Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival 2026: A Guide to the Dinners, Brunches and Parties Worth Booking
Palm Beach · Food & Wine
Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival 2026: A Guide to the Dinners, Brunches and Parties Worth Booking
Four days, 24 events and some of the biggest names in American cooking, all landing in Palm Beach just as the weather turns perfect. Here’s what to book.
December is when Palm Beach is at its best — the humidity breaks, the light softens, and the island fills back up. It is also, not by coincidence, when the town throws its biggest dinner party. Now in its 19th year, the Wine Spectator’s Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival returns December 10–13, 2026, with 24 events spread across four days: intimate chef-collaboration dinners, long lunches, poolside parties, a disco brunch, a Bollywood night, and a closing-day Grand Tasting pouring more than 100 wines rated 90 points or higher. It is the rare food festival where the setting is as much of a draw as the plate.
What sets it apart is scale in the right places. Rather than one giant tent, the festival moves through Palm Beach County’s best dining rooms, resort lawns and waterfront terraces, pairing local chefs with visiting names — Daniel Boulud, Mauro Colagreco, Stephanie Izard, Maneet Chauhan, José Garces, Michael Schwartz — for one-night-only menus you will not find again. Here is how the four days break down, and which tickets are worth moving fast on.
The rare food festival where the setting is as much of a draw as the plate.
Thursday: an opening night of seated dinners
The festival opens with four 7 p.m. events, three of them multi-course dinners. The First Bite at Buccan is the hottest ticket of the night: chef Clay Conley hosts James London, Dean Neff and Jonathon Sawyer for a five-course, family-style dinner built around bold, coastal flavors — part feast, part reunion of old friends. At Stage Kitchen & Bar, Spice brings together chef Pushkar Marathe with Nina Compton, Tristen Epps-Long and Diego Oka, each cooking a course rooted in their own heritage.
For the most polished room of the evening, Dinner at Florie’s sets a five-course menu against the ocean at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, with Mauro Colagreco — the chef behind France’s celebrated Mirazur — joining the resort’s kitchen. If you would rather roam than sit, PBFWF at Oceano is a sunset walk-around tasting with José Garces, Mason Hereford, Mike Lata and Michael Schwartz.
Friday: long lunches and the big kick-off
Friday starts slow and ends late. Two seated lunches lead the day — Lunch With Friends at Meat Market, where Napa winemaker Chris Carpenter pours alongside chefs Sean Brasel, Crista Luedtke and Alex Seidel, and an Italian-leaning four courses at Café Chardonnay with Ben Ford, Karen Akunowicz and winemaker Greg Brewer. Wine lovers should look hard at HMF Social at The Breakers: HMF is one of only three venues in the country to have won Wine Spectator’s Grand Award every year since it was created, and the afternoon pairs high tea-inspired bites with Champagne Pol Roger.
By evening the festival shifts into party mode. The Festival Kick-Off Party takes over the pool at The Belgrove Resort & Spa, celebrating Robert Mondavi Winery’s 60th anniversary with bites from Ashley Christensen, Ken Oringer, Damaris Phillips, Giorgio Rapicavoli and others. Across the water, An Evening With David Burke & Friends fills SeaHawk Prime’s marina-front terrace with Michelle Bernstein, Stephanie Izard, Tiffani Faison and more.
What’s new this year
Four events make their debut in 2026, and they are the ones most likely to go quickly.
NewCooking With Mauro
A private, hands-on class in the kitchen at Florie’s with Mauro Colagreco, built around Mediterranean technique and South Florida’s seasonal produce — ending with the meal you cooked, served alfresco with wine.
NewArthur & Sons’ Disco Brunch
Sequins encouraged. Chef Joe Isidori hosts Franklin Becker, Giorgio Rapicavoli and Michael Schwartz for a brunch with a disco soundtrack and free-flowing cocktails — easily Saturday’s liveliest table.
NewBrennan’s Pop-Up at Pistache
New Orleans’ storied Brennan’s turns 80, and Ralph Brennan is bringing its Creole brunch to Pistache French Bistro on both Saturday and Sunday, with Brennan’s chef Kris Padalino cooking alongside Pistache’s Benoit Delos.
NewManeet’s Bollywood Experience
Chef Maneet Chauhan joins Pushkar Marathe at Ela Curry & Cocktails for an evening of aromatic curries, fresh breads, music and dance, paired with wines from Revana Winery.
Saturday: classes, brunches and three big nights out
Saturday is the fullest day on the calendar. Families should note Kids Kitchen at Four Seasons, a hands-on class for ages 8–14 led by Lindsay Autry or Karen Akunowicz, with each young cook going home with their dish, an apron and a chef’s hat. Serious wine drinkers will want Master Taste, a guided session with Master Sommelier Virginia Philip and Chris Carpenter comparing Cabernet Shiraz blends from around the world. And Brunch at Coolinary pairs four courses from Stephanie Izard and Damaris Phillips with Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte.
