Summer is a time for dining and imbibing, especially across the West where food and wine festivals are in full-swing. With so many to choose from, where do you even begin? We’re here to help narrow down your list by highlighting some of our favorite summer events. Whether it’s showcasing a seasonal berry or pairing seafood delights with samplings of chardonnays and pinot grigios, these eight fairs and festivals are sure to quench thirsts and satisfy taste buds from Alaska to Arizona.
Monterey Wine Festival in Monterey, California
June 15-16, 2024
Get ready to nosh, sip, and savor at Monterey’s long-running wine and food festival, now in its 45th year. Along with a keepsake glass, tickets include samplings from California and international wineries, as well as plenty to eat. While Saturday’s professionally prepared culinary selections revolve around chowder, Sunday’s cuisine centers on calamari and mussels, made with a myriad of seasonings and flavor combos for tasting. Live music is also playing all weekend long.
Chili Festival in Flagstaff, Arizona
August 3-4, 2024
Eat your heart out at two different chili cook-offs, both taking place in Flagstaff’s Thorpe Park, just west of the city’s downtown. Winners of Saturday’s Route 66 Regional Chili Cookoff—which includes awards for red chili, chili verde, homestyle chili, and salsa—advance to Sunday’s Arizona State Chili Cookoff. Competitions start at 11 am Saturday and 10 am Sunday. Be sure to arrive early because once the chili’s gone, that’s it! Buy a tasting kit for multiple samplings, as well as a full cup of your favorite chili.
Huckleberry Days Arts Festival in Whitefish, Montana
August 9-11, 2024
It’s billed as an artist festival, but make no mistake: The real star of the 35th annual Huckleberry Days Arts Festival is its namesake berry. Small, plump, and purple, huckleberries are something between a raspberry and a blueberry. They have a very brief harvesting season in the region—typically from mid-July to mid-September—which is all the more reason to celebrate. Expect huckleberry-everything from pies and ice cream to syrups and liqueurs, as well as a huckleberry cookoff. This free three-day festival also includes dozens of arts and crafts vendors.
Blueberry Festival in Girdwood, Alaska
August 10-11, 2024
Wild blueberries abound around Girdwood during late summer and early fall, making August an ideal time to celebrate the pump, sweet-tart fruit. Each year, the town’s Alyeska Resort puts on a two-day festival in the small berry’s honor, complete with blueberry-centric dessert contests, chefs demos, and plenty of hillside and creekside berry picking. No-hands pie eating contests—for both kids and adults—are perennial festival favorites. Live music, a beer and wine garden, and arts and crafts vendors from across Alaska are also things to look forward to.
Gravenstein Apple Fair in Sebastopol, California
August 10-11, 2024
Most experts agree that Russian fur traders likely introduced Gravenstein apples to Sonoma County in the 19th century, and they’ve been a part of the local landscape ever since. These crispy, juicy, and versatile cultivars are one of North America’s earliest apples to ripen, typically around late July to early August. That’s just in time for the Gravenstein Apple Fair, where you can shop for Gravenstein fritters, breads, and sauces. You can also purchase the flush-colored beauties in bulk, meet bottle-fed lambs and crossbred piglets at the Life on the Farm exhibit, try your hand at hay bale tossing and lassoing, and dance to live music.
Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championship and Bluegrass Festival in Worland, Wyoming
August 16-17, 2024
In the 20 years since its inception, Wyoming’s State BBQ and Bluegrass Festival has grown into a weekend-long gathering of thousands that includes everything from a craft beer Brewfest to a car show and pancake breakfast. On Saturday afternoon, attendees can partake in the People’s Choice award for best barbecue, sampling and then voting on various barbecued meats, such as pulled pork, beef brisket, and ribs. Certified judges oversee the other categories, which include top sauce and mystery meat.
Fallon Cantaloupe Festival and County Fair in Fallon, Nevada
August 23-25, 2024
As an agricultural hotspot known for its cantaloupe, Fallon has been singing the praises of this hearty melon since 1911. In fact, this is Nevada’s longest-running food and drink festival, where you can sample all sorts of cantaloupe-infused treats. Think salsas, shakes, ice-creams, and even beers and cocktails. Additional activities include livestock exhibits and a Colossal Cantaloupe growing contest. Prizes are awarded to amateur growers in categories such as heaviest, roundest, and most unique cantaloupe, as well as largest Hearts of Gold, a particular breed of melon said to have its beginnings right here in Churchill County.
Utah Wine Festival in Cedar City, Utah
August 30-September 2, 2024
Southern Utah is home to a burgeoning wine scene. Get ready to sample some of its finest varietals—as well as others from across the state—at the three-day Utah Wine Festival. While this year’s activities are still under wraps, 2023 highlights included a wine and popcorn pairing, an in-depth comparison of Utah grapes and their European counterparts, and an al fresco Terroir to Table sit-down dinner complete with farm-fresh dishes served up family style.