Austin Texas Best Food and Drink Festivals
Food, Wine, Spirits and Beer Festivals listed also include surrounding areas that host signature events.
Austin Wine Fest
January
Carnaval Brasileiro
February
Salado Texas Pizza Fest
March
SXSW
March
BBQ Austin
March
The Bloody Mary Festival
March
Austin Reggae Festival
April
Texas Whiskey Festival
April
The Texas Food Truck Showdown Waco
April
The Bloody Mary Festival
April
Llano Crawfish Open
April
La Grange Texas Burger Bash
April
Austin Whiskey Riot
April
Pflugerville Wild West Brew Fest
April
Celina Troubadour Festival
May
Austin Greek Festival
May
Beer by the Bay Music Festival
August
Batfest
September
Austin Coffee Festival
September
Harker Heights Food, Wine & Brew Festival
September
Lone Star Crawfish Festival
September
Austin City Limits
October
Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival
October
Taste Highland Lakes
October
Fredericksburg Oktoberfest
October
Austin Food & Wine Festival
November
Texas Monthly BBQ Fest
November
East West Beer Fest
November
Texas Craft Brewers Festival
November
BBQ Fest Austin
November
Austin Offerings: A Taste and Thirst Tour Through Austin's Best Food and Drink Festivals
The vibrant city of Austin Texas is not just a music mecca, it's also a haven for foodies and beverage enthusiasts. Throughout the year, this city hosts a plethora of festivals celebrating the finest in food, wine, spirits, and beer. Let's check out a few examples.
Austin Food Festivals:​
Austin Food & Wine Festival: November
This premier culinary gathering celebrates the diverse flavors of Texas and beyond at Auditorium Shores, drawing over 3,500 food enthusiasts annually. The Austin Food & Wine Festival features more than 50 local and national chefs, alongside 40+ wine and spirit vendors serving everything from craft cocktails to rare vintage wines. Top Austin restaurants like Uchi, Franklin Barbecue, and Comedor set up tastings alongside celebrity chef demonstrations and hands-on grilling workshops. Live music performances by local Austin favorites like Bob Schneider and Tameca Jones provide the perfect backdrop for the open-air feast.
Food offerings span from traditional Texas barbecue and tacos to innovative fusion dishes and artisanal desserts created by James Beard Award-winning chefs. A highlight of the festival includes the Saturday night Rock Your Taco competition, where chefs compete to create the most innovative and delicious taco interpretations while guests sample and vote for their favorites.
BBQ Austin: November
The mouth-watering aroma of smoked brisket and ribs draws over 20,000 barbecue enthusiasts to Long Center for the Performing Arts each spring. The BBQ Austin Festival features 45 top-tier pitmasters, including acclaimed vendors like Franklin Barbecue, La Barbecue, LeRoy & Lewis, and Micklethwait Craft Meats serving up their signature smoked meats and sides. Local craft breweries, including Austin Beerworks, Independence Brewing, and Real Ale Brewing Company, offer perfectly paired beverages while live country music fills the air with performances by Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, and William Clark Green.
Beyond the traditional barbecue offerings, visitors can explore unique fusion dishes like Korean-style brisket tacos, smoked watermelon, and barbecue-stuffed kolaches. The family-friendly event includes a dedicated kids' zone with face painting and a petting zoo, while BBQ masterclasses taught by renowned pitmasters offer insights into smoking techniques and rub recipes. The festival's Pitmaster Challenge showcases competitive cooking with categories for brisket, ribs, and innovative barbecue creations, judged by a panel of industry experts and food critics.
Austin Wine Festivals:
​Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival: October
This beloved Texas Hill Country event draws over 5,000 attendees each year to celebrate local wines and culinary delights at the Marktplatz in downtown Fredericksburg. The Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival features more than 50 vendors, including notable wineries like Grape Creek Vineyards, Lost Draw Cellars, and William Chris Vineyards serving their finest Texas-made wines. Local food artisans showcase German-inspired dishes, authentic Texas barbecue, and gourmet food trucks, with Opa's Smoked Meats and Otto's German Bistro among the returning favorites. Live music fills the air throughout the day with performances by regional artists like The Walburg Boys and Texas Highway Band on the main stage.
Festival highlights include cooking demonstrations from Hill Country chefs, wine education seminars, and a special VIP tent offering exclusive wine tastings and food pairings. A dedicated craft beer garden features selections from Altstadt Brewery and other local breweries, while artisan vendors sell everything from handcrafted jewelry to locally-made jams and sauces.