The afternoon and evening belong to the walk-arounds. Par-Tee at The Park returns to West Palm Beach with a deep chef roster; Bubbles & Bites sets up poolside under the palms at PGA National Resort; and A Night at The Ben brings chef-crafted bites and open-air dining to the waterfront lawn of The Ben, Autograph Collection.
Sunday: Daniel & Friends and the Grand Tasting
The festival saves two of its best for last. Daniel & Friends, now in its 15th year, is the event regulars plan around: a brunch walk-around in the garden courtyard of Café Boulud, hosted by Daniel Boulud with guests including the Forgione family, Mauro Colagreco and Robert Irvine. It is as close to a Palm Beach institution as the festival has.
Then comes the Grand Tasting at the Palm Beach County Convention Center — more than 50 of South Florida’s top chefs and restaurants, more than 100 wines rated 90+ by Wine Spectator, craft spirits, and the Grand Chef Throwdown, where four local chefs compete for a $10,000 prize for a local charity in front of judges Maneet Chauhan, Tiffani Faison and Robert Irvine. If you only go to one event, this is the broadest taste of the region.
How to do the festival smartly
A few things worth knowing before you buy. Tickets are sold per event, from $50 for Kids Kitchen to $350 for The First Bite, but the bundles are where the value is: Pick 3 saves 10%, Pick 4 saves 15%, and the Palm Beach Hopper throws in a free Grand Tasting ticket when you buy two signature events — and because every ticket is individual, you can split a bundle with friends. Grand Tasting tickets are $179 through November 13 and $229 after, and garage parking at the convention center is not included.
A portion of proceeds supports the Els for Autism Foundation for the fourth year. And because events are spread from Palm Beach island to West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens, it pays to book a hotel central to the nights you care about most — and to plan rides rather than drive between tastings.
Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival — At a Glance
- Dates
- Thursday–Sunday, December 10–13, 2026
- Edition
- 19th annual
- Events
- 24, including 4 new for 2026
- Where
- Venues across Palm Beach County; Grand Tasting at the Palm Beach County Convention Center
- Tickets
- $50–$350 per event; Pick 3, Pick 4 and Palm Beach Hopper bundles
- Don’t miss
- The First Bite, Daniel & Friends, the Grand Tasting
- Benefits
- Els for Autism Foundation
Plan Your Festival Trip
Tickets are sold per event, with bundles that save up to 15%. Pick your dinners and tastings first, then book a hotel close to the nights you care about most.
Get Festival TicketsFrequently Asked Questions
When is the 2026 Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival?
The 19th annual Wine Spectator’s Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival takes place Thursday through Sunday, December 10–13, 2026, with 24 events spread across four days in Palm Beach and throughout Palm Beach County.
Where are the festival events held?
Events take place at restaurants, resorts and venues across Palm Beach County, including Café Boulud, Buccan, HMF at The Breakers, Florie’s at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, The Belgrove Resort & Spa, PGA National Resort, The Ben in West Palm Beach and the Palm Beach County Convention Center, home of the Sunday Grand Tasting.
How much do Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival tickets cost?
Ticket prices range from $50 for the Kids Kitchen cooking class to $350 for The First Bite opening-night dinner. The Grand Tasting is $179 through November 13 and $229 after. Bundles include Pick 3 (save 10%), Pick 4 (save 15%) and the Palm Beach Hopper, which adds a free Grand Tasting ticket when you buy two signature events.
What is new at the festival in 2026?
Four events debut in 2026: a hands-on cooking class with chef Mauro Colagreco at Florie’s, a Disco Brunch at Arthur & Sons, a two-day brunch pop-up celebrating 80 years of New Orleans’ Brennan’s at Pistache French Bistro, and Maneet’s Bollywood Experience with chef Maneet Chauhan at Ela Curry & Cocktails.
What is the Grand Tasting?
The Grand Tasting is the festival’s closing-day marquee event at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, bringing together more than 50 South Florida chefs and restaurants with more than 100 wines rated 90+ by Wine Spectator, plus craft spirits and the Grand Chef Throwdown, where four local chefs compete for a $10,000 prize benefiting a local charity. Garage parking is not included with admission.
Is there anything for kids at the festival?
Yes. Kids Kitchen, held at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, is a hands-on 60-minute cooking class for children ages 8–14, with two sessions led by chefs Lindsay Autry and Karen Akunowicz. Each child leaves with their dish plus a chef’s apron and hat, and one parent or guardian may observe.
This article may contain sponsored or partner content and affiliate links; see our Editorial Policy & Advertiser Disclosure. Event details, chefs and prices are subject to change; confirm with the festival before booking.
