Festival of Lights
We'll admit: there's probably more than one Festival of Lights held around the world — and maybe even held December 6-9. But the one in central France is the only one that counts. With attendance measured in the millions, it's one of the largest celebrations in the world, as the entire city joins together and places candles along the outside of all the windows, paying homage to the Virgin Mary. While the candle ritual dates back to the 1600s, in modern days this old tradition is joined by a number of performances, light shows, and buildings — most notably the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière and Cathédrale Saint Jean-Baptiste — awash in color.
Sneaker Con
Odds are you might have trouble if you're looking for boat shoes or wing tips, but if all you want are sneakers, Sneaker Con is the place to go. This occasional event is the premiere gathering for buying, selling, or trading hard-to-find footwear. The latest installment is scheduled for Saturday, November 23 at Basketball City, and will no doubt play host to thousands of sneaker connoisseurs and an even higher number of actual shoes. And don't worry if you can't make it to this one — there are already Cons scheduled for Houston and New Orleans in the coming months.
Music to Your Mouth
Given its name, you might assume that the Music to Your Mouth festival involves some combination of food and live musical entertainment. And you'd be right. Scheduled for November 19-24 at Palmetto Bluff, this Lowcountry celebration will include pork & Pappy cruises of the May River, wine tastings, a dinner cooked up by Five James Beard Award Winning Chefs — Sean Brock, Chris Hastings, Linton Hopkins, Mike Lata, and Anne Quatrano — a "Potlikker" block party, a 5K, a culinary festival, a tailgate hosted by Audi, and a "Kiss the Pig" oyster roast. Food, festivities, and fun.
Meatopia Texas
If you're a lover of meat, there's no better place to be this weekend than San Antonio. That's because Meatopia Texas is happening November 2 & 3 at The Historic Pearl Brewery. On hand will be over 30 chefs from around the country (but mainly from Texas), including the likes of Tim Byres, Paul Qui, and John Fink, all creating fantastic dishes using meat from the best producers in the US, and all cooked over a live fire. Add in music and drinks and you've got an ideal way to spend the weekend.
Life is Beautiful Festival
We're far from 100% sure that Vegas is the right city to host such a gathering — after all, things can look pretty ugly out on the Strip after a long night out on the town — but no matter, as it's for sure the site for the Life is Beautiful Festival. Scheduled for October 26 & 27 in downtown, this event incorporates music, food, art, and learning, with a Culinary Village of gourmet dishes and appearances by chefs like Todd English, Michael Mina, and Michael Symon, an art schedule that includes some of the city's best-known shows as well as a street art program, and a music lineup featuring performances by the likes of Beck, Vampire Weekend, Childish Gambino, Portugal. The Man, The Joy Formidable, Cayucas, hometown favorites The Killers, and many more.
Cleveland Beer Week
We're used to seeing beer-related events run a single afternoon, or maybe — if we're lucky — a couple of days. But a whole week? Yup, and that's just part of what makes Cleveland Beer Week so special. This yearly event runs from October 18-26 in 2013 and will feature over 350 craft beer tastings, dinners, demonstations, activities, and programs. Some highlights include the Collaboration Kickoff event — going on tonight — with seven beers created specifically for the event, a Lebowski Bowling with Lagunitas event tomorrow night with both bowling and a screening of the film, beer and cheese pairings at Great Lakes Brewing's tasting room on Sunday, a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad next Friday appropriately dubbed Ales on Rails, and BREWzilla: a monster of a beer tasting, the concluding event with over 70 breweries. Whether you make it out for one event or all of them, it's well worth checking into.
Snallygaster
If you like beer and are going to be in the area, you need to be at Snallygaster. This self-described "gargantuan beer jamboree" is a one-day event featuring food, music, and over 150 carefully curated craft beers on tap. Tickets range from $10 to $50, with the latter including early access to the taps and 30 food + drink tickets. It's scheduled for 1-6 pm on October 19 at Union Market, and promises to be "an epic day of inimitable imbibery and monstrous merriment", but perhaps the best thing about it is the fact that your admission fee goes to help support the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture.
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
It might have already started, but there's still time to catch the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Held once a year on the north side of town, this nine-day event — it runs Oct. 5-13 this year — is the largest hot air balloon festival in the world, with as many as 600 balloons of all shapes and sizes taking flight and crowds of up to 100,000 on the ground to watch the spectacle. Interestingly, the cool morning temperatures and a unique box-like wind pattern help to make the event a success — that, and the incredible photo opportunities provided by hundreds of colorful subjects set against a clear blue sky.
The Festival of Bacon
Of all the things to celebrate with a fall festival — apples, pumpkins, and corn come to mind — bacon might be the easiest to get on board with. The Festival of Bacon is a new one-day event focused on bringing the best bacon-inspired treats in Central Florida together in Festival Park for an 8-hour eating extravaganza. Scheduled for Saturday, October 5th from 11am to 7pm, the event promises over 30,000 samples of bacon, multiple competitions, free parking, live music, a liquor sampling area, skateboarding demonstrations, a kids zone, TVs showing the day's collegiate football games, bacon cocktails, and the irresistible call of bacon beer.
International Guitar Festival of Seville
If your idea of a great guitar track hinges more on the artist's picking and less on their choice of amp, odds are the International Guitar Festival of Seville should be right up your alley. Scheduled for October 15-19 in the same area where the folk style originated centuries ago, this unique festival includes master classes, lectures, a multi-day guitar competition, and, of course, daily concerts featuring leading folk guitarists from around the world.
New York City Wine & Food Festival
Given the huge number of chefs who either live in, work in, or own restaurants in NYC, it's little surprise that the New York City Wine & Food Festival is one of the best in the country. Sponsored in part by the Food Network and Food + Wine Magazine, this multi-day event runs from October 17th to the 20th, and will feature dinners, cooking demonstrations, seminars, and various food and drink tastings, as well as appearances by local talent and a slew of Food Network stars. But the best part? All of the net proceeds go to benefit hunger-relief programs, so you can feel a little better about gorging yourself all weekend long.
Epcot International Food and Wine Festival
Fall is upon us, and that means it's time to head back to Florida. The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is a yearly excuse to get sauced and stuffed in a festive and very public venue. For the event, Mickey and his pals set up over 25 booths all around the park's World Showcase lagoon, each offering small plates and drinks indigenous to various countries or regions. Plenty of seminars and culinary events are held throughout the festival, which runs until November 11, and be sure to check out the Eat to the Beat concert series, which features a lineup of acts from the '80s and '90s. Some Smash Mouth to help wash down that mojito? No problem.
