Food
Craving The Coast: 10 Seaside Food And Wine Festivals
These coastal destinations aren’t only about fresh air and pretty sea views – they also know how to put on one heck of a palatable party
Enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of seaside wining and dining all over the world, year-round, at these delectable festivals. There’s nothing like a sea breeze to work up an appetite, so go for a brisk walk on the shore to make sure you’re nice and hungry for the mouth-watering treats on offer. Whether their focus is on food or wine – often both – they all offer tantalising tastes by the sea.
Gutsy
Kangaroo Island, Australia
6 – 9 June 2025
Holding a food festival in Australian winter is pretty gutsy – and that’s the point. This “eating and drinking” event was launched post-pandemic to celebrate the “determination and brilliance of the island’s producers” and showcase its natural beauty during the low season. The organisers make a virtue of necessity by advertising the adversities of the season. To fight the cool temperatures and howling winds, they offer fireside tasting menus, breakfast sauna sessions and hot coal cooking, all featuring fresh seafood, homemade artisanal treats and the famous Kangaroo Island honey, accompanied by local wines.
Copenhagen Cooking
Copenhagen, Denmark
15 – 24 August 2025
In keeping with Copenhagen’s reputation as a modern, innovative gourmet destination, this food festival is equal parts trendy and crafty. Each year’s programme is dedicated to a vegetable and a friendship region. The 2025 edition will celebrate the onion, with guests from the French region of Provence. The main festival site in the city’s Meatpacking District is beloved of foodies and hipsters alike. Here, an afternoon sampling the best Nordic cuisine has to offer can easily turn into a night on the town. Satellite events highlighting “secret corners and forbidden bites” will take guests all over, including scenic waterfront locations.
[Image credit: Alec Andreev ©]
Diamante Peperoncino Festival
10 –14 September 2025
Diamante, Italy
Launched in 1992 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” of the spicy chili, this lively festival is now in its 33rd year. Since chilies found their way from the “new world” to Europe, they have become an essential ingredient in Calabrian cooking. They are grown in the sunny region at the toe of Italy’s boot and feature heavily in its specialties. Diamante, about halfway between Naples and Sicily, is home to the Italian Peperoncino Academy, which hosts the annual festival dedicated to everything “hot and spicy” – from the fresh pod to condiments, sauces and full dishes, to drinks like “La Bomba”, a fruity wine-based cocktail infused with chili.
Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival
Galway, Ireland
26 – 28 September 2025
The oldest oyster festival in the world is an annual highlight at the tail end of the season in Ireland’s “festival capital”. Since 1954, the popular foodie destination has showcased its lively gastronomy and spectacular seaside location to a steadily growing crowd of seafood aficionados at the start of the oyster harvest in Galway Bay. The programme includes cooking demonstrations featuring local produce from along the Wild Atlantic Way, plus the Irish and World Oyster Opening Championships, family fun and live music all weekend in a marquee on the pier with sea views.
Sitges Wine Harvest Festival
Sitges, Spain
3 – 5 October 2025
Spain offers an abundance of wine harvest festivals in autumn, mainly designed for the local community, with little thought given to visitors from further afield. This one in the seaside resort of Sitges is one of the more easily accessible, tourist-friendly events. A short train ride from Barcelona, there’s a wine show on the beach to sample local tipples, as well as a gourmet food festival offering Catalan specialties. Entertainment includes the stomping of the grapes and the presentation of the festival queen.
Punta del Este Food & Wine
Punta del Este, Uruguay
11 October 2025
The 2025 line-up for this South American gourmet event has yet to be announced, but the 2024 edition saw 19 chefs from Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil and the USA create culinary experiences in the glamorous seaside resort. On Friday, they fired up a beachside sunset tasting menu. On Sunday, they offered an alfresco lunch in the contemporary Pablo Atchugarry Museum’s sprawling sculpture garden, all accompanied by wines selected by Sommelière Soledad Bassini, co-creator of “Mapa del Vino Uruguay”, which provides an overview of the country’s best wine destinations.
Vendanges en Fête
Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
9-13 October 2025
Locals and visitors flock to this picturesque seaside town close to the Spanish border for its annual grape harvest festival. A highlight of the event, particular to this corner of the world, is the arrival of the new grapes by boats – beautiful wooden Catalan barges, to be exact. A church blessing, beach barbeque and live music then provide a cheerful backdrop for a sampling of new season wines, as well as the AOC-protected Banyuls dessert wine. Visitors can expand the experience with cellar visits, workshops and cooking demonstrations.
Hawaii Food & Wine Festival
Maui and Oahu, Hawaii
17 October – 2 November 2025
This island-hopping festival takes place in three different locations over the course of three consecutive weekends with highlights like grand tastings, kids’ cooking classes and wine seminars. As the event moves from the main island of Hawaii to Maui and then Oahu, it connects chefs with local farmers, ranchers and fishermen. Each year, it challenges hundreds of participating chefs to use at least one locally grown, raised or caught ingredient in their dish. This emphasis is all part of the overall goal to foster culinary education, sustainability and cultural preservation.
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Great Kenton Wine Festival
Kenton-on-Sea, South Africa
20-22 March 2026
The majority of South Africa’s food and wine festivals take place in the southern hemisphere’s autumn, but it’s never too early to plan a trip around epicurean events. Throughout March and April, you can eat and drink your way around the Cape, sampling local wines and delicacies, while meeting producers and winemakers at every turn. In Kenton-on-Sea, known as the Barefoot Capital of South Africa, you can do all that with your toes buried in the sand. For one weekend in March, the small coastal town comes alive with wine tastings, masterclasses, gourmet cruises and even game drives.
Flavours of Plenty Festival
Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
March/April 2026
New Zealand celebrates its harvest around the same time of year, with food and wine festivals to mark the occasion. The Bay of Plenty, known mainly for its orchards, produce farms and fresh seafood, is also home to a small wine region. The Flavours of Plenty Festival invites visitors to explore all of that and more during its two-week run. In addition to festival events, local eateries offer dishes featuring regional products to compete in the Plates of Plenty Challenge.
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