NEW YORK—From cooking classes and food bazaars to brunches and themed dinners, the 12th edition of the Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One brought more than 80 culinary events to the city. The annual festival, which ran October 10 to 13, switched up multiple event layouts, particularly with the use of Hudson River Park’s Pier 97 as a new venue for signature events. Festival sponsors also brought new and reworked activations designed to interact with attendees.
Sponsors including Toyota, Capital One, and Modelo engaged guests through activations inspired by New York, while other brands such as Dunkin’ and Confetti wines found eye-catching ways to promote new products. As usual, the festival drew guests with appearances from Food Network stars and notable chefs and restaurateurs such as Rachael Ray, Alex Guarnaschelli, Rick Bayless, and Anne Burrell. The festival, which raises money for No Kid Hungry and Food Bank For New York City, draws an average of 50,000 attendees each year.
Scroll down to see the most exciting ideas from festival events and sponsor activations.
Elvis Duran’s Taste of New York
New to the festival this year was a kickoff event featuring radio personality Elvis Duran, which took place at Hudson River Park’s Pier 97. The new festival venue's setup consisted of a white tent on the pier, which held a stage, vendors, and some sponsor lounges, while other vendors, activations, and a DJ booth were located outside. The venue also hosted the Blue Moon Burger Bash, Titans of BBQ, and Sunday Brunch.
Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Elvis Duran’s kickoff event featured a lounge with Pop Art-style art inspired by food and an illustration of the New York skyline.
Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for NYCWFF
At Pier 97 events, attendees were given recyclable "tossware" with illustrations of New York.
Photo: indy Ord/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Capital One Test Your Tastes
At Pier 97 events during the festival, presenting sponsor Capital One had a blind taste test activation that put cardholders in the spotlight. The booth also had a candy wall where guests could grab colorful candies and guess the flavor at an iPad station. IMG Live produced Capital One’s festival activations.
Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Capital One Food Photo Booths
Capital One's space included mini photo booths specifically for food and drinks at Pier 97. The illuminated booths encouraged guests to share their photos on Instagram.
Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Grand Tasting
The festival’s massive food, wine, and spirits bazaar, presented by ShopRite, took over 130,000 square feet at Pier 94 on Saturday and Sunday. Events at the Ikea Kitchen presented by Capital One included Whoopi Goldberg in conversation with Stacy London.
Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for NYCWFF
The festival commissioned illustrator Virginia Allyn to create a mural for the Grand Tasting. Allyn also created two other pieces for different events.
Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Capital One Kitchen
At the Grand Tasting, which housed a majority of sponsor activations, Capital One invited cardholders to participate in kitchen classes and relax in a lounge space. Passersby also could tell brand ambassadors their favorite foods, which were then illustrated on a chalkboard.
Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images for NYCWFF
The activation had an interactive New York map, where attendees could place flags on neighborhoods with their favorite eats and restaurants.
Photo: Ian Zelaya/BizBash
Toyota’s Travel Eat Repeat Activation
Toyota has brought its culinary- and travel-theme activation to wine and food festivals across the country, and the design of its latest iteration was inspired by chef Maneet Chauhan’s Nashville restaurant Chauhan Ale & Masala House, which opened earlier this year. A colorful, Moroccan-inspired photo booth incorporated branding in baskets and pillows. Nashville-based experiential agency Reach produced and designed the space.
Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images for NYCWFF
The activation offered attendees screen-printed tote bags with their choice of two New York-theme illustrations.
Photo: John B. Wylie
Angry Orchard Lounge
Angry Orchard served guests hard cider from a fall neighborhood-theme space, which featured a treehouse and swing in the brand’s red and brown color scheme. The brand partnered with Craftsmen Industries to produce the space.
Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Modelo Subway Station
Modelo’s New York subway-theme space invited guests to pose with a giant, branded metro card.
Photo: Ian Zelaya/BizBash
Dunkin’s Living Wall
A festival sponsor for the second year in a row, Dunkin’ served guests samples of cold brew and the brand’s Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich at the Grand Tasting. The plant-based sandwich inspired the booth’s living wall and topiary. The booth was produced and designed by Dunkin’s agency of record, RF/Binder Partners, and decor was provided by B Floral.
Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Confetti Video Booth
Palm Bay International’s new line of Confetti wines from Italy invited guests to pose in a confetti-filled 360-degree video booth. The design and video element was created by OrcaVue.
Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images for NYCWFF
American Airlines’ Transport Your Senses Space
American Airlines’ activation highlighted destinations including China and Italy. Guests could enjoy bites and beverages at table settings inspired by both countries. The booth was produced by Geometry Global.
Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Guests could also share their food travel tips on a luggage tag-shaped note and hang on a wall.
Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Food Network Booth
Food Network promoted its new app, Food Network Kitchen, at the company’s Grand Tasting booth designed by Chad Hudson Events. Brand ambassadors encouraged attendees to download the app, which offers more than 800 on-demand cooking classes and around 25 live classes a week from chefs and personalities such as Giada De Laurentiis, Martha Stewart, and Bobby Flay.
Photo: Robin Marchant/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Tequila Cazadores Tacos After Dark
The festival’s annual tacos and tequila event, presented by Toyota, took place October 11 at Second at Kimpton Hotel Eventi. The event featured a colorful faux flower photo wall.
Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Barilla’s Drag Brunch
Barilla’s Drag Brunch, presented by Absolut Juice, took place Saturday at Highline Stages. Local drag artists including Jasmine Kennedy performed numbers in front of a branded hot pink backdrop, complete with giant eyelashes.
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Guests could try on wigs and write messages at a mirror selfie booth.
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for NYCWFF
‘Chopped’ Sunday Brunch
The festival’s brunch event at Pier 97 featured the cast of Chopped. Guests could pose with the cast in a space inspired by the judging panel on the reality cooking competition series.
Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for NYCWFF
The brunch served samples from local vendors including Harlem Shake, which offered shrimp and grits.
Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images for NYCWFF
The Maker’s Market
Whiskey brand Maker’s Mark, a festival sponsor, hosted a separate event at Essex Market on the Lower East Side on October 10. The ticketed event served guests three craft cocktails from local bartenders and raised money for sustainable apparel and accessories company United by Blue. Geometry Global produced the event.
Photo: Jon Simon
The event included a live graffiti mural of the venue in Maker’s Mark colors, created by Klughaus.
Photo: Jon Simon
