Attendees Enjoying Wine at the Healdsburg Food & Wine Experience 2026
Marc Fiorito – Gamma Nine Photography
“It can’t just be a food festival, or a wine festival on its own. It has to be a food and wine festival together, because that is what creates the magic,” said Nikki Shimizu, who had flown in from Hawaii to attend the Healdsburg Food & Wine Experience this May.
Nikki was attending the festival with her best friend from college, Lori Nelson, who had traveled to Healdsburg from Nevada. “This is our second year to come to this festival, and we really enjoy it,” stated Lori. “We’ve been meeting once a year for over 30 years, and in the past few years, we started meeting at food and wine festivals.”
As someone who has attended many food and wine festivals over the years, it was interesting to witness the large crowds and long lines at food and wine stands at this year’s Healdsburg Food & Wine Experience. While there, I had the opportunity to talk with consumers, wineries, and organizers.
A common theme among the interviews was excitement about the growth of food and wine events, especially premium festivals, where tickets can sell for $250 for a single day and $7,000 per person for a multi-day pass.
Statistics on Food and Wine Festivals
Though festivals of many types have been around for years, the boom in the number of food and wine festivals started after the pandemic. According to Eventbrite, attendance at multiple food and wine events was up 87% in 2022 over 2021 and has continued growing since.
The Vesta 2025 Events Trends Report, which tracks all types of events, reported that 53% of event organizers saw increased attendance in 2025, up from 43.8% in 2024, though not all were food and wine festivals.
Grand View Research estimated the global culinary market at $16 billion in 2025, with the U.S. accounting for $2.7 billion in 2024 for culinary tourism. In both cases, much of the growth is attributed to festivals.
Likewise, Grand View Research valued global wine tourism at $46 billion in 2023, with projected growth to $106 billion by 2030—again, with some of the growth attributed to wine and food festivals.
Much of the expansion is driven by increasing consumer interest in unique experiences and learning about local cuisine, beverages, and culture. The rise in walking food and beverage tours in cities around the world is a testament to this trend. According to Market Growth Reports, more than 400 million people were expected to attend wine and food festivals in 2025.
Even UNESCO reflects this trend by recognizing almost 50 different food and beverage cultural practices around the world as of 2025 in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
A Chef Preparing Food Samples at the Healdsburg Food & Wine Experience 2026
Marc Fiorito – Gamma Nine PhotographyTop 5 Premium Food and Wine Festivals in the U.S.
I spoke with Steve Dversis, CEO and Founder of the Healdsburg Food & Wine Experience.
“Even though we only launched five years ago, I believe we are ranked among the premier food and wine festivals in the nation,” stated Steve.
When I asked who the competition was, he quickly named Aspen, Pebble Beach, South Beach, and Charleston. Perhaps not surprisingly, when I checked multiple sources (Wine Enthusiast, Food & Wine Magazine, USA Today, and Newsweek Readers’ Choice), his response was right on:
Aspen Food & Wine ClassicSouth Beach Wine & Food FestivalPebble Beach Food & WineHealdsburg Food & Wine ExperienceCharleston Wine + Food Festival
The key term is “premium,” because these food and wine festivals are not inexpensive to attend. A three-day ticket to Aspen—the granddaddy of them all, founded in 1983—runs $3,000 per person for the full weekend. Pebble Beach Food & Wine ranges from $300 for general entry to $10,000 per person for its Diamond package. South Beach, which is the largest in the nation with more than 65,000 attendees, is more affordable and ranges from $59 to $500 per person. Healdsburg ranges from $275 for the Grand Tasting to $4,700 per person for the four-day package.
However, there are many notable runner-ups, including the New York City Wine & Food Festival, Collective Auction Napa Valley, San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, Santa Fe Wine & Chile Festival, Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival, and others.
Spotlight on the Healdsburg Food & Wine Experience
Of the many food and wine festivals offered throughout the U.S., there is one very distinctive attribute that Healdsburg offers.
“Many of our events during our four-day experience are scheduled in the vineyards, among the grapevines, and in the cellars of the winemakers,” stated Steve Dversis. “None of the other top festivals can claim this distinction.”
This is because Healdsburg is located in the middle of Sonoma County wine country, only a 30-minute drive from Napa Valley and situated 72 miles north of San Francisco. It is surrounded by such famous wine appellations as the Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek Valley, and Sonoma Coast AVAs.
Healdsburg is also considered the new culinary capital of Sonoma County, with seven Michelin-starred or Michelin-recommended restaurants, including the iconic three-star Michelin restaurant Single Thread. It also features many upscale resorts, such as Montage Healdsburg and The Madrona, as well as charming family-run inns and relaxing Airbnb accommodations.
“This year, we saw our highest VIP attendance to date, at $4,700 per ticket, which includes programming throughout the entire weekend,” reported Steve Dversis.
The VIP ticket includes four days of experiences, ranging from:
Day One: A Welcome Celebration at Appellation Healdsburg with featured chefs and wineries.Day Two: Multiple gourmet lunch options at famous wineries; seminars with wine educators; a concert at Rodney Strong Winery featuring guitarist Grace Bowers; and dinners at high-end wineries and restaurants, such as Aperture Cellars and Dry Creek Kitchen.Day Three: A Trade Seminar with Ray Isle, wine editor with Food & Wine Magazine, featuring sommeliers from top restaurants around the nation; the Vintners Plaza Grand Tasting from noon to 4 p.m. with 150 wineries and multiple celebrity chefs; followed by a Big Bottle Party at The Matheson.Day Four: A Wine-Down Pool Party at Appellation Healdsburg and a Pizza & Pinot Party at Copain Wines.
Grace Bowers in Concert at Rodney Strong Winery
Marc Fiorito – Gamma Nine Photography
I spoke with Scott and Chris Wells from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, who had purchased the VIP ticket.
“This is our first time to visit the Healdsburg Food and Wine Experience. Chris loves to cook and we both love wine, so we decided to attend. It was definitely worth the trip. We are having a wonderful time and will be back again,” said Scott Wells.
Kristen Green, PR Director for the festival, reported that the Grand Tasting event alone “grew from 2,400 to 2,500 guests.” At $275 per person, she believes it “remains one of the strongest values among major food and wine festivals,” due primarily to the high-end restaurants, chefs, and winemakers that share their masterpieces with attendees.
It also attracts a younger crowd. “Approximately 49% of attendees are between the ages of 25 to 54,” reported Kristen.
After the festival, I reached out to several of the winery sponsors via email to determine if they believed the festival to be a worthwhile event to support. In every case, the response was positive.
“Healdsburg, deep in the heart of Sonoma County, is a hub of great wine, food, culture, and diversity. This annual festival is a celebration of local agriculture and supporting the makers in this unique community,” reported Christopher O’Gorman, VP of Sales with Rodney Strong Vineyards.
Jackson Family Wines, one of the largest wine corporations in Sonoma County and home of the famous Kendall-Jackson brand, was also a big supporter. They sent ‘Vinny’ their life-size dancing KJ wine bottle to the Grand Tasting to interact with visitors. Vinny was mobbed by attendees wanting to take a photo with him/her.
Kendal Webber, Kendall-Jackson’s SVP of Marketing, shared, “The Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience is the kind of event we love being part of—it puts the spotlight on the makers, the growers, and the chefs who bring this region to life. At Kendall-Jackson, that connection to the land and the people who care for it is everything, and there’s no better place to celebrate that than right here in Sonoma County.”
Foley Family Wines & Spirits, which donated $25,000 to the festival’s Healdsburg FFA Scholarship Fund to cultivate the next generation of leaders in agriculture, was also very supportive.
“The Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience celebrates not just incredible food and wine, but the people and agricultural roots that make this region and community so extraordinary. As local businesses, Chalk Hill Estate Winery and Ferrari-Carano Vineyards are proud to be sponsors,” said Alexandra O’Gorman, VP Community Relations, Foley Family Wines & Spirits (FFWS).
Chefs Preparing Food at the Healdsburg Food & Wine Experience
Marc Fiorito – Gamma Nine PhotographyWhat’s Next for the 2027 Healdsburg Food & Wine Festival?
I asked Steve Dversis what they had in store for the 2027 festival, scheduled for May 20 to 23, and he shared: “While planning is still underway, we are exploring several new concepts. These include an Asian Night Market featuring multiple chefs representing a range of Asian cuisines, as well as a ‘Women Serving Women’ dinner highlighting all-female chefs and designed for female guests and couples.”
Chef Grilling Oysters at the Healdsburg Food & Wine Experience
Marc Fiorito – Gamma Nine Photography
Dining and Cooking