9 Huge Food Festivals In Canada To Explore This Summer If You Want To Eat, Drink & Dance
Getting hungry? There are tons of food festivals across Canada making a return this year serving up mouthwatering eats you'll definitely want to try.
From First Fridays in Montreal to the Shediac Lobster Festival in New Brunswick, events are happening all over the country, offering fun activities and musical acts in addition to the drool-worthy food.
Also returning this year is the Canadian National Exhibition, an event known for its huge food offering, and the Calgary Stampede, which is set to have some very unique eats at this year's event.
Many of these food festivals even have free admission, so grab some stretchy pants and get ready to chow down.
Richmond Night Market
Price: $6 per adult
When: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until October 10, 2022
Address: 8351 River Rd., Richmond, BC
Why You Need To Go: This food fair is North America's biggest night market and you can try over 500 international eats here.
One of the items you can try this year is Flying Cup Noodles from Aloha Boys, a cup of instant noodles topped with Hawaiian butter garlic shrimp, Spam and a shoyu ramen egg.
Shediac Lobster Festival
Price: Varies by event
When: July 2-10, 2022
Address: 58 Festival St., Shediac, NB
Why You Need To Go: Shediac's famous lobster festival returns this year, featuring nearly 50 activities and events, concerts, craft beer and, of course, tons of lobster.
According to organizers, this year's festival will see "an impressive number of new additions," as well as an amusement fair.
Accessibility: All events are accessible.
Morden Corn & Apple Festival
Price: Free admission
When: August 26-28, 2022
Address: 13 - 379 Stephen St., Morden, MB
Why You Need To Go: The Morden Corn & Apple Festival is said to be Manitoba's largest food event of the year, and as the name suggests, apples and corn are a big part of it.
Festival-goers can get free Morden sweet corn (a yearly tradition) each day of the festival, and there will also be a host of food vendors and food trucks at the event.
Accessibility: Accessible event.
First Fridays Montreal
Price: Free admission
When: Select dates until October 7, 2022
Address: Montreal Olympic Park, 4545 Pierre-de Coubertin Ave., Montreal, QC
Why You Need To Go: Said to be the largest food festival of its kind in Canada, Les Premiers Vendredis, aka First Fridays, is a summer-long street food event that gathers over 50 food trucks and restaurateurs in Montreal's Olympic Park.
Classic offerings that can usually be found at the festival include churros from Mignon Churros & Nougat, tacos from Mi Corazon and poutine from Le Gras Dur. The site also has what it says is the largest pop-up terrace in the city with over 3,000 seats.
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, accessible for those with reduced mobility.
Calgary Stampede
Price: $23 for park admission
When: July 8-17, 2022
Address: 1410 Olympic Way S.E., Calgary, AB
Why You Need To Go: The iconic Calgary Stampede is back this year, and while the event is not primarily a food festival, food is always a big part of it.
This year, you can get some truly wild snacks, including Unagi sushi tacos, Kraft Dinner soft serve and noodles topped with cotton candy.
Accessibility: Wheelchair/stroller accessible.
Canadian National Exhibition
Price: $20 for advance admission
When: August 19 to September 5, 2022
Address: Exhibition Place, 100 Princes' Blvd., Toronto, ON
Why You Need To Go: Canada's largest fair is finally back after a two-year hiatus, and you already know the food scene is going to be great.
While specific vendors have not been announced, some of the classic eats typically offered at the Ex include things like deep-fried Mars bars and waffle ice cream sandwiches.
Accessibility: Wheelchair and other accessibility services are available.
Toronto Food Truck Festival
Price: Free admission
When: July 29 to August 1, 2022
Address: Woodbine Park, 1695 Queen St. E., Toronto, ON
Why You Need To Go: Who doesn't love food trucks? You can visit tons of them at Woodbine Park at this festival with free admission.
The festival is part of Canadian Food Truck Festivals, which will also make stops in Brampton, Burlington and Pickering. Vendors set to be at the Toronto outpost include 6 Spice Rack, Craig's Cookies, the Hungry Moon, the Hogfather and more!
Accessibility: Accessible services available.
Taste of Edmonton
Price: Free admission
When: July 21-31, 2022
Address: Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton, AB
Why You Need To Go: Enjoy drinks and eats served by the city's best restaurants and food trucks. This year, you'll be able to get things like a coconut smoothie served in a palm tree cup from Coconut Jungle, Ahi tuna from Ice House, and more!
Accessibility: Venue is accessible.
Carnaval del Sol
Price: Free admission on July 8, $11.04+ per adult
When: July 8-10, 2022
Address: Jonathan Rogers Park, 110 W. Seventh Ave., Vancouver, BC
Why You Need To Go: Carnaval del Sol is said to be the biggest Latin American festival in the Pacific Northwest and is a place where you can enjoy live music, art from Latin artists, a beer garden and tons of great food.
This year, some of the snacks you can expect to get include chicharron with yam fries from Munchu Picchu, Mexican street corn salad from Machete Mexican and Healthy Foods and churro mini bao from Blend Bubble Tea.
Accessibility: Accessible event.
