The 10 best food and drink festivals in NYC this fall

NYCWFF brings the Food Network to life over four days in NYC. With hosts Marcus Samuelsson and Andrew Rea, you can try food from some of NYC’s best restaurants, sip unforgettable wines, and meet your favorite culinary celebs at the star-studded Blue Moon Burger Bash or enjoy endless oysters with James Beard Award winner Andrew Zimmern. There are events all over NYC, but for the most iconic experience, get a Grand Tasting ticket. That’ll get you access to unlimited tastings from hundreds of restaurants, wines and spirits, live demos with celebrity chefs and interactive brand experiences and activations to post to your feed. 

When: October 15–18, 2026

Ticket prices: General admission tickets to a single-day Grand Tasting start at $196

With 70 vendors serving up empanadas, pupusas, tacos, mofongo and more, this festival offers food from across the Latin diaspora. While you eat and drink, you can catch live merengue and DJs across the two stages, or watch live demos from chefs as they tell the story behind their food. There’s also a Penalty Kick Challenge and an “Abuela-Approved Food Battle,” so come ready to play. 

When: September 12–13, 2026

Ticket prices: Early bird pricing is $15/day

Head to Emily Roebling Plaza beneath the Brooklyn Bridge for the Creole Food Festival. Featuring chefs from all over the world, you’ll sample food, sip signature drinks and watch live demos to help you bring the flavor home. Score a VIP ticket to get first dibs to the Grand Tasting, or stop by anytime from 3–8pm to eat your way through the best of the Caribbean here in NYC. 

When: October 3–4, 2026

Ticket prices: Ticket information not yet available

Put on by the Philippines Fest and Korea Fest, this celebration of Korean x Filipino food turns K-town’s 6th Avenue between 31st and 32nd into a street food wonderland. Expect ube aplenty (including in purple-hued lattes and layered jars of cake), plus spam musubi, gochujang cookies, cups piled high with cold bingsoo and sweet, glassy skewers of tanghulu. 

When: September 13, 2026

Ticket prices: Free to enter

Unlimited oysters? Sign us up. Celebrate oyster season (and support the Billion Oyster Project, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing oysters back to New York Harbor) by eating oysters from 35+ North American farms, plus drinks and 20+ dishes from NYC restaurants and local partners. In between bites of bivalves, watch the sunset over the Statue of Liberty and hit the dance floor of Red Hook’s Liberty Warehouse. 

When: September 24, 2026

Ticket prices: Tickets start at $250

At Watermark’s annual Oktoberfest extravaganza on Pier 15, you’ll get in your arm workout carrying one-liter steins filled to the brim with Hofbrau, Weihenstephan or Radeberger beer, then proteinmaxx with a plate of bratwursts. While you’re munching and getting tipsy, enjoy amazing views along the East River. Make sure to reserve your spot or book the two-hour tasting before you go.

When: September 10–October 31, 2026

Ticket prices: Free to enter

The Feast of San Gennaro, a celebration of the Patron Saint of Naples, turns Little Italy into an 11-day party. Over a million people come from all over the globe to munch on meatball parm sandwiches from Alleva Dairy, cannolis from Caffè Palermo and other delights from vendors lining Mulberry from Houston to Canal. Don’t miss the Grand Procession on the 26th, when revelers line the streets to watch the Statue of San Gennaro parade past the crowd. 

When: September 17–27, 2026

Ticket prices: Free to enter

This two-day event brings 20+ restaurants from NYC and beyond to Pier 76 at Hudson River Park. Taste NYC icons like Defonte’s fried eggplant sandwich, Caffè Panna’s line-inducing ice cream, dim sum faves from Chinatown’s Mei Lai Wah and perfectly chewy noodles from 1915 Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles & Dumplings. There’ll also be live music, plenty of vegan and gluten-free options and food editors on hand to answer your burning questions like: “Where should we go after this?” 

When: October 3–4, 2026

Ticket prices: General Admission is $25 for Chase cardholders

Bavarian bier haus Zum Schneider brings Oktoberfest to their new home in Greenpoint, where German-speaking staff in lederhosen serve steins of Oktoberfest suds, including monk-brewed Andechs, to pair with snacks like giant pretzels, brats, pork shank and more. Special guests and live DJs will also keep the haus rocking. 

When: September 25–October 4, 2026

Ticket prices: Tickets start at $15

Find your new favorite liquor with more than 100 globally sourced whiskies, tequilas and spirits at this festival from Whisky Advocate Magazine. Sip limitless samples of top-shelf booze, then hear from the magazine’s editors and industry experts as they take you through a lineup of rare and spectacular whiskies. 

When: Friday, November 20, 2026

Ticket prices: Grand Tasting tickets start at $295