Tickets are now on sale for the 19th annual Wine Spectator’s Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, the four-day chef-and-wine blowout returning Dec. 10 to 13 with 24 events spanning Palm Beach County.
The lineup includes seated dinners that sell out quickly, walk-around tastings, cooking classes, brunches, poolside parties and the festival’s marquee Grand Tasting, which I attended last year and found worth the ticket price for anyone serious about tasting widely without committing to one restaurant or wine style.
This year also brings one of my personal must-see chefs, Raleigh-based Ashley Christensen, to the festival’s opening-weekend party lineup.
Opening night’s lineup
The festival opens Dec. 10, with returning events at Buccan, Stage Kitchen & Bar, Florie’s and Oceano.
Highlights include The First Bite with chef Clay Conley, Spice with chef Pushkar Marathe, dinner at Florie’s with Mauro Colagreco and a walk-around tasting at Oceano, the USA Today best Restaurants of the Year 2026 winner hosted by chef-owners Jeremy and Cindy Bearman.
A party worth watching
One of the festival’s more tempting recommendations is the Festival Kick-Off Party, set for Dec. 11, poolside at The Belgrove Resort & Spa. The party celebrates the 60th anniversary of Robert Mondavi Winery with dishes, wine, cocktails and music.
The all-star chef lineup reads like a James Beard Awards roster and includes Timon Balloo, Ashley Christensen, the Forgione family, Ken Oringer, Damaris Phillips, Giorgio Rapicavoli and host chef Ron Pietruszka. Tickets are $175 per person.
Why the Grand Tasting is the big draw
The festival closes Dec. 13, with the 19th annual Grand Tasting at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. The event brings together more than 50 South Florida chefs and restaurants, more than 100 wines rated 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator, craft spirits and the Grand Chef Throwdown.
Last year’s Grand Tasting made a strong case for the splurge. The 2025 event drew chefs, vintners and food lovers for a walk-around afternoon of gourmet bites and world-class wines, with guests roaming the convention center aisles for what one attendee called “a four-hour trip around the world.”
Tickets for this year’s Grand Tasting are $179 per person, increasing to $229 after Nov. 13. Garage parking is not included and if you’re going to indulge, consider car service.
In between, new events join festival favorites
This year’s festival adds several debut events, including Cooking with Mauro, a hands-on class with chef Mauro Colagreco at Florie’s at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach; Arthur & Sons’ Disco Brunch; and Maneet’s Bollywood Experience at Ela Curry & Cocktails.
Also new is the two-day Brennan’s Pop-Up at Pistache, celebrating the legendary New Orleans restaurant’s 80th anniversary. Hosted by Ralph Brennan, the brunch collaboration pairs Brennan’s chef Kris Padalino with Pistache chef Benoit Delos.
How to buy tickets
Ticket packages include “Pick 4, Save 15%,” “Pick 3” for 10% savings and “The Palm Beach Hopper,” which includes a free Grand Tasting ticket with the purchase of two discounted signature events. Tickets and event details are available at PBFoodWineFest.com.
The festival will again donate a portion of proceeds to the Els for Autism Foundation, marking its fourth year supporting the nonprofit's work with individuals on the autism spectrum and their families.
“Every year, we challenge ourselves to make the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival feel new without losing what makes it uniquely Palm Beach. Our partnership with Wine Spectator helps us raise the bar on the wine experience, but at its heart, this festival is about bringing great people together around great food, great wine and the place we’re lucky enough to call home,” said PR guru David Sabin, the Festival's director.
Diana Biederman is the Palm Beach Post's food & restaurant writer. Care to share news tips about the local dining scene? Please send them to dbiederman@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival unveils 2026 events lineup
