New York City Wine & Food Festival returns with five days of tastings and charity
NYCWFF presented by Invesco QQQ runs Oct. 15–19 in Lower Manhattan’s Seaport, featuring more than 50 events and new charitable partnerships to support sustainable event practices and culinary excellence.
New York City’s Food Network-driven New York City Wine & Food Festival returns for a five-day celebration of cuisine, cocktails and culture, taking over the Seaport district in Lower Manhattan from Oct. 15 through Oct. 19. The festival, now presented by Invesco QQQ, kicks off a weekend-long slate of tastings, dinners, culinary demonstrations and social events that bring together hundreds of city restaurateurs, celebrity chefs, wine and spirits producers, and food influencers. Organizers say the event remains true to its mission of supporting charitable causes through food and hospitality, with new charity partners this year focused on sustainability and culinary excellence.
Over the past 17 years, NYCWFF has raised more than $14.8 million in net proceeds for charitable organizations. This year’s edition will align with Event Zero Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting sustainable event practices, and the James Beard Foundation, which supports chefs and the culinary industry in pursuing higher standards of excellence. The festival’s outdoor, waterfront setting in the Seaport is expected to accommodate more than 50 events across multiple venues, including taste-driven walk-arounds, intimate chef-led dinners, cocktail soirées, brunches, master classes and the signature FoodieCon®.
The Grand Tasting remains the festival’s marquee occasion, a daytime-and-evening showcase where New York’s culinary talent meets its most ardent appetites. This year’s edition features appearances by stars such as Sofia Vergara and her son Manolo Vergara, the founder of the gourmet empanada brand TOMA, who will help spotlight the event’s breadth of bites and beverage options. Attendees will be able to sample offerings from hundreds of city restaurants, sip world-class wines and spirits, and watch live cooking demonstrations by renowned chefs. A first for the Grand Tasting, an After Dark edition is being introduced under the festival umbrella, presented by Montchevre Goat Cheese, to bring the celebration into prime time at the Invesco QQQ Festival Campus in the Seaport. The one-night-only experience will be hosted by Food Network personalities Bobby Flay and Brooke Williamson, featuring unlimited bites from Southern Glazer’s, live demos, and a music-filled evening powered by DJ Tokyo Rose.
Blue Moon Burger Bash 2.0, a fan-favorite returning to NYCWFF, promises a high-stakes, borough-spanning burger battle. Top chefs from all five boroughs will vie for the Burger Bash crown, each crafting a signature burger using Pat LaFrieda Meat’s exclusive blend. Host Rachael Ray returns, with Brooklyn Beckham in attendance to showcase his latest venture, Cloud23 hot sauce. Attendees will cast their votes for their favorites, while a celebrity panel that includes Ja Rule, Sunny Anderson, Ana Navarro, Ben Leventhal, Joshua Weissman and Olivia Tiedmann will help determine additional honors and bragging rights.
A Taste of the Tin Building will open the festival weekend with an immersive sunset of bites and cocktails inside Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Tin Building marketplace, where the James Beard Award-winning chef teams with Gregory Gourdet, a Top Chef finalist and longtime protege, to curate a guided tasting through Tin Building’s celebrated restaurants. Guests will stroll through the market as signature bites, fine wines and carefully crafted cocktails flow to a live DJ, offering a lively backdrop to a refined culinary journey. Tin Building staples such as T. Brasserie, House of the Red Pearl, The Frenchman’s Dough, Spoiled Parrot and Patisserie will anchor the tasting, showcasing a broad spectrum of the city’s edible offerings.
Sunday Supper: An Italian Feast to Close Out NYCWFF will cap the weekend with an alfresco feast that highlights New York’s Italian restaurants. Set against the Seaport skyline, the party is led by Nadia Munno, the renowned pasta expert known as “The Pasta Queen,” joined by Lil “Mo” Mozzarella, a comedian and social media personality who brings energy and humor to the table. The evening will pair handmade pastas, wood-fired pizzas, antipasti and dolci with Italian wines, aperitifs and seasonal cocktails as live music fills the air.
Brunches & Lunches and Dining Experiences are core elements of NYCWFF’s daytime calendar. The festival emphasizes a spectrum of experiences—from oversized brunch parties to intimate chef-led lunches—designed to showcase bold flavors and creative cocktails. In addition, more than 25 dining events will run throughout the weekend, highlighting world-renowned chefs, Food Network stars and culinary trendsetters as they craft menus built around seasonal ingredients and pairings. A new Mixology Program will pair award-winning bartenders with top chefs to create cocktails that elevate planned meals rather than simply accompany them.
FoodieCon®, a one-day, influencer-centric showcase, invites today’s leading food and lifestyle creators to discuss trends, share behind-the-scenes insights, and sample exclusive bites from some of New York’s hottest venues. The festival’s schedule is dynamic, with celebrity-hosted events and intimate experiences designed to amplify both the culinary and cultural energy of the city.
Organizers note that NYCWFF has evolved into a broader celebration of culture and entertainment beyond food, drawing visitors from across the country and around the world to enjoy notable dining collaborations, immersive experiences and live performances. The event’s sustainability and philanthropy focus aligns with a growing trend in the hospitality industry toward responsible event production and community impact. The festival also underscores New York’s status as a global culinary capital, where neighborhood traditions, cutting-edge concepts and world-class hospitality converge.
Tickets and full schedules are available through the festival’s official pages, which outline celebrity hosts, tastings, master classes and dining experiences. Fans and prospective attendees are encouraged to review the slate of events in advance and plan for multiple reservations, given the high demand and limited capacity at several marquee experiences.
For an up-to-date look at the schedule, participating restaurants, and ticket information, visit the New York City Wine & Food Festival’s official site. The five-day celebration is scheduled to unfold across the Seaport’s waterfront venues, with additional programming announced in the lead-up to October’s dates, promising to deliver another standout year of culinary showcases and charitable giving.