New England Summer Food Festivals

Jun 2017

UPDATED: Throughout the year, food lovers can visit hot spots across America celebrating the bounty of the land. Local chefs pair the best of fresh flavors, mirroring the public’s interest in knowing their food. A Taste Of This, A Bite Of That, the name of the event doesn’t matter. Each represents community wide gatherings for friends, family, neighbors and visitors to come together and sample simple, small plates of ingredients collected from the land and sea. There are an estimated 8,300 food and wine festivals world wide. New England summer food festivals celebrate the seafood this area is known for as well as other special ingredients.

New england summer food festivals lobster

These are 5 of my favorites; get your taste buds ready to sample the best of the summer season. Eat green, buy green, sip green on the road to a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle.

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Crush Wine Festival

One of our favorite combinations: wine and cheese comes together for the Crush Wine Festival 2017. Held Sunday July 16th from Noon – 3pm at the gorgeous Gardens at Elm Bank, a Massachusetts Horticultural Society property located in Wellesley, MA. Just thirty minutes from Boston, the property has more than 30 acres of fields, forests and gardens. The main tasting area will be in the elegant Hunnewell Building, the carriage house of the former estate. Crush 2016 will feature local wine, cider and mead from the finest producers in the Commonwealth, delicious snacks, ‘Ask the Expert’ and ‘Meet the Winemaker’ opportunities, wine by the glass, world class gardens, historical architecture, flower and artisanal cheese vendors, and so much more! Tickets are limited, which means there is plenty of room to explore the grounds, sample the nearly 20 Massachusetts wines on hand and have a chance to talk to the owners directly. Tickets are $30. or 2/$50.

July 16, 2017 Wellesley, Massachusetts

Vermont Cheesemakers Festival

Vermont is America’s top cheese making state per capita, which makes this festival the ideal place for turophiles to mingle with cheese-makers. Held each July at historic Shelburne Farms on the shores of Lake Champlain, festival highlights include regional food and wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, seminars, and a whole lot of cheese. While there are over 200 vendors of artisan food and drink, think of this as the event for everything cheese. Tickets are $60. children under 3 free.

July 16, 2017 Shelburne, Vermont

Farm Fresh Rhode Island’s Local Food Fest

Photo via Farm Fresh Rhode Island

This food fest is held in the most perfect and elegant of settings. A bucolic lawn, on a hill, overlooking the harbor and Narragansett Bay is combined with the best of ingredients that Rhode Island is well know for. Farm Fresh Rhode Island’s Food Festival wins the prize for overall fab experiences. Set on the grounds of the Castle Hill Inn {the former Agassiz Mansion} this event will take you on a stroll through the flavors of Rhode Island. Oysters, check; local cheese, check; brews and wines. check and check again. Finish off the evening by watching the sun set over the water. Held anually during the first week in August, the selection of farms, seasonal cocktails and chefs along with the intimate nature of this event, keeps foodies coming back year after year. Tickets: $100. and sell out quickly.

Tuesday August 15, 2017 5-8pm Newport, Rhode Island

Wild Blueberry Festival

Come celebrate the powerful little blue fruit that put this corner of Downeast Maine on the map. Representing Maine’s beautiful rugged coastline, Machias is two hours from Bangor, and about an hour and a half from Bar Harbor. The festival began over 41 years ago to celebrate the harvest of the blueberry crop. Over the years, it has grown from a handful of vendors and bluebery pie event into a festival with crafts, food, entertainment, contests, and all things blueberry. There’s no admission charge.

Combine the trip with whale-watching, lighthouse exploring, hiking, kayaking, eagle scouting and lobster rolls, and you’ll find this little corner in the north of Maine has a lot to offer! In addition to a blueberyy run, farm tours, a photo exhibit and parade, this year’s festival will highlight a special collaborative art project between the Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival. Local artists will volunteer to paint wooden Adirondack chairs, focusing on the blueberry industry of this area. The chairs will be sponsored by local businesses and then displayed outside those sponsoring businesses all around Machias. Beauty and a place to rest! In early fall, an auction will be held and the chairs will be sold with all the proceeds to go to the Machias Area Food Pantry, a project of Centre Street Congregational Church. This event offers the true flavor of old time Americana. Free.

August 18-20, 2017 Machias, Maine

Maine Lobster Festival

During my trip to Rockland I took it upon myself to search out and verify the taste. Have you ever heard me carry on about how much I love my work!? Several rolls later, I can rank the lobster in this town as some of the best I’ve ever eaten! Drawing over 10,000 visitors, this celebration of the red crustacean, the Maine Lobster Festival, dates back to 1947 when it was started as a tourism draw for the area of Camden. Be prepared to see over 20,000 pounds of lobster served straight up, in a traditional roll or dressed in a salad after being cooked in the world’s largest cooker. Indulge in a single, double or TRIPLE lobster dinner! Burn off some of those calories dancing with live music. Local art and a seafood cooking contest are highlights. This is a real community event with hundreds of volunteers making it such a successful philanthropic venue. You will find one of the country’s premier food festivals with visitors from around the world.

August 2-6, 2017 – Rockland, Maine

Food Trucks of America

At the other, more affordable end of the spectrum, Food Truck Festivals of America is hosting several summer events in New England. In the typical format, $5 to $10 gets you into the event and access to the trucks. At events where craft beers are poured, $18.50 buys access to the trucks and includes either three 12-ounce brew tastes or a 2-ounce taste from any of the beers on tap (but only from 3-7 p.m.). Tickets are available online or at the venue. Additional locations can be found on the site

The 2nd Annual Providence Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival will feature over 25 trucks and 50+ craft brews. India Point Park We are also bringing something special to all the beer fans out there: 50+ craft beers. That’s right, this year you have ice cold hand-crafted brews all while enjoying the most delicious food around. There will also be music and other entertainment so make sure you bring your blankets & lawn chairs for a nice picnic! Saturday August 5th 11 am – 7 pm India Point Park, Providence, Rhode Island.

The 4th Annual Cape Cod Food Truck Festival this year features craft brewers and a Wicked Etsy handmade market. Twenty-five of New England’s most popular food trucks will be featured. More than 20 of the best local food trucks in New England will be featured along with 50+ craft beers, music and entertainment. Saturday, August 12th Cape Cod Fairgrounds, Massachussetts.

Attending New England Summer Food Festivals that support small farmers, makers and fisher folk help to keep their businesses sustainable. With all the tastes New England has to offer, it would be a shame not to put one on your summer schedule.