8 NYC Wine & Food Festival events you won’t want to miss this year
It’s Brooklyn or bust, baby. If you haven’t heard, the New York City Wine & Food Festival (NYCWFF) is landing in Brooklyn this year. Touching down October 17 through October 21, the festival will make its debut at the brand new, 450,000 square-foot modern hub, Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park. And while the festival is going down next month, plenty of events are on the cusp of or have already sold out. But if combing through 80-plus events gives you hives, we’ve got you. Below, check out a few events you should put on your roster.
Thursday
Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop presents Brooklyn Eats & Beats
Rapper and cultural icon (and the unofficial MVP of the 2024 Summer Olympics), Snoop Dogg is bringing West Coast vibes to Brooklyn. Along with Dr. Dre, the duo are set to kick off the festivities at Invesco QQQ Festival Campus at Brooklyn Army Terminal. Celebrating all things Brooklyn, the walk around tasting will feature bites from some of the area’s best, including Hometown BBQ, Laser Wolf, Lilia, Lucali, Misi and mökbar. Plus Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg will be on site pouring their ready-to-drink cocktail, Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop.
Friday
Meet Cutes NYC presents Tacos & Tequila hosted by Aarón Sánchez
Tacos, tequila and love can be had all in one place. Hosted by celebrity chef Aarón Sánchez, the walk-around taco tasting will feature bites from a handful of New York’s finest taquerias. Setting the mood for romance, the event will be held at the immersive Hall des Lumières. TikTok channel Meet Cutes NYC will onsite, ready to capture all the love (and tacos).
Saturday
Rainbow Cookie Croissant Master Class hosted by Bilena Settepani
Settepani Bakery, which has a location at Time Out Market, is a well-known destination for everything baked, be it breads, cakes and cookies. But one of its most viral claims to fame? The Rainbow Cookie Croissant, of course. Learn how to make this hit at home with this special, hands-on baking class. Settepani’s executive chef and New York’s panettone princess, Bilena Settepani will be in the kitchen demonstrating how to make her classic, original “crookie.”
FoodieCon
Meet your favorite foodies IRL. For its second year, the annual event is bringing together top content creators and foodies in one place. Sit in on thoughtful discussions to learn about the latest food trends with panelists that include Dan Pelossi (@grossypelosi), Sara, Madison, Carly and Julia (@sistersnacking) and Brian Lindo (@briancantstopeating). Held at Industry City, a lineup of food vendors will also be available for snacking, including Ample Hills Creamery, Burger Joint and Bangkok B.A.R.
ABSOLUT Vodka presents Drag Disco
David Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris are back with their famous all-out bash, Drag Disco. Set to a playlist of groovy and funky tunes, drag queens will perform all night long, including sets from Meatball, Beaujangless and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season eight winner, Jimbo. Don’t forget to bring some cash to tip the queens!
Sunday
Oyster Bash
Calling all oyster lovers: this one’s for you. Celebrity chef and food TV personality Andrew Zimmern is hosting this year’s bivalve bonanza. From raw and roasted to baked and fried, oyster fiends can slurp down their favorites here. East Coast farmers will be onsite and shucking plus there will be cocktails aplenty for the sipping.
BACARDĺ presents JJ Johnson’s The Cookout: A Hip-Hop Celebration
Closing out the festivities is a bash like no other. Hosted by JJ Johnson and Angela Yee, The Cookout: a Hip-Hop Celebration honors hip-hop and Black cuisine and culture. Johnson has curated a lineup of some of the best Black-owned restaurants in NYC to dish out top notch eats, including Preston Clark of Lure Fishbar, Melba Wilson of Melba’s and chef Brittney “Stikxz” Williams. DJ Too Much will be keeping the tunes spinning all night long, and the one and only Rev Run will be giving a special performance you won’t want to miss out on.
Saturday and Sunday
Grand Tasting
You can’t think about attending NYCWFF without going to the Grand Tasting. Held on Saturday and Sunday, the Grand Tasting celebrates the best NYC restaurants and chefs. Spend the afternoon under the iconic tents to sample top-notch bites (including a few samples from our very own Time Out Market vendors: Bark Barbecue and Smashed NYC) and an array of wines and spirits. In bewteen snacking, watch culinary demonstrations from celeb chefs, such as Jet Tila and Kardea Brown, and get your cookbook signed by some of your favorite personalities.
New York City Wine & Food Festival will be held October 17 through October 20. Check out the full lineup at its website.