Tag: Food Festivals

Nevis Mango Festival

The Island of Nevis is Hosting its 12th Annual Mango Festival

28 April 2026

Food Network star and Top Chef finalist Eric Adjepong is headlining four days of mangoes, masterclasses, and more this July.

The 12th annual Nevis Mango Festival is returning July 2–5, 2026, and this year the Caribbean island has recruited some serious culinary firepower: Chef Eric Adjepong, Food Network star and Top Chef finalist, will serve as the festival’s Culinary Ambassador.

Adjepong is a first-generation Ghanaian American chef born and raised in New York City, best known as a finalist on Top Chef Season 16 and a returning competitor on Top Chef All-Stars. He’s a regular on Food Network through shows like Wildcard Kitchen, Alex vs. America, Chopped, and Tournament of Champions, and in 2025 opened his Washington, D.C. restaurant Elmina, focused on West African cuisine. He holds a culinary arts degree from Johnson & Wales and a Master of Public Health in International Nutrition from the University of Westminster. In other words: plenty of credentials to back up the hype.

Nevis Mango Festival
Nevis Mango Festival

During the festival, Adjepong will host an intimate supper club dinner at Mango Restaurant inside the Four Seasons Resort Nevis, lead a hands-on cooking masterclass where participants cook at their own stations (plant-based or meat options available), and serve as a judge throughout the weekend’s competitions.

For those unfamiliar with Nevis, a quick primer: it’s a 36-square-mile island in the Leeward Islands, part of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, with no cruise ports, no high-rise hotels, and no fast-food chains. It’s also home to 44 varieties of mangoes — so abundant and so good that they’re never exported. The Nevis Mango Festival is, quite literally, the only way to taste them.

The Nevis Tourism Authority launched the festival over a decade ago to bring visitors to the island during a traditionally quieter stretch of the year. It has since grown into one of the region’s most anticipated food events, drawing travellers from around the world.

The four-day schedule is packed. Thursday kicks off with a free public opening event at Malcolm Guishard Recreational Park, followed by the island-wide Nevis Goes Mango culinary trail, where restaurants and bars across the island serve up mango-themed dishes and cocktails. Thursday evening wraps up with the supper club at the Four Seasons. On Friday, the cooking masterclass runs from 11 a.m. to noon at CHASKA Indian Cuisine & Bar in Cades Bay, followed immediately by Mango Mania (12:30–5:30 p.m.), a family-friendly outdoor event featuring a Mixology Competition with local bartenders, a Mango Tug-of-War, and plenty of activities for all ages (EC$10 for adults; kids under 12 get in free). Friday evening is the Pinney’s Beach Bar Crawl, a free event with RSVP that hits eight bars along the shoreline from 6 to 11 p.m.

Saturday brings the Passport Food Tour, where participants collect stamps at bars and restaurants across the island, either on a guided party bus or at their own pace. Three ticket package levels are available. The festival wraps up Sunday with its signature For the Love of Mangoes event — an all-day celebration running from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. that includes a Cooking Competition, a Kids Zone, face painting, a Kids Mango Hunt, and a concert under the stars.

Visitors are encouraged to book a few extra days to explore Nevis beyond the festival: the island has volcanic hot springs, excellent hiking, a charming historic capital in Charlestown, and a history that includes being the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton and the setting of Admiral Horatio Nelson’s 18th-century wedding to local widow Frances Nisbet.

Festival tickets, activity passes, and accommodation packages are available at NevisMangoFest.com or by emailing [email protected]. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook at @nevismangofest.

Lithuanian pink soup festival

Vilnius Is Throwing a Whimsical Pink Soup Festival

17 March 2026

This three-day celebration of Lithuania’s iconic cold beet soup is turning Vilnius into one of Europe’s most unexpected summer hotspots.

From May 29 to 31, Lithuania’s capital will once again turn shades of fuchsia for its annual Pink Soup Fest, a high-energy, slightly surreal celebration dedicated to šaltibarščiai, the country’s beloved cold beet soup. Equal parts food festival and citywide party, the event has quietly become one of the Baltic region’s most compelling reasons to visit — especially as travellers look beyond the usual Mediterranean circuit.

And yes, everything is pink.

Vinius pink soup festival
Vinius pink soup festival

What started as a quirky local celebration has quickly scaled into a major draw. The festival is expanding to three days this year after rapid growth, with attendance jumping from 42,000 visitors in 2024 to 93,000 last year.

