Food festivals should be some combination of sunshine, world-class chefs, unique dishes, charitable contributions, the finest wines, home-brewed hops, and a bit of the unexpected. In Florida, you’ll find hundreds of events offering just that. From the panhandle to the Keys, there’s always a festival happening worth a visit, but it takes much more than that to make our list of award winners.
We’ve hand picked these top 11 festivals thanks to traveler reviews, festival size, location, offerings, and so much more! We highly recommend planning a trip to these incredible edible festivals next time you’re in the Sunshine State. Here’s our list of the top food festivals in Florida for 2023:
Best Florida Food Festivals
Florida Strawberry Festival
About the festival: The Florida Strawberry Festival is an 11-day community event celebrating the strawberry harvest of Eastern Hillsborough County. Each year, over 500,000 visitors enjoy the festival’s headline entertainment, youth livestock shows, rides, exhibits of commerce and, of course, its strawberry shortcake.
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Worldwide Cuban Sandwich Art & Food Festival
About the festival: This exciting free family & community festival features live entertainment, food & cultural vendors – plus Cuban Sandwich contestants and vendors from all over the world! Each year they feature the biggest Cuban sandwich, which is then donated to the homeless.
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South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival
About the festival: A dazzling roster of dozens of celebrity winemakers, distillers, chefs, brew masters and entertainers converge in South Walton, Florida to wine, dine, educate and entertain guests as part of the four-day celebration of wine.
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Naples Winter Wine Festivals
About the festival: The Naples Winter Wine Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious charity wine auctions, offers a weekend of unforgettable memories. Guests enjoy world-class food and wine during intimate dinners in private homes and are invited to bid on once-in-a-lifetime travel and wine experiences during an electrifying live auction.
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Veritage Miami
About the festival: VeritageMiami is an epic 4-day food festival joining local, regional & national food and beverage restaurants in Miami, Florida. #EatDrinkUnite throughout the year through Craft Beer Festival, Bubbly Brunch, Interactive Dinner and Associate Legal Mingle!
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South Florida Garlic Fest
About the festival: The South Florida Garlic Fest is the epitome of homegrown talent and a cultural showcase providing an outlet for local artists and chefs to express themselves. In a variety of mediums, Garlic Fest serves as a gathering festival focal point for musicians, artist of every genre and culinary artists.
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Boca Bacchanal Wine & Food Festival
About the festival: This popular and well-established event draws over 2,000 guests from throughout South Florida who enjoy a deluxe food and wine experience. Boca Bacchanal brings together world class chefs and vintners, offering their finest specialties, while providing residents and visitors with a delightful opportunity to support an outstanding cause.
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Miami Rum Renaissance Festival
About the festival: Presenting the best rum festival in the world — Miami Rum Festival attracts rum experts, professionals and enthusiasts from more than 30 countries for a fabulous weekend rum discovery. The 11th annual Rum Fest in Miami offers unlimited sampling of hundreds of fine rums from the Caribbean and beyond.
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Clearwater Beach Uncorked
About the festival: Clearwater Beach Uncorked serves up an 180-degree Gulf of Mexico views artfully blending local chef rock stars with national brand partners offering tastes and sips to please every palate. Enjoy this weekend of great food, wine, and microbrews while tantalizing your taste buds and soothing your senses.
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Northeast Florida VegFest
About the festival: Grab your friends, your family, your neighbors and invite them to Northeast Florida’s largest veg-centric festival! In addition to live music, they’ll be plenty of crowd-pleasing vegan grub, a beer garden, kids zone, and crowd favorites: Scavenger hunt, pie-eating contest, freebies and more! This is a FREE family and dog-friendly event.
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Isle of 8 Flags Shrimp Festival
About the festival: One of the premier festivals in the Southeast, this Festival brings together the love of shrimp and the best of arts and entertainment, all set in the beautiful Historic District of Fernandina Beach, Florida. Enjoy the fine arts and crafts, antiques, regional and local music, shrimp caught and served locally, seafood dishes, The Pirate’s parade, fireworks, and family fun!
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Originally Published: March 13, 2019
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