Preparing for a first time Food Festival / Gourmet Fair visit

IMG 0080

Have you ever went to a Food Festival or Food Fair? Or any specific gourmet event? No? I knew that feeling, until I visited my first Foodie Heaven, eat&style in Stuttgart. Eat&Style is the biggest food fair of this kind in Germany and as a Foodie just another reason to visit this Fair at the Stuttgart Fairground. I already wrote about eat&style in this Article, but here I want to give you some tips on preparing for a Food Festival / Fair, if you are visiting for the first time.

Before visiting a Food Festival / Gourmet Fair

  • Don’t eat – It might sound obvious but you shouldn’t eat straight before visiting a Food Fair if you have plans to eat there. But what I can recommend, as silly as it sounds, is to drink a lot the Day before so your stomach is a little wider and more food will fit in the other day. Or, just do everything as normal. 
  • Research the Event and MerchantsEvery Food Festival or Gourmet Fair is different but the focus of most Food Events is/should be on trying different foods in short distance. Especially if you are visiting a bigger event with lots of stalls and merchants and restaurants and … you should not hesitate in doing some research ahead. Do you want to try only Vegan Food or are looking for gluten-free options, or the best meat supplier, most websites will answer you that.
  • Favorites to be efficient – This might not fit everyone’s idea of visiting a Fair, but I really like to have a plan for a Trip/Day. What do I want to see (eat) and what do I want to visit (eat) and what (not eat). This follows the step ahead, narrowing my interest and what stalls I want to visit and where I want to spend my time. 
  • Charge your Batteries – this goes for every Trip I take, making sure all my batteries are charged and my extra battery pack is charged as well.
  • Bring small money and coins with you – In Stuttgart, where I visited eat&Style, its usual to pay in cash, so make sure you bring enough small money, coins and 5,10,20 € notes, with you. The smaller coins (1€) will also fit in lockers if you need to use one if your bags are just getting too heavy from all your shopping. 

At a Food Festival / Gourmet Fair

  • Crowded does not always mean = good food – Don’t always trust the biggest lines and think that the food will be good at the other end of the queue. Remember that it’s probably everyone’s first time at the Event and they are trying everything, just like you. So rather go to the other end first, where the people already have their food and don’t hesitate to ask if it’s good or not. 
  • Be patient – Being patient is quite important if you are visiting a Food Festival / Gourmet Fair as Food is something emotional and if something is not going right humans emotions can escalate quickly. So, if you have to wait extra long for something it’s not always the fault of someone, just remember that (mostly) the Food is prepared very fresh and later you will enjoy it even more if you stay calm and relaxed.
  • Plan lots of time – This goes with the earlier mentioned patient. Sometimes, if a stall or restaurant is too crowded, as the food is very good, things need time and will take time. In total, you should already plan ahead some extra time as there is nothing worse than being at a Food Festival and having to leave early. Just imagine you have to leave before you even tried the secret tip and you will never have the chance again to try it..

Do YOU have any further Tips for Food Festival Visitors? What are your favorite Food Festivals, worldwide? Comment below!

cooking clas at a food festival stuttgart
Cooking Class at a Food Festival

About

Outdoor Lifestyle Blogger Lisa JoyDellaVita

Lisa is a Blogger for more than a decade now, sharing her adventures exploring the world on JoyDellaVita, as well as excursions into the culinary world, sustainable choices, how to live a healthy active lifestyle but overall, how to enjoy a life full of joys.