Warmer weather is on the horizon, and with it, the start of food festival season. While there are plenty of food-focused events taking place in LA from now until the end of summer, sometimes it's good to get out of your comfort zone. These five food festivals may require some advance planning, but all are worth the drive.
Palm Desert Food & Wine (Apr 8-10): Head to the desert for three days of culinary and wine tastings, where you'll sample dishes from renowned chefs like Cat Cora, Valerie Gordon, Ricardo Zarate, Aarti Sequeira and more. Held in the El Paseo shopping district, the festival is a mashup of demos, luncheons and tastings, plus additional events that include a craft beer experience or grilling workshop. Tickets start at $100 and can be purchased here. 2 hour drive
Gator by the Bay (May 5-8, San Diego): If a day spent eating crawfish, po'boys and beignets is your thing, make room for Gator by the Bay in your summer schedule. The four-day festival held at Spanish Landing Park in San Diego is chock-full of live music with more than 90 acts performing on seven stages. Add that to the 10,000 pounds of crawfish trucked in from Louisiana, and you have yourself a beautiful day on the Bayou—er, bay. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased here. 2 hour drive
BBQ & Beer Festival (May 6-7, Santa Clarita): If ever there was a match made in heaven, BBQ and beer is it. The inaugural BBQ & Beer Festival in Santa Clarita is a two-day fête highlighting some of the best craft beer in the region, including Iron Triangle Brewing, Elysian Brewing, Common Cider and Firestone Walker. Pair your suds with ribs, pulled pork, brisket and more from Deaf Man's BBQ, Sunrise BBQ and others. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased here. 45 min drive
California Strawberry Festival (May 21-22, Oxnard): One of the sweetest festivals in California is back for another two days of celebrating the almighty strawberry. Held at the aptly named Strawberry Meadows, the event boasts more than 50 food booths that incorporate the fruit, from strawberry pies to strawberry pizza, strawberry popcorn to strawberry beer. Two stages of music, a pie eating contest, and arts and crafts round out the festival. Tickets start at $12 and can be purchased here. 1 hour 15 min drive
Central Coast Oyster Festival (July 9, Avila Beach): The 5th annual oyster festival might be a few months off, but it's worth it to start planning now. Tickets sell out quickly for this popular event, where oysters are furiously shucked, live music plays throughout the day and the wine flows freely. Oyster fans, proceed. Tickets start at $22 and can be purchased here. 3 hour drive