Here’s a fun fact about Prince Edward Islanders: they love any excuse to celebrate. After all, what’s the point of living in paradise if you don’t take every opportunity to enjoy it? And one of the best ways to enjoy Canada’s Food Island is through its food, drink, hospitality, and unique culture. With that in mind, we put together our list of not-to-miss food events and festivals taking place across PEI this year. Keep reading for all the deets and then mark your calendars and pack your stretchy pants! Chef Battles – Taco Edition Watch out, there’s a battle brewing in Charlottetown. The warriors are some of the city’s top chefs and their weapons of choice are culinary creativity and a whack of kitchen skills!From May 4th to May 13th, the battle will be a-blazing as each participating chef serves up their best taco creation for hungry foodies to enjoy! The best part: You get to decide the winner of the battle. h! Get your taco pals together, sample as many as you can handle (go on, we dare you to try ‘em all), then cast your vote! With every signature item priced at less than $20, this epic culinary adventure is the stuff taco lovers’ dreams are made of! Dates: May 4 to May 13, 2023 Website: www.chefbattles.ca/ Seaside Seafood Celebration Kick off summer in Summerside, #TheCityByTheSea, with a celebration of our incredible PEI seafood paired with warm hospitality and good vibes! Local seaside flavours, live music and events will all be on tap for this weekend-long event. More details will be announced in the lead-up to this seafood extravaganza. Dates: June 23 to 25, 2023 Website: www.exploresummerside.com Summerside Lobster Carnival PEI’s most famous crustacean takes centre stage at this long-running community festival. Indeed, since 1956 the Summerside Lobster Carnival has extended a standing invitation for locals and visitors alike to join the fun and enjoy an authentic taste of Island culture. There’s something for everyone at the festival. Kids will flock to the midway, where carnival rides and games beckon. Foodies will love taking in the culinary demos, competitions, tastings, and traditional lobster supper. There’s also trivia, a classic car night, a lobster-eating competition, and a rubber ducky race. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a PEI festival without a TONNE of entertainment on the docket – from talented local musicians to circus shows, dancers, a fire show and more. Get ready for a cracking good time in Summerside! Dates: July 6th to 8th, 2023 Website: www.summersidelobstercarnival.website/ Sommo Festival Photo Credit: Sommo Festival Some of the biggest musical artists from around the world and across Canada paired with celebrity chefs and incredible food – sign us up!The brand-new Sommo Festival is going to rock Cavendish this summer with high-energy vibes, stellar music, and unforgettable culinary experiences.The roster of talent is out of this world. On the culinary stage, you can look forward to watching Nashville-based Chef Matt Moore, Top Chef Judge Gail Simmons, and local superstars Chef Adam Loo and Chef Ilona Daniel work their magic. Plus, you’ll want to bring your appetite and explore the Festival’s onsite food vendors, representing restaurants, markets, and food trucks from around the region and beyond.On the main music stage, headlining acts include Mumford & Sons, Maggie Rogers, Tegan & Sarah, and Vance Joy, local music legends such as Liam Corcoran, Andrew Waite, and a whole whack of other phenomenal talents from near and far. Summer on PEI just levelled up another big notch on the epic scale! Dates: July 14 & 15, 2023 Website: https://sommofest.com/ Tyne Valley Oyster Festival What do you get when you drop incredible musicians, the best PEI oysters, and Canada’s top shuckers into a small-but-mighty village in western PEI? Why, the Tyne Valley Oyster Festival, of course! Don’t let its small size fool you, Tyne Valley knows how to put on a party that’ll knock your rubber boots off. No, seriously, pack an extra pair of boots The Tyne Valley Oyster Festival is actually TWO big celebrations packed into one 5-day festival – the Rock the Boat MusicFest and the Canadian Oyster Shucking Championship. And really, what better pairing is there than PEI oysters and rock music?! This year’s music line-up has yet to be announced, but we can assure you it’s going to include top rock talents from across the country and the best musicians from our region! Since 1973, Tyne Valley has been the home of the Canadian Oyster Shucking Championship. Oyster shuckers from across the country converge in Western PEI to put their skills to the test on the main stage. It