Six Can’t Miss Food & Drink Festivals to Hit in Northeast Ohio

Taste of Tremont

July 19

When your neighborhood is stocked with some of the biggest names and brightest culinary eateries in town, it’s pretty much a lock that your annual food festival will blow all of the others away. For more than a dozen years, that’s precisely what this progressive block party has been doing. Each year, more than 30,000 folks come to enjoy the house specialties from dozens of area restaurants, many of them being dished up by the chefs themselves. Beer, wine, live music and entertainment rounds out the fun. Admission is free. (Photo by Emanuel Wallace)

Vintage Ohio Wine Festival

August 7-8

This year marks the 20th anniversary of this marquee event, which showcases Ohio made wines. The setting is lovely, and the diverse lineup of local wineries is staggering, with nearly every region, varietal and vintage represented. If you love wine – or just want to learn more about the types of wines grown locally – this event should be on your calendar. There’s plenty of food and entertainment as well. Admission is $30 for one day, $45 for two. (Photo via Vintage Ohio Wine Festival, Facebook)

Feast of the Assumption

August 13-16

Little Italy’s Feast of the Assumption makes every other festival seem like an upstart by comparison. This year will be the event’s 117th annual showing, beginning on Thursday and ending on Sunday as always with a procession honoring the Virgin Mary. In between is party time, with thousands of revelers clogging the narrow arteries of this Old World ‘hood and gobbling up sausage-and-pepper sandwiches, creamy gelato and delicious pastries. Stick around til the end for the big fireworks display. Admission is free. (Photo via CleveScene archives)

Cleveland Oktoberfest

September 4-7

Billed as Northeast Ohio's Largest Annual Outdoor Festival, the Cleveland Oktoberfest is the absolute best seasonal attraction for those looking to load up on authentic Bavarian food and drink. Cleveland’s own Seven Roses, Das Schnitzel Haus, Sterle's Country House and Schmidt's of Columbus, plus many others, will all be on hand dishing out hearty platters of German and Polish comfort food. Bavarian beers like Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr will join countless local and regional craft brewers. And then there’s the ever-popular oom-pa-pa bands and wiener dog races. Admission is $12. (Photo via Emanuel Wallace)

Garlic Festival

September 12-13

Northeast Ohio is prime garlic-growing territory, so it makes perfect sense to honor the stinking rose with its very own festival. A fundraiser for the North Union Farmers’ Markets, the autumn hootenanny is filled with music, wine and beer vendors, food competitions, top chef grill-offs, and countless vendors peddling garlic-scented foods. The festival also rounds up many of the region’s best garlic growers, making the fest the best place for wannabe garlic growers to purchase this year’s planting stock. Admission is $9. (Photo by Emanuel Wallace)

Fabulous Food Show at the I-X Center

November 13-15

The Fabulous Food Show will be celebrating its 10th year this fall, and it has never been bigger. More than 30,000 attendees are expected to hit the big show over the course of the weekend, lining up for a chance to watch their favorite celebrity chefs host live cooking demos, sign their latest cookbooks, or discuss the local food scene. The massive attraction also features more than 450 vendors offering food, beer, wine and other goodies. Admission is $20-30. (Photo by Emanuel Wallace)