Spring food festivals celebrate the unofficial start of the culinary year 2012. Check out these top picks for the best food festivals of the season, and get your spring season off to a most delicious start!
March 2012: Fan Your Flame of Love for Fiery Food; Savor the Best of Charleston
Head to Charleston, South Carolina for the BB&T Charleston Food + Wine Festival, where you can witness a sommelier competition, participate in a Lowcountry gospel brunch, and sample the dining scene at local restaurant dine-arounds. Or perhaps you'd rather feel like your mouth is on fire? Then you'll definitely want to hit the Annual National Fiery Foods & BBQ Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- Read more about food festivals, wine festivals and beer events in March 2012.
- More to explore: Try Nashville's fiercely hot fried chicken.
April 2012: Have a Giant Picnic in Scottsdale, Arizona; Eat Your Greens
In Arizona, Scottsdale's bustling food scene is showcased during the Scottsdale Food Festival, where the most anticipated event is the Great Arizona Picnic (or GAP, if you will) where you'll find cooking demos and competitions, and lots and lots to drink, whether your pleasure is tequila, beer or vodka.
For the fans of the single ingredient festival, this month is brought to you by the color green. There's an Asapargus Festival and an Avocado Festival, both in California.
- Read more about food festivals, wine festivals and beer events in April 2012.
- More to explore: A Foodie's Guide to Nevada.
May 2012: Italian Food in Philadelphia; A Cajun Crawfish Boil
Philadelphia's 9th Street Italian Market is the oldest outdoor Italian market in the country, and its annual festival celebrates what the market does best: make you eat lots and lots and lots. Meanwhile, in Shreveport, participate in a four-day long crawfish boil when you go in for Mudbug Madness.
- Read more about food festivals, wine festivals and beer events in May 2012.
- More to Explore: Visit Rhode Island's "Little Italy".
