The Best in the World of Food and Drink this October

The Dandelion Chandelier Luxury Food and Drink Calendar highlights luxury food, wine, spirits and craft beer festivals around the world in October 2018. For the rest of the Luxury Calendar, click here. 

October is stereotypically categorized as a time reserved for pumpkins, apples, Halloween candy and the like. However, this month’s calendar is proof positive that there’s far more to this autumnal month. From chocolate festivals to avocado festivals, truffle fairs to ramen shows, it’s not just about the pumpkin patch this month.

The Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival takes place with food offerings from 40 top restaurants and over 250 varieties of wines, spirits and craft brews – Oct 4 – 7

Taking place every October since 1963, the Festa do Marisco (Seafood Festival) is held in a picturesque fishing community in Galicia. Visitors can sample seafood rice dishes, clams, oysters and baked scallops, and experience the Best Crab and Best Mussel Dish competitions, and a unique shellfish parade – Oct 4 – 14

North America is home to many indigenous plants whose culinary potential is often unrecognized or forgotten. In her work as a forager and botanically inclined cook, Marie Viljoen has developed hundreds of recipes using virtually unknown native ingredients that reflect regional character or terroir.  At Regional Character: Exploring Native Flora at the Museum of Food and Drink, Marie will share some these ingredients and recipes – Oct 4

The 32nd California Avocado Festival takes place – Oct 5 – 7

Since 1996, the World Porridge Making Championships have taken place each year in the Scottish Highlands village of Carrbridge.  The cook-off draws competitors from across the globe to compete for the coveted Golden Spurtle trophy and title of “World Porridge Making Champion” – Oct 6

The Hawai’i Food & Wine Festival takes place over three weekends on multiple islands, featuring a roster of over 150 internationally renowned master chefs, culinary personalities and wine and spirit producers – Oct 6 – 28

The International Alba White Truffle Fair returns – Oct 6 – Nov 25

San Sebastián Gastronomika hosts the best of the Basque, Spanish and international cuisine – Oct 7 – 10

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is a colorful event celebrating the Chinese community’s belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind – Oct 8 – 17

Wine & Spirits magazine will host its 15th annual Top 100 Tasting at City View at Metreon – Oct 9

Just in time for holiday preparations, international party planner Rena Kirdar is releasing Be R Guest ($50), sharing her passion for spectacular hosting

Christie’s hosts its Fine & Rare Wine auction in London – Oct 10

Once a year, all of Montmartre celebrates the Fete des Vendanges de Montmartre, the Grape Harvest festival, celebrating the new Cuvée Montmartre vintage wine – Oct 10 – 14

The New York City Food & Wine Festival returns with more than 80 events in celebration of America’s favorite foods, featuring intimate dinners with world renowned chefs, late night parties, hands on classes, educational seminars, coveted wine tastings and more – Oct 11 – 14

Sotheby’s Wine will open its fall season in New York with a two day sale, Finest & Rarest Wines, featuring The Macallan 1926, Sir Peter Blake, with a pre-sale low estimate in excess of $3.9 million, comprising 1,150 lots of the most prized wines and spirits – Oct 12 – 13

Sotheby’s will auction a rare Domaine de la Romanée-Conti from the Personal Cellar of Robert Drouhin in a dedicated auction of 100 lots in New York – Oct 13

As the largest producer of sweet chestnuts in France with 62 different varieties, the annual Castagnades Chestnut Festival in the Ardeche region is a foodie paradise. Chestnuts are sold fresh, turned into confectionery as glazed marron glaces, converted into a brown flour and brewed into beer or liqueur. Rather than one long event, there are 1-2 day chestnut festivals throughout the different villages in the region: 11 festivals are scheduled for this autumn – Oct 14 – 28

The acclaimed chef featured in the Emmy Award-winning US PBS series The Mind of a Chef and the Netflix docuseries Chef’s Table, Magnus Nilsson, explores the rich baking tradition of the Nordic region, with 450 tempting recipes for home bakers in The Nordic Baking Book ($49.95) – Oct 15

At the 9th edition of the Barbados Food and Rum Festival, sip on the local elixir, sample fresh seafood and dig your feet into the sand with chefs like Jean-Georges and Michael Hinds – Oct 18 – 29

Now in its 25th year, EuroChocolate in Perugia, Italy is one of the largest chocolate festivals in Europe, attracting nearly a million visitors each year – Oct 19 – 28

Food on the Edge in Galway, Ireland is a two-day food symposium aimed at challenging your perspective on food with a focus on cultural, social, environmental and educational initiatives and perspectives from chefs around the world – Oct 22 – 23

Winter ($40) is a comprehensive collection of 140 classic and modern winter recipes collected from around the world – Oct 23

The Great Chefs Event NYC, formerly known as Lemon: NYC, is a culinary event benefiting Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and the fight against childhood cancer. Hosted by Chef Alex Guarnaschelli of the Food Network and Butter Restaurant, the event convenes over 30 top chefs to craft their signature dishes – Oct 23

Sample the iconic soup from 18 different vendors serving up different styles and flavors from all over the country at the Tokyo Ramen Show – Oct 26 – Nov 5

With over 500 participants from 60 countries, including over 200 renowned chefs and pastry chefs, the Salon du Chocolat is a must-attend event for chocolate lovers. The Paris event will also host the World Final of the World Chocolate Masters, in which 20 finalists will show their creative artistry in competition for the title of World Chocolate Master. And because it’s in Paris, of course there’s also a chocolate-inspired fashion show – Oct 31 – Nov 4

See other October 2018 Events:

— Travel

— Planes, Yachts & Autos

— Fitness & Sports

— Fashion & Design

— Entertainment

— The Arts

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