Vancouver
#1 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
Attendance at VanWineFest grew to more than 25,000 in 2014, as oenophiles sipped and sniffed their way around 1,750 wines from 177 wineries in 14 countries. The event, a fund-raiser for Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, will feature Australia as the theme country in 2015 and Syrah as the grape of global focus. Next: February 20-March 2, 2015
Toronto
#3 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
The three-day epicurean festival at the Direct Energy Centre features gourmet fare, natural foods, exotic ingredients, and expert speakers. The festival inaugurated a V.I.P. night in 2014, which included entertainment and a gift bag. The city’s best food trucks were also on hand again to serve samples. Next: April 10-12, 2015
Toronto
#4 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
Celebrating 20 years, the event expects attendance to grow to almost 50,000 in 2014. More than 1,800 fine wines, beers, and spirits will be on tap at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre as the Food Network Chef Stage returns for live demos with Lynn Crawford, among others. Next: November 20-23, 2014
Montreal
#5 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
For the fifth annual urban sugar shack festival, the event invited its five previous chefs to create contemporary menus based on traditional Québécois staples at the waterside restaurant Les Éclusiers par Apollo. New this year: happy hour on the patio with DJs and dancing. Next: March-April, 2015
Toronto
#6 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
Some 600 leading chefs, sommeliers, restaurateurs, food writers, and marketers attended the symposium in 2014, where the third annual GE Monogram Terroir Awards for Excellence in Hospitality were handed out. Next: May 2015
St. Catharines
#7 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event (up from #8)
The signature event for southern Ontario’s wine industry, which marked its 63rd edition in 2014, took a page from the urban foodie movement by introducing a harvest-oriented food focus and inviting notable local chefs to demonstrate their skills. “Celebrating 200 Years of Peace,” a reference to the conclusion of the locally fought war of 1812, was the theme for the ever-popular Meridian Grande Parade, which draws about 100,000 people a year. Adding some 60,000 festivalgoers expected to gather in Montebello Park for concerts and other festivities to the 40,000 people expected to visit the 24 participating local wineries on bike, by bus, or in cars, and the event’s total attendance was projected to be near 200,000. Sponsors for 2014 included Brock University, Meridian Credit Union, and the Fallsview Casino Resort in nearby Niagara Falls. Next: September 12-27, 2015
Charlottetown
#8 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event (up from #9)
An increase in crowd size—as many as 7,000 visitors—spurred organizers to erect a bigger tent for the 2014 festivities, which were sponsored by the Canadian Automobile Association and Mott’s Clamato. High-profile chefs and oyster shuckers from around the world compete for $24,000 in prize money, and seafood fans eat to the tune of local Celtic music. Next: September 2015
National
#9 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
The Gold Medal Plates culinary competitions now occur in 13 cities, but Ottawa always hosts a standout affair. Attendees to the Deloitte-sponsored event include foodie politicians and other capital region heavyweights who watch the contest and enjoy the fine fare in support of the Canadian Olympic Foundation. Next: November 17, 2014, Ottawa
Kamloops
#10 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event (new to the list)
More than 120 wineries participate in the annual grape harvest festival that includes more than 100 activities throughout the Okanagan Valley. Sponsors include Valley First Credit Union, WestJet, and Starbucks. Next: October 3-13, 2014
