Gourmands looking to switch things up can select from the Festival’s iconic pier parties taking place at Hudson River Park’s Pier 97, including:

• A celebration of some of the Big Apple’s best bites at Elvis Duran’s Taste of New York presented by INTRINSIC Wine Co.hosted by Elvis Duran & the Z100 Morning Show, with a special appearance by Grammy Award-winner Alessia Cara (Thursday, October 10)
• Indulge and vote for whose burger reigns supreme at the Blue Moon Burger Bash presented by Pat LaFrieda Meats hosted by Rachael Ray (Friday, October 11)
• The opportunity to feast on expertly grilled, smoked and slow-roasted meats prepared by more than 20 chefs at Titans of BBQ presented by National Beef and Pat LaFrieda Meats hosted by Dario Cecchini, Pat LaFrieda & Michael Symon (Saturday, October 12)
• The chance to have the ultimate Sunday Funday at Sunday Brunch with the cast of Chopped, including Ted Allen, Maneet Chauhan, Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marc Murphy + Devour Power (Sunday, October 13)

The ultimate haven for passionate fans is the Festival’s daytime centerpiece at Pier 94 – Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite featuring Culinary Demonstrations at The IKEA Kitchen presented by Capital One®. Taking place on Saturday, October 12 and Sunday, October 13, this culinary playground consists of 135,000 sq. ft. of food samplings, wine, spirits and beer tastings, interactive installations and more. Fan-favorite celebrity chefs and lifestyle personalities from Food Network, Cooking Channel and beyond will take to the stages for family-friendly Culinary Demonstrations at The IKEA Kitchen presented by Capital One®.

On Friday, October 11, NYCWFF’s signature tasting at Pier 94 opens to industry members during Beverage Media presents Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Trade Tasting hosted by Wine Spectator. Interested members of the trade can register online to attend any of the following panels for free during this event:

• Food & Fake News: Separating Fact from Fiction presented by Ajinomoto – Moderated by Gail Simmons, with featured panelists Angie Mar and Jason Riis
• Taking the “Female” Out of the Award – Moderated by Leiti Hsu, with featured panelists Kevin Boehm, Chloe Coscarelli, Mitchell Davis, Eden Grinshpan, Emily Hyland, and Sarah Steffan
• Social Media for the Hospitality Industry: Maximize Your ROI presented by Bucket Listers – Moderated by Andy Lederman, with featured panelists Steven Bartlett, Michael Chernow and Kristen Tomlan

NYCWFF continues to offer curated events – including its newly debuted FIT & FEAST series, Oktoberfest hosted by Andrew Zimmern, Barilla’s Drag Brunch presented by ABSOLUT JUICE® hosted by Debi Mazar, Dumplings Around the World hosted by Molly Yeh, America’s Greatest Sandwich Showdown presented by Goldbelly hosted by Adam Richman and Joe Ariel, and Four Roses Bourbon’s Broadway Tastes presented by iHeartRadio Broadway hosted by Alex Brightman with special guest Randy Rainbow, and Schmaltzy Storytelling & Tasting with Jewish Food Society presented by Great Performances. 

Night-owls can pick from several events to quench their palate, including:

• A Night at José Andrés’ Mercado Little Spain (Thursday, October 10)
• Flashback Friday presented by Maker’s Mark^® hosted by Rev Run with a special appearance by Angela Yee (Friday, October 11)
• And three options on Saturday, October 12
• Rocktails presented by Maker’s 46^® hosted by Robert Irvine
• Goldbelly Sweets ‘n Beats hosted by Buddy Valastro & Joe Ariel
• Tiki Showdown presented by BACARDÍ Rums hosted by Anne Burrell

Stay up to date by following the conversation all year long on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using @NYCWFF/#NYCWFF.