Top 10 food festivals in Europe

The gastronomical background of a region you are travelling around is a core of the culture created by locals throughout centuries. The recipes passed on from generation to generation developed, spread and created unique identities recognisable worldwide. Have a slice of the juiciest Napoli pizza or gelato, taste the Scandinavian delicacies or pamper your taste buds with plant-based specialities. Take a look at our top picks of European finest food festivals introducing their visitors to the most exquisite cuisines, acclaimed food artists and top-notch chefs.

Taste of Amsterdam began in London and travels throughout the world to important cities offering exquisite cuisine. This is an annual food festival that takes place every summer in Amsterdam and gathers the best national and international chefs and restaurants with regional delicacies, pleasing the taste buds of locals and tourists worldwide. Get into the whirlpool of adventures and get inspired by the delicious food and the atmosphere followed by the sounds of jazz and soul music.

If you are a wine enthusiast, join the wine theatre, guided by a professional sommelier, presenting the peculiarities of wine types combined with different foods. Your little ones will be fascinated by all the leisure activities such as cupcake decorations, quizzes, workshops and many more. Follow the cooking competitions between international and well-renowned chefs, and enjoy the food exhibitions and farmers' markets with local producers’ products.

With people travelling more and experiencing distinct international tastes, they seem to seek diverse cuisines and tastes, as well as different combinations of foods and beverages. This trend motivates the organizers to offer a wider and wider variety of specialities every year. And they do not forget vegans and vegetarians! You will spot a few restaurants specializing in plant-based foods only.

Campings near the Taste of Amsterdam in Amsterdam

Get Inside the Belly of Florence! For over 14 years, the Taste of Florence hosting culinary gurus, food artists and sommeliers have been serving up fantastic food and the most colourful beverages. There is no wonder that Italian food festivals are one of the most vibrant, heartfelt and mouth-watering gastronomy fiestas inviting their visitors to taste the juiciest pizzas, creamiest pasta, finest wines and international delicacies opening up centuries-old cookbooks. 

Visitors will find an array of culinary treasures, including bread, cold cuts, cheese, jams, chocolate, desserts, wine, craft beer, coffee and more in a mapped out “Taste Tour.” Enjoy eating, join cooking, wander around the “Taste Shop” and buy ingredients to prepare Italian specialities at home. The festival is also aimed to be as environmentally friendly as possible, they pay special attention to the road to sustainability by producers as well as consumers and in 2022 it adopted a theme of “Zero Waste: We Don’t Waste Food, We Don’t Waste the Environment.” Explore the green feast and dive into the world of undiscovered flavours.

Campings near the Taste of Florence in Florence

Foodies Festival is a celebration of quality local food and drink, launched in Edinburgh in 2006 and now with 12 festivals around the country, making it the largest food and drink festival in the UK. Packed full of delicious street food, gourmet treats and amazing artisan delicacies, this is a unique gastronomic event that shouldn’t be missed. Each fiesta is a celebration of the food in each region, encouraging the participants to expose the best of the local specialities. The whole bash is accompanied by live music creating an even more festive vibe and exhilaration.

The chefs are given the opportunity to show off their superb cooking skills to the audience. The sweet tooth of the feast will be able to watch the making and baking of sweet treats in the Bake and Cake Theatre. In the Drinks Theatre, the visitors will be taken on wine, champagne, beer or cider tours. And they definitely did not forget the little ones of the festival and created a separate space to experience tastes and develop basic cooking skills.

Campings near the Foodies Festival in Edinburgh

Gelato is a cool and amazing Italian treat with its own unique qualities and a history going back more than 600 years. Gelato Festival in Florence is the right occasion to catapult oneself into the centre of Florence, to enjoy the creations of the best ice cream artisans in Italy, but also to admire the many cultural and artistic masterpieces of the place. 

Guests will be able to watch gelato makers at work and taste and vote for their favourite flavours. There will also be opportunities to learn how gelato is produced and participate in gelato-making classes. What could be better than a day full of sweetness and friendly locals in the beautiful surroundings of Florence?

