A food festival is a festival, usually held annually, that uses food, often produce, as its central theme. "These festivals have always been a means of uniting communities through celebrations of harvests and giving thanks for a plentiful growing season. They can be traced back thousands of years to celebrating the arrival of harvest time, the autumnal equinox, and the honoring of earth gods."^[1]

The largest one in the United States (and the world) is the Taste of Chicago held in Chicago, Illinois. Others include the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California; Brentwood Cornfest in Brentwood, California; Mushroom Festivals in various locales; the Castroville Artichoke Festival, in Castroville, California; the Stockton Asparagus Festival,Stockton California the Posen Potato Festival, in Posen, Michigan; the Norwalk Oyster Festival, in Norwalk, Connecticut, and the Howell Melon Festival in Howell, Michigan, known for electing the Howell Melon Queen.

Increasingly, vegetarian food festivals are becoming some of the largest food celebrations in the country, including Vegfest in Salt Lake City, Utah, Seattle, Washington and San Francisco, California.

[edit] See also

• Florida food festivals
• New Jersey food festivals
• Puerto Vallarta festival

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Guide to Becoming a Food Vendor at Festivals
• A Taste of West Cork Food Festival (Ireland)
• Find a Food Festival