cucina Galbani Cooking Stage will feature nationally known chefs including, Galbani celebrity chef Marco Sciortino from the hit TV show “Come Dine with Me,” and local favorites Erik Pettersen from Evo, and Anthony Acampa from “Fats Where the Flavors At,” and Nina Tomasik from Nina’s Fresh Bakery, chef Thomas Op't Holt from Tavern Pi, and new this year, Elena Alfano with her Pasta by Pollio. All will be creating special Italian dishes right before your eyes.
Italian food always calls for good wine. Organizers have planned wine tastings at the free Voga Wine seminars by wine connoisseur Anthony Acampa that run throughout the weekend .
Love wine, but craving a classic Italian cocktail or beer? Check out the The Peroni Bar, Aperol Spritz Piazza or Voga Prosecco Lounge.
Festival rides and carnival games for all ages will also be on hand.
Italian American music will be provided by Austin Giorgio known for TV fame from NBC’s "The Voice." His smooth sounds will seduce the audience with popular songs made famous by the likes of Sinatra and Dean Martin. The Atlantic City Boys will have you on your feet dancing and singing as they belt out Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons classics like “Sherry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and many more.
Marc Turo will perform with the big band "Lyrics of the Legends" on Sunday followed by "The Voice of Romance" Frank Corso who will sing Italian classics from Andrea Bocelli, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and many more.
What: Feast of Little Italy
Where: Abacoa Town Center, 1267 Main St., Jupiter
When: 4 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6.
Cost: Free entry, ATMs on site and some vendors take credit cards
Information: www.feastoflittleitaly.com
If you're a fan of great food and music and want more, don't miss out on these upcoming annual festivals
Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival, various locations
With dozens of award-winning, celebrity and acclaimed local chefs, the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival will feature sit-down dinners, tastings, cooking demonstrations and more at multiple locations throughout the Palm Beaches.
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This year's headliners include chefs Marc Murphy, Ashley Christensen, Daniel Boulud, Robert Irvine, Maneet Chauhan, Joe Flamm, Clay Conley, Ben Ford, Lindsay Autry, Rodney Scott, Rick Mace and Ben Robinson, to name a few
Where: Locations throughout Palm Beach County (although most are in the central and north county areas)
When: Dec. 8 to 11
Information: PBFoodWineFest.com
Palm Beach VegFest, West Palm Beach
This popular vegan festival will make stops in West Palm Beach and Boca Raton this year and again early next year.
The well-attended, family-friendly VegFest hits downtown West Palm’s Meyer Amphitheatre Nov. 13 (and again on Jan. 22). It stops at Boca Raton’s Mizner Park Amphitheater on Dec. 18 (and also March 19).
Last year’s VegFest brought 82 vendors to the West Palm Beach event in late May.
The free fest runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for each event. Fest days kick off with free yoga and live music, and offer lawn games and kids’ activities. Expect plenty of vegan food vendors as well.
“This event answers the question, what do vegans eat? Pizza and hamburgers and ice cream and cookie dough. It's affordable and easy and that's what we wanted to show people,” co-founder Courtney Mitchell told The Post in 2021. The Boca Raton yoga instructor launched VegFest with her husband Michael Mitchell in 2017.
Fest-goers are invited to bring picnic blankets. Pets are welcome at the Meyer Amphitheatre but only service animals are permitted at the Mizner Park Amphitheater.
Where: Meyer Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach and Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton
When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Nov. 13 (and Jan. 22) in West Palm; on Dec. 18 (and March 19) in Boca Raton
Information: Visit PBVegFest.com and the Palm Beach VegFest page on Facebook.
South Florida Garlic Festival, Wellington
The best stinking festival in all of South Florida is returning in February and promises to be just as, or if possible, pungent as last year. There will also be every incarnation of incredibly delicious, garlicky food you can imagine, plus vendors, artists, rides and more.
There will also be plenty of live music with acts including Eric Hansen, Cliff Dorsey, Stealin' Peaches, Drake White, the Melina Soochan Trio, the Friday at Five Band with Carey Peak and the Valerie Tyson Band.
Where: Village Park, 11700 Pierson Road, Wellington
When: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 4 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 5
Information: garlicfestfl.com
Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
Palm Beach Post food and dining writer Liz Balmaseda contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Best festivals: Vegetarian; Italian food; Garlic Fest in South Florida