Campings near the Gelato Festival in Florence

Napoli Pizza Village Festival is known as the greatest and most famous pizza festival in Europe. The feast of flavours is held along the beach, one of the most beautiful places in Lungomare Caracciolo Napoli and lasts for 9 days. Hundreds of the best pizza makers participate in the festival and offer more than 100 000 quality pizzas on hot stoves. In addition to the culinary events, you will enjoy live music concerts, entertainment programs, professional conferences, as well as making pizza workshops for adults and children, and all are completely free.

Campings near the Napoli Pizza Village Festival in Naples

The festival offers top dishes prepared by the best restaurants in the Czech Republic, inviting people to taste delicious drinks, and delicacies and experience a rich accompanying program. Held six years in a row so far, the three-day event, which usually runs in May is a fascinating food event for those seeking exclusive tastes and those looking forward to delving into the Czech delicacies. Each May, the Prague Food Festival increases in both size and scope and it also pairs the nation’s culinary highlights with the most stunning views giving its visitors the chance to admire the view of this beautiful city while enjoying the degustation menus of more than 50 restaurants from Prague and beyond. 

The festival is ready to entertain not only your taste buds but your whole family! You will find a cookery school providing cookery workshops and the opportunity to learn about beer tasting. All in all, it’s a must for foodies and people who want to explore modern Czech Food and International cooking styles.

Camping near the Prague Food Festival in Prague

Copenhagen Cooking is one of the biggest food festivals in Northern Europe and is an open-source festival that profiles Danish gastronomy by paying homage to the food culture, Nordic cuisine and the players on the gastronomic stage. Naturally, the festival offers plenty of events held in English or with no language requirements, targeting international visitors. 

These ten days are filled with not only thousands of combinations of flavours but you will also be able to attend international cooking workshops, stroll around the farmers' markets, enjoy the tastes of wines and beer, as well as musical shows filling the atmosphere with even more excitement.

Camping near the Copenhagen Cooking in Copenhagen

This is a bit of a niche festival but it’s an ancient tradition in Helsinki - organised since 1743. Over the years, the Herring Festival has turned from a city people's food journey into an atmospheric milestone of the autumn season, combining Helsinki's maritime archipelago tradition and modern food culture. In this extraordinary feast, you’ll find plenty of herring prepared in a variety of ways, as well as quirky Finnish delicacies such as black archipelago bread. 

The fair activities include a competition for the best herring dish, a fileting race and a race of traditional sailing ships. You will have an opportunity to attend various seminars during the week. On the final Saturday, the Old Market Hall catches the market fever; you can taste chocolate herring and potatoes as well as islander bread, and see demonstrations of fish handling skills. The aim of this fiesta is to support the fishing industry and to promote herring and roach fish as responsible, healthy and delicious food choices.

Campings near the Baltic Herring Festival in Helsinki

"Taste of Stockholm", Stockholm's major annual event, is a food lover’s dream with countless free events and lots of outdoor food vendors. During the six-day June event, Sweden visitors can participate in food-related activities and enjoy Swedish entertainment until everyone had their fill. Many of the city’s restaurants even cook up special festival menus for this major annual event! You and your whole family will experience some of Sweden’s top chefs and their cuisine in pop-up restaurants, follow chef duels and cook-along, take courses, learn to grill, sample food from food trucks, stroll around the food market and listen to numerous artists from a wide range of music genres.

Campings near the Taste of Stockholm in Stockholm

Every food festival nowadays has at least a few plant-based options for its vegan or vegetarian visitors. This time Berlin invites all the herbivores and all interested in trying out a plant-based pesto, no-dairy cheeses and substitutes for bacon, sausages and ham. This three-day feast invites visitors to try and buy vegan products at around 100 stands and experience a varied program. Various initiatives, nature and animal protection organizations provide information on topics relevant to animal protection, healthy nutrition and a vegan lifestyle. In addition to international delicacies and vegan organic and raw food specialities, you will discover different brands of cruelty-free cosmetics, T-shirts and leather-free products and accessories such as belts and shoes. The festival in Alexanderplatz is surrounded by live music, cooking shows and a children's program. Non-vegans are welcome as well! Campings near the Veganes Sommerfest in Berlin