Dinners on a Frozen River and 11 Other Unique Culinary Festivals in Canada

With a wealth of seasonal ingredients sourced from land and sea, what better way than a culinary-themed festival to turn it all into a party? These 12 festivals, spread across the year, 10 provinces, and two territories, spotlight those who grow, forage, and harvest, as well as chefs, brewers, winemakers, and distillers from across the spectrum of Canadian foodways. Consider planning a trip around one (or more!) of these standout celebrations.

RAW:almond (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

January 23–February 16, 2025 (2026 dates to be named)

Deer + Almond chef Mandel Hitzer and RAW:Gallery of Architecture and Design founding director Joe Kalturnyk blend dining and design for this innovative three-week festival. Founded in 2013, RAW:almond brings international and local chefs together for tasting-menu dinners at temporary structures built each year where the frozen Red and Assiniboine rivers meet in downtown Winnipeg.

Montréal en Lumière (Montreal, Quebec)

February 27–March 9, 2025 (February 15–March 15, 2026)

This lively winter fête tempts locals and visitors alike out of hibernation with events held throughout the city, celebrating an annual theme (2025 honors women in the culinary world). Around 60 restaurants — including marquee names like Le Boulevardier, Monarque, and Joe Beef — collaborate with high-profile global chefs to offer special Montréal en Lumière festival menus inspired by the annual theme. Pop-up restaurants, food trucks, and live music warm up the outdoors at Place des Festivals, and (new this year) the Village Gourmand hosts 30 chef demonstrations.

Yukon Beer Festival (Whitehorse, Yukon)

March 1, 2025 (2026 dates to be named)

Brewing enthusiasts gather to taste small-batch, craft, and artisanal beers sourced from brewers from Whitehorse and across the continent. Amid the sipping of ales, lagers, porters, and pilsners, the Yukon Beer Festival’s Connoisseur Hour allows for learning about and savoring a new fave pint. Bonus: Yukon’s annual Rendezvous Festival, celebrating winter traditions, kicks off just a few weeks before.

Top of the Hops: Grapes & Grains (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)

April 25–26, 2025 (2026 dates to be named)

Saskatoon’s largest beer, wine, and spirits event, Top of the Hops draws more than 200 providers from across Canada’s prairieland for two days of nonstop sipping. Consider checking out new options from Paddock Wood Brewing Co., one of the first microbreweries of Saskatoon; trying some small-batch mead made in Moose Jaw by Prairie Bee Meadery; or attending the Winemakers Dinner a few weeks later, pairing global wines with a tasting menu by prairie chefs.

The Shediac Lobster Festival (Shediac, New Brunswick)

July 5–13, 2025

Lobster lovers, unite! In 2024, more than 2,000 pounds of lobster were consumed by 40,000 Shediac Lobster Festival attendees, all in celebration of this much-loved crustacean. For the past 75 years, this summer tradition has welcomed seafood fans and noted chefs from around the world, and has hosted musical performances, culinary stage demos, a lobster roll challenge, and La Grande Table lobster dinner.

Northwest Territories Culinary Festival (Yellowknife)

July 24–27, 2025

Spotlighting the food culture of Yellowknife’s producers, chefs, fishers, and growers, this celebration offers myriad tasting possibilities. Previous Northwest Territories Culinary Festivals have included medicine walks demonstrating how to be a respectful harvester and make natural remedies, tastings of global cuisines found in Yellowknife, and a Local Fusion collaborative dinner celebrating Indigenous cuisine.

TD JerkFest Toronto (Ontario)

August 8–10, 2025

The longest running celebration of jerk outside of Jamaica, JerkFest is a multiday summer celebration that brings Caribbean vibes to Toronto’s Centennial Park. DJs and emcees spin hip-hop and soca music to set the mood for tasting slow-cooked meat, fish, and vegetables, while local chefs show off during cooking demonstrations and vendors lure with Caribbean arts and crafts.

Brewery & The Beast (Calgary, Alberta; Vancouver and Vancouver Island, British Columbia)

Calgary: August 24, 2025; Vancouver Island: September 21, 2025; Vancouver: 2025 dates to be announced)

This trio of meat-forward festivals showcases responsibly, ethically, and sustainably sourced meat from farms and ranches in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. At Brewery & The Beast, hearty dishes from well-known restaurants are on offer with a healthy side of small-batch beer, wine, cider, cocktails, hard seltzers, nonalcoholic pours, and live music.

Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival (Charlottetown)

September 18–21, 2025

Combining East Coast folk music, culinary stars, and abundant shellfish, Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival includes chowder competitions, international and junior chef challenges, celebrity chefs, and palate-pleasing options at the Shellfish Pavilion — think lobster rolls, steamed mussels, and fresh-shucked oysters. The four-day festival’s hallmark event, Feast & Frolic, includes a lavish three-course meal and stations selling lobster, mussels, crab, oysters, and seafood chowder.

Roots, Rants and Roars (Elliston, Newfoundland and Labrador)

September 19–20, 2025

Since 2009, food lovers have gathered in this Bonavista Peninsula fishing village to honor food, land, sea, and music at Roots, Rants and Roars. There are three key events: The Hike, walking the coastline while sampling local culinary creations and Newfoundland-brewed beer; The Feast, an eight-course dinner served under tents in the open air; and Cod Wars, where Newfoundland chefs compete to create the ultimate dish made with the province’s beloved cod.

Devour! The Food Film Fest (Wolfville, Nova Scotia)

October 20–26, 2025

Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the largest food film festival in the world offers a stimulating pairing of movies and food in a weeklong gathering of filmmakers and chefs that includes screenings, workshops, and special events like farm tours, street-food celebrations, and themed meals, culminating in The Great Devour! Cajun Chicken Community Supper. Past festivals have included notable chefs such as Jacques Pépin, Lidia Bastianich, Dominique Crenn, and Michael Smith.

Whistler Cornucopia (Whistler, British Columbia)

November 6–16, 2025

Chefs, sommeliers, and food lovers gather to feast, sip, and revel in the flavors and tastes inspired by British Columbia’s bounty from sea and land. From wine seminars to cooking demonstrations, Cornucopia’s 70-plus events include one-night-only winemaker dinners at area restaurants and the CRUSH Grand Tasting — the festival’s flagship event — which spotlights more than 50 exceptional winemakers from the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

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