Feature // 2018 Best Spring Food & Drink Festivals in Phoenix
Ready for the 2018 Best Spring Food & Drink Festivals in Phoenix?
While most everybody else is preparing for music ‘festival season’ (Coachella, Stagecoach), in the foodie world it’s all about the food and drink festivals! Phoenix houses a variety of amazing cultures, musicians, restaurants, and chefs that are highlighted in a multitude of food and drink festivals each year. These festivals are an easy way to get outside of your comfort zone, get to know people that are different than you, and to get a taste of their food and background. The food and drink festival line-up this spring is so diverse, here are just a few 2018 Best Spring Food & Festivals in Phoenix we know we cannot miss, (and you shouldn’t either):
Arizona Aloha Festival: This festival is on March 10-11th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located in Tempe. They have all kinds of island food at their two different food courts, from Hawaiian BBQ, shaved ice, malasadas (filled and plain doughnuts), bulgogi, poke, lumpia, and shrimp. We haven’t been to Hawaii yet, but we’re told this festival is the next best thing.
Photo Source: Aloha Festival's FB page
Burger Battle: Which chef in the Valley makes the best burger? Tickets are all-inclusive, meaning UNLIMITED (you read that right) burger tastings, fries, and shakes. It also includes a drink card for beer and great live entertainment. Our beloved friends at Joe’s Midnight Run are even in the burger competition, as well as Aioli Gourmet Burgers, Hopdaddy Burger Bar, The District, and many more. Burger Battle will be held on March 23rd from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Scottsdale Waterfront.
Photo Source: Burger Battle
My Nana’s Best Tasting Salsa Challenge: Restaurants, businesses, and individuals are competing in their categories to see who can make the best freshly made salsa! There will be 100 different salsas to try, and the chips and salsa are all-you-can-eat. Um, yes! Along with guzzling down chips and salsas, there will be live music, and margaritas and cold beer for purchase. Tickets are $15 a person and the festival is a fundraiser for the Arizona Hemophilia Association - so eat for a good cause! The festival is held on April 14-15 at the Chicago Cubs Spring Training Home.
Photo Source: Nana's Best Tasting Salsa Challenge
Scottsdale Culinary Festival: Local restaurants and food trucks are gathering together on April 14th and 15th at the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall to offer tastes and samples of their authentic dishes and drinks for SCF’s 40th Anniversary. General admission tickets are $12 and will be your 'passport' to try samples of foods ranging from American, European, Latin, Asian, and BBQ across 40 local restaurants. For $45 at the door, you can get access to their Beer Garden, which lets you sample 20 of their 200 different beers with a 4-oz. souvenir tasting mug. You can even chat with the craft brewers themselves as you choose which beers to try. Bonus? Eve 6 and Everclear will be playing on April 14th – so 90’s music lovers and food lovers rejoice!
Photo Source: Scottsdale Culinary Festival
Nirvana Food & Wine Festival: Ready for culinary heaven? Take a pinch of world-acclaimed chefs, a dash of mixologists, and a spoonful of California winemakers and bake up Nirvana 2018. With several notable events from last year – Flutes & Coops and Best of the West, to name a few, along with newly added events, Bourbon Street Blues and Tequila & Tortillas, there will be tons of favorite culinary events to choose from that will certainly keep your palate in nirvana. The event will be held April 19-22 at Sanctuary Camelback Resort & Spa.
Source: Nirvana Food & Wine Festival
Article authored by @SheForksPHX & @whatwouldmeesheat