That momentum speaks to something bigger than a single dish. Pink Soup Fest now unofficially marks the start of summer in Lithuania, transforming Vilnius into an open-air playground of parades, performances, and playful chaos.

Think foam slides. Think costumed runs. Think marching bands and dancers weaving through streets filled with people carrying bowls of neon-pink soup.

At the centre of it all is the Pink Soup Parade, a procession that leans fully into the absurd, with participants dressed in elaborate pink outfits competing for best costume. Visitors are encouraged to join in, not just watch.

The dish behind the spectacle

For all its theatrics, the festival is rooted in something deeply traditional. Šaltibarščiai — typically made with beetroot, kefir, cucumber, dill, and eggs — dates back centuries and remains a staple of Lithuanian cuisine.

Served cold and vividly pink, it’s both refreshing and visually striking, which helps explain its recent rise beyond Lithuania. The soup has been gaining traction globally, even ranking among the world’s top cold soups, thanks in part to its probiotic-rich kefir base and antioxidant-heavy ingredients.

During the festival, you’ll find it everywhere — from traditional versions to modern reinterpretations — served across restaurants, pop-ups, and street stalls throughout the city.

Sometimes, the best trips are the ones that don’t take themselves too seriously.

Martinique stuffed crab

Martinique Gourmande Festival: A Taste of the Island Across Quebec

2 September 2025

Every September, a little slice of Martinique arrives in Quebec, bringing with it the scents of Creole kitchens and the rhythms of Caribbean culture. The Martinique Gourmande Festival, now in its 18th year, runs from September 9 through 21, 2025, turning Montreal and Quebec City into stages for Martinique’s culinary heritage.

Known internationally as the Island of Flowers, Martinique is famed for its volcanic landscapes, pristine beaches, and storied food traditions. The festival offers a window into that world, spotlighting the island’s rich mix of African, French, and Caribbean influences. Visitors can taste their way through a program that blends gourmet dining, cultural experiences, and hands-on discovery.

This year, more than 50 participating restaurants across Quebec — including Montreal and Quebec City — will feature Martinique-inspired menus. Local chefs are working alongside Martinican culinary ambassadors to showcase dishes like accras de morue (salt-cod fritters), Creole boudin sausage, spiced seafood, and desserts fragrant with tropical fruit. Rhum agricole, one of Martinique’s proudest exports, takes centre stage in cocktail creations, while wine pairings explore the island’s terroir.

Beyond the dining rooms, the festival spills into public spaces. Street-food kiosks, cooking workshops, and market pop-ups invite Quebecers to taste Creole specialties in a convivial, open-air atmosphere. Cultural programming layers in music, storytelling, and artisanal crafts, turning the event into more than just a food fair — it’s a celebration of Martinique’s identity.

Visitors can also expect thematic evenings dedicated to rum pairings and fresh seafood, along with family-friendly activities that bring the island’s festive spirit to life.

“Martinique Gourmande is an invitation to travel,” the organizers note, “an opportunity to discover the flavours, aromas, and warmth of our island without leaving Quebec.” For 13 days, gourmands, culture seekers, and anyone curious about the Caribbean will find a reason to celebrate.

So whether you’re booking a table at a participating restaurant or simply wandering through one of the festival’s public events, consider this your passport to Martinique.

Latin Food Fest NYC returns: Big flavours, bigger energy

5 August 2025

Empanadas, Bad Bunny lookalikes & 70+ food vendors: Latin Food Fest NYC is back.

Returning to Brooklyn’s buzzy Industry City from September 13–14, 2025, the two-day Latin Food Fest will feature more than 70 vendors dishing out flavour-packed bites from Argentina to El Salvador. 

The food is truly worth the visit alone, but this festival is a full-on cultural celebration, with 14 live performances, immersive art installations, and cheeky contests like empanada-eating challenges and a Bad Bunny look-alike showdown. (We don’t know who’s judging, but we have questions.)

You’ll want to come hungry and curious. Vendors range from mom-and-pop pupuserías to next-gen chefs serving twists on tamales and ceviche. Wash it all down with rum cocktails, paloma spritzes and cold micheladas while dancing to cumbia or reggaetón in one of three themed zones.

The organizers say the festival will expand to more cities in 2026, but it’s worth tasting the original recipe that’s been simmering in Brooklyn.