Wilmington food festival named one of the best in the country

Feast Wilmington makes a top 10 list of best city food festivals in America. Here’s what to know about the annual Wilmington food festival in the Port City.

A Wilmington event that includes dozens of local restaurants and chefs was a top vote-getter in the USA TODAY 10BEST Reader’s Choice for best food festivals.

Feast Wilmington was No. 9 on a list of Best City Food Festivals, which also included events in New York, California and South Carolina. These most recent Readers’ Choice awards are meant to highlight the very best in travel, food, drink and lifestyle.

“Feast Wilmington is honored to be named a top ten food festival after just two years,” said Jessica Maurer, festival director, in a press release. “Our third annual festival is taking place in just a few weeks, and we can’t wait to celebrate all that our city’s food and beverage scene has to offer.”

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Wilmington Media + Marketing launched the festival in March 2024 to celebrate the booming local restaurant scene. For this year’s festival, three events take place March 28-29 at Live Oak Bank Pavilion in downtown Wilmington. Craft + Cuisine pairs local breweries with local chefs. Then it’s the Pier Party, which is set to feature bites from 25 local eateries, followed by Brunch Elevated, with brunch fare, coffees and Bloody Mary and Mimosa bars.

USA TODAY 10BEST Reader’s Choice entrants were nominated by a panel of industry experts, and then vetted by 10BEST editors and presented to the voting public for four weeks.

The complete list of best city food festivals:

1. Queens Night Market, Queens, New York
2. Taste of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
3. Concern Foundation Block Party, Los Angeles, California
4. The Inquirer Food Fest, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5. Euphoria, Greenville, South Carolina
6. Detroit Foodie Fair, Detroit, Michigan
7. World Food Championships, Indianapolis, Indiana
8. Columbus Food Truck Festival, Columbus, Ohio
9. Feast Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina
10. MN Food Truck Festival, Minnesota

Reporting by Allison Ballard, Wilmington StarNews / Wilmington StarNews

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect