Traverse City Tourism announced that ticket sales for the Traverse City Food & Wine Festival, taking place in late summer, start at noon on May 20. Returning for a second year, the festival includes a lineup of culinary and wine events with chefs and culinary notables taking place in and around Traverse City from Aug. 19-23.
This year, organizers say the event, with its lineup of talented and award-winning Michigan chefs, celebrity chefs, wineries and authors, promises to be more expansive. Events include tours of some of the area’s wineries, chef demonstrations and dinners, writer and author workshops and more.
In its 2025 inaugural year, the festival paid tribute to the state’s agricultural diversity, drew guests from 34 states, Traverse City Tourism said, to the more than 80 wine and culinary events, many of which sold out.
“The unparalleled variety of freshly grown and harvested fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins gives the Traverse City area a unique agricultural story to tell, and our region’s wines and craft beverages are making waves in the industry,” said Whitney Waara, Chief Operating Officer of Traverse City Tourism, in a news release. “The first year of the event was a resounding success, and we’ve seen that chefs, tastemakers, growers, and all the participants are enthusiastic about returning.”
While there are events over the five days, the main event is the Aug. 22 grand tasting at Open Space Park on the banks of Grand Traverse Bay. Attendees will enjoy an afternoon from 1-4 p.m of bites and sips inspired by and showcasing tastemakers, renowned chefs and wines from the region’s vast fields, orchards and waters.
New for 2026 is wine and spirits available by the glass with extra token purchases. Cooking demonstrations, culinary conversations and wine tips from notable sommeliers take place throughout the afternoon on the main stage, hosted by Amy Smart and Carter Oosterhouse.
Throughout the week, there will be fine dining dinner events with celebrity chef Aarti Sequeira, plus an array of Michigan’s lauded chefs Abra Berens, Omar Anani, and Ji Hye Kim.
Another highlight of the festival is the screening of the James Beard Award-winning documentary Coldwater Kitchen with dinner on Aug. 22 at the City Opera House. The evening features a conversation with the film’s featured chefs and director. Coldwater Kitchen is a documentary by former Detroit Free Press restaurant critic Mark Kurlyandchik that follows participants in a culinary training program inside the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, Michigan.
A national writers series workshop event will feature Ruth Reichl, an acclaimed and James Beard Award winning voice considered an icon in the culinary industry. Reichl is an author and former New York Times restaurant critic and editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. She will be joined in conversation about her life of food writing with the founding editor of Taste, Matthew Rodbard.
Numerous national, Traverse City and metro Detroit notable chefs are headlining events, demonstrations and special dinners throughout the event.
Traverse City chefs featured this year:
Michigan chefs featured:
National culinary talent lineup includes:
The festival promises a menu of events, whether you’re a wine enthusiast or enjoy all things culinary, from cooking to tastings to writing.
Tickets are available at traversecityfoodandwine.com and range in price per event. VIP ticket packages are available for the grand tasting as well as general admission.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Traverse City Food & Wine Festival returns, tickets go on sale May 20
Reporting by Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