turns out, the musicians aren’t the only rock stars at the festival! And, of course, the biggest star of the festival remains the PEI oyster. Festival-goers can look forward to enjoying all-you-can-eat oysters, fried oysters, and/or the event’s much-beloved oyster and scallop supper. It’s an epic time on Canada’s Oyster Coast that you don’t want to miss! Dates: August 2 to 5, 2023 Website: www.tvoysterfest.ca The PEI International Shellfish Festival It’s a shell-ebration like no other when the PEI International Shellfish Festival sets up in Charlottetown for 4 days of seriously epic food, music, and competition that you don’t want to miss. While this year’s schedule has yet to be released, we have it on good authority that you can expect everything the festival has become famous for! During the day, the Festival plays host to high-calibre and high-stakes industry competitions including oyster shucking, a mussel sock-tying championship, a potato chowder competition and and the not-to-be-missed Garland Canada International Chef Showdown! At night, the lights go down and the volume goes up under the Festival’s ‘big white tent’. That means it’s time to dance the night away. Every year, Festival-goers wait with bated breath to find out who will headline the Friday and Saturday night parties! Rest assured, it’s always an incredible line-up of East Coast and Canadian talents that know how to raise the roof and bring the party! And, of course, there’s always plenty of shellfish on offer throughout the Festival, from fresh oysters to lobster grilled cheese sandwiches and plenty more. Dates: Sep 14 – Sept 17, 2023 Website: www.peishellfish.com/ Farm Day in the City It’s one of the freshest and most delicious days of the year, it’s Farm Day in the City! This beloved annual event celebrates the harvest with PEI’s largest outdoor farmers’ market and street festival of the year! Join farmers, food producers, hot food purveyors, crafters, and artisans from across Prince Edward Island for a magical day showcasing everything local! In addition to perusing the goodies from over 150 vendors, you can also look forward to live entertainment, kids’ activities, a beer garden, interactive exhibits and plenty of other fun. Plan to make an afternoon of it with the fam jam or your favourite foodie friends! Did we mention there’s no entry fee?! Date: October 1st, 2023Website: www.discovercharlottetown.com/events/farm-day-in-the-city The PEI Fall Flavours Food & Drink Festival PEI’s premiere culinary festival is celebrating its 15th anniversary and you’re invited! All sorts of exciting changes are in store this year and we just know you’re going to love everything about the 2023 edition. For starters, the Festival will be held over a concentrated two-week period in early October. This will ensure that visitors are able to take in many of the festivities during their stay. And you’ll get to enjoy the best of the Island’s fall colours too. With a wide array of larger-scale and intimate events, unique excursions, and interactive experiences, the 2023 festival will offer up something for every taste and budget.The final details of this year’s exciting festival are still coming together, but you can bet your bottom dollar that exceptional ingredients, stellar hospitality, and stick-with-you memories will be served up in abundance! Dates: Early October, stay tuned for full details on the website. Website: www.fallflavours.ca Hot Chocolate Trail There’s nothing quite like a mug of warm hot chocolate and a leisurely road trip through central PEI to get you in the festive spirit! Making its return after an incredibly popular debut in 2022, this year’s Hot Chocolate Trail is shaping up to be even sweeter. The concept is simple-yet-brilliant – pair shopping in the countryside with decadent hot chocolate beverages and, voila, you have a beloved new holiday tradition to enjoy with friends or family. This year’s edition of the Hot Chocolate Trail will see local cafes and shops in the central region of PEI offering up their signature hot chocolate creation every weekend from mid-November to mid-December. Stay tuned for more details to come! Dates: Weekends mid-November to mid-December Website: www.centralcoastlapei.com And That’s Not All… These events are just a small sampling of the incredible cornucopia of food-centric celebrations, parties, festivals, and shindigs in the works for 2023. Be sure to check out our events calendar for all the upcoming fun times taking place on Canada’s Food Island. ***************************Blog written by Shannon Courtney of ShanCo Studio Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
