After spending a long weekend in Traverse City a few years ago, I fell pretty in love with the gorgeous northern Michigan town. Pining to get back, I thought, what better excuse than to head there for the annual Traverse City Food & Wine Festival?
What is the Traverse City Food & Wine Festival?
As its name suggests, the Traverse City Food & Wine Festival is, well, a festival based around all things culinary! But what exactly does that mean?
To sum it up nicely, it’s a four-day party where several events take place. While these will greatly vary by year, they can include anything from cooking demos to informative panels to curated dinners. All events are ticketed, meaning you don’t just buy a “pass” to go to the TC Food & Wine Festival with unlimited access. You choose which events appeal to you, but the one I absolutely would not skip is the Grand Tasting, a four-hour outdoor event where all of the vendors involved set up shop so you can try sample-sized bites from several local restaurants, sip beer and wine from wineries and breweries in the area (and spirits from distilleries!), and more. Basically, the Grand Tasting is a grand ol’ time, and if you had to only choose one ticket to buy, that should be it.
What other events are at the Traverse City Food & Wine Festival?
Aside from the Grand Tasting — which I should mention, also have cooking demos and live appearances by acclaimed chefs throughout the day, plus book signings for chefs who just came out with cookbooks — there are a lot of great events to choose from at the TC Food & Wine Fest.
One that was particularly fun was Bubbles by the Bay. Traverse City is home to over 50 wineries, and Bubbles by the Bay was a “happy hour” right on Grand Traverse Bay, a strikingly blue body of water. Several wineries were there to give tastes of some of their most prized blends and varietals, and there were a lot of great bites — I even had a fry bread taco which I haven’t stopped thinking about, and a divine cherry chocolate bread pudding. There was even a local artist painting the sunset, a live jazz band, and just plain old good vibes.
There were also a lot of great dinners throughout the weekend hosted by some household names. Chef Andrew Zimmern was at the 2026 Traverse Food & Wine Festival and hosted a dinner at Black Star Farms. That being said, if you see an event with a celebrity chef that you’re interested in, buy that ticket quickly because it will likely sell out, like his did. Chef Aarti Sequeira hosted a dinner alongside Chef Sarah Bobier, a local chef of the acclaimed restaurant Artisan in the Delamar Hotel (where I stayed my last visit, and loved!). I attended this dinner and it was a lovely blend of their two styles with dishes like a Caprese salad with achar and a gunpowder masala-dusted fish.
But it wasn’t just eating — some of the true standout moments were some of the demos and panels I got to sit in on. There was a Cookbook Author panel featuring various authors, like Martin Sorge, who just won the Great American Baking Show, and Anna Ansari, a former lawyer-turned chef who heavily focuses on highlighting underrated regions of the world like Central Asia. They talked about the behind-the-scenes of a cookbook, anything from word count to timelines to how they chose photographs.
Chef Kevin Tien of Moon Rabbit in Washington D.C. held a cooking demo, and openly discussed how he was raised to be a prime and true “American,” but as he got older, how he grappled with preserving his Vietnamese roots through food. His demo included the importance of fish sauce, which I loved (it’s a fabulous ingredient!) and samples were passed out at the end.
At the Grand Tasting, I sat in on Chef Andrew Zimmern’s cooking demo, where he made Lobster Newberg. I was pretty ecstatic when he started talking about Delmonico’s in New York City, the acclaimed restaurant who has invented many dishes — lobster Newberg included — and credited them. I thought, what a small world! Like Chef Kevin’s demo, samples were passed out for the audience to try, which were prepared by culinary students.
Basically, yes, the Grand Tasting is definitely the main event and the star of the show — but don’t rob yourself and limit yourself to just that. Some of those smaller events allow you a more in-depth look at some of the places, chefs, and ingredients that are all part of the festival.
How much does the Traverse City Food & Wine Festival cost?
Tickets vary greatly depending on which events you choose to attend. In my opinion, every event was reasonably priced based on the value received. You can keep a look out for next year’s events on the Traverse City tourism website.
Is there anything else to do in Traverse City?
Traverse City is small but packs a punch. There’s SO much to do here! Just some ideas are to stroll in the Downtown Area along Front Street to shop and grab a bite. I love Folgarelli’s for niche Italian products (they also have amazing sandwiches, but be prepared to wait about 25 minutes for one), Harbor View Lavender Farm has a storefront where you can buy a nice array of lavender products, Cherry Republic is a must for all things cherry (TC is the cherry capital of the world), and Poppycock’s has a wonderful veggie-forward eclectic menu — I’d recommend the coconut milk Brussel Sprouts and their pita and dip platter.
Aside from that, you’ll want to get out to the city’s rolling hills to experience midwestern wine country. Some of my favorite wineries are ÅŒBrien Vineyards — just promise you’ll pet their dogs, Bowie and Luna, for me — Brys Estate, and Mari Vineyards. But with over 50 to choose from (plus, plenty of places to eat and drink along the way), you can test out several to see which is your favorite.
There’s also the Mission Point Lighthouse, located at the northern tip of the Peninsula. Climb to the top for great views and take a photo in front of it while watching the waves crash in. And for even more crashing waves, head to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore for where the sand meets the sea.
Finally, one of my favorite things to do in Traverse City is to go to Moomer’s, one of my favorite ice cream shops in the country that offers ice cream flights.
How do I get to Traverse City?
Traverse City has an airport, the Cherry Capital Airport (TVC), which just got approved for a $120 million expansion. Hopefully, that means more flights will be coming in and out of Traverse City in the near future. A car is absolutely crucial in Traverse City, so keep that in mind.
I was coming from Upstate New York, so I chose to drive. The ride was not short, to put it lightly, and required me to cut through Canada, but if you like road tripping, a book on tape makes it go by swimmingly.
Where should I stay in Traverse City?
On my recent trip to Traverse City, I stayed at Hotel Indigo by IHG, which, for food festival purposes, was perfect, as most events were just across the street at Open Space Park. The rooms were spacious and sunny, and the bed was a cloud that made for binge-watching cable TV between events pretty tempting. There’s also a really cute rooftop bar that overlooks the water.
The Delamar Hotel is another fabulous choice, also located on the water, only a little further down the way. Hotel Indigo is a little trendier and more casual, whereas the Delamar is more elevated and prestige. Both options were fabulous.
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DISCLAIMER II: This post is sponsored by Traverse City tourism.