Taste Highland Lakes: October
Once a small waterfront culinary celebration has grown into one of Central Texas's premier food and wine events, attracting over 3,000 visitors annually to the Kingsland Community Center. The Taste Highland Lakes Festival showcases more than 45 local vendors, including popular establishments like Cafe on the Square, Grand Central Cafe, and On the Rocks. Guests can sample an impressive selection of Texas wines from twelve Hill Country wineries, craft beers from local breweries, and signature dishes ranging from smoked brisket to gourmet food truck offerings.
Live music fills the air throughout the day with performances by local artists Austin Mayse and the Hill Country Jazz Band. The event features cooking demonstrations by regional chefs, a silent auction benefiting local charities, and an artisan marketplace with handcrafted goods. A highlight of the festival is the lakeside setting, where attendees can enjoy their culinary discoveries while watching boats cruise by on Lake LBJ.
Austin Beer Festivals:​
Pflugerville Wild West Brew Fest: April
This vibrant craft beer festival draws thousands of enthusiasts to Typhoon Texas water park in Pflugerville for a celebration of Texas brewing culture. The Pflugerville Wild West Brew Fest, hosted by the local Rotary Club for the past 12 years, features over 60 craft breweries showcasing more than 200 unique beer varieties from across the Lone Star State. Local food trucks serve up Texas barbecue, street tacos, and artisanal comfort foods to complement the extensive beer selection. Live Texas country music and rock bands provide entertainment throughout the day on multiple stages within the unique water park setting.
Certified beer judges evaluate entries in multiple categories, with awards presented to the top brewers in each division. Special features include beer education seminars, homebrew demonstrations, commemorative tasting glasses, and a VIP area offering exclusive beer selections and food pairings, all while guests enjoy the distinctive backdrop of the water park's colorful attractions.
Texas Craft Brewers Festival: November
The largest craft beer event in Texas celebrates independent breweries across the Lone Star State at Fiesta Gardens overlooking Lady Bird Lake in Austin. The Texas Craft Brewers Festival showcases over 70 breweries serving more than 200 different craft beers, including popular vendors like Austin Beerworks, Live Oak Brewing, and Real Ale Brewing Company. Festival attendees, typically numbering around 5,000 beer enthusiasts, can enjoy live music from local Austin bands on the main stage while sampling limited-edition and seasonal brews made exclusively for the event. Local food trucks line the grounds offering artisanal pizzas, gourmet tacos, and barbecue to complement the craft beer selections.
Special features include a VIP area with rare beer tastings, educational sessions with brewmasters, and a "Meet the Brewer" tent where visitors can discuss brewing techniques with experts. The festival also hosts a beer competition where breweries vie for medals in various categories, judged by industry professionals and certified beer judges.
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Austin Spirits Festivals:​
Texas Whiskey Festival: April
This popular spirits gathering in Austin continues to draw whiskey enthusiasts from across the state and beyond. The Texas Whiskey Festival, hosted at the Fair Market event space, brings together over 30 craft distilleries including Garrison Brothers, Still Austin, Balcones, and Desert Door Texas Sotol. Live music performances by local Austin bands The Derailers and Jake Penrod provide a honky-tonk backdrop while guests sample distinctive offerings from Texas whiskey makers. Food trucks like LeRoy & Lewis BBQ and Easy Tiger supply artisanal bites to complement the spirits, while master distillers lead educational sessions about grain selection, aging processes, and barrel finishing techniques.
The event typically draws over 1,000 attendees who receive commemorative tasting glasses and have access to VIP lounges featuring rare whiskey selections not available to the general public. Interactive features include a "blend-your-own-bourbon" station, barrel-charring demonstrations, and a "People's Choice Award" where attendees vote for their favorite whiskey of the festival.
Austin Whiskey Riot: April
The largest craft whiskey tasting festival in Texas welcomes spirit enthusiasts to sample over 200 premium whiskeys, bourbons, and scotches from more than 60 distilleries. Hosted at the Palmer Events Center in downtown Austin, the festival features notable distilleries including Garrison Brothers, Still Austin, Treaty Oak, and Nine Banded Whiskey. Local food trucks serve gourmet bites while DJ Atlas provides upbeat mixing throughout the event, which draws approximately 2,500 attendees. Guests receive a Glencairn crystal tasting glass and access to interactive seminars led by master distillers and industry experts covering topics from grain-to-glass processes to barrel aging techniques.
The event features a unique "Whiskey University" educational area where attendees can learn about whiskey history and production methods through hands-on demonstrations and tastings. Special features include a craft cocktail competition between local bartenders, a "Best in Show" awards ceremony judged by industry professionals, and an exclusive VIP hour offering rare and limited-edition pours.
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In the heart of Texas, these festivals offer not just a taste of the local culinary scene but also a chance to celebrate the diverse and vibrant community that makes Austin and its surrounding cities a food and drink lover's paradise.