San Diego Food + Wine Festival Returns for Its 22nd Year

The San Diego Food + Wine Festival is turning 22, and it’s using the occasion to shake things up in a big way. SDFW returns for eight days, pulling in more than 11,000 food and wine lovers to celebrate everything Southern California and Baja have to offer.

This year’s the biggest shake-up in two decades: a reimagined Grand Weekend presented by Southwest Airlines, debuting Icons + Legends, brand-new “culinary districts,” and Grand Tasting and Grand Fiesta joining forces for the first time on one waterfront weekend.

Meet This Year’s Culinary All-Stars

This year’s lineup pulls talent from Food Network, Top Chef, the Michelin Guide, and the James Beard Foundation, with more than 150 gastronomic trailblazers taking part in SDFW’s Grand Weekend.

The roster spans Michelin-recognized chefs like Javier Plascencia, Carlos Gaytán, Drew Deckman, Eric Bost, and Roberto Alcocer, James Beard Award winners including Susan Bae, Jonathon Sawyer, and Maynard Llera, and familiar Food Network faces like Joe Sasto and Gale Gand.

A few standouts to keep an eye on:

• Javier Plascencia – Michelin-recognized chef and pioneer of Baja gastronomy
• Susan Bae – 2026 James Beard Award winner and North America’s Best Pastry Chef 2025
• Joe Sasto – Top Chef finalist and Food Network personality
• Suzette Gresham – chef of the two-Michelin-starred Acquerello and Antonin Carême Medal recipient

And that’s just a taste. Plenty more chefs, sommeliers, and winemakers from both sides of the border round out the lineup.

A Growing Presence From Mexico

More than 70 chefs and traditional cooks from across Mexico will showcase their regions through native ingredients, inherited traditions, and distinctive techniques.

Traditional Mexican cuisine, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, anchors the program alongside Mexican wines and spirits, live-fire cooking, artisans, and producers, making this one of the festival’s most ambitious cross-border showcases yet.

Three Signature Grand Weekend Events

The whole thing builds toward three flagship experiences. Icons + Legends kicks off the Grand Weekend at JULEP Venue with an opening-night tasting featuring award-winning chefs, wines, and spirits.

Grand Tasting, presented by Southwest Airlines, follows with the festival’s flagship event at Embarcadero Marina Park North, complete with Michelin and James Beard-recognized talent, live-fire experiences, and the crowd-favorite “Chef of the Fest” competition.

Then Grand Fiesta, also presented by Southwest Airlines, closes things out, joining Grand Tasting at the Embarcadero for the first time ever, with expanded Baja programming and the always-fun “Taco TKO” competition.

New Culinary Districts to Explore

New this year, the festival is rolling out a set of culinary districts built to get you exploring:

• Smoke + Fire – a live-fire playground where premium proteins meet open flame
• Sweet Street – a full-on destination for pastry, desserts, and coffee, hosted by Kareem “Mr. Bake” Queeman
• So San Diego – a showcase of the city’s local indie food scene and arts and culture
• South of the Border – an immersive look at the people and craftsmanship behind Baja and Mexico
• Street Feast: Asian Market – inspired by Asian night markets
• Street Feast: Mercado – a marketplace of emerging Mexican brands and street food

800+ Wines, Spirits, and a Growing Food Rescue Program

Beyond the food, waterfront wine pavilions will pour more than 800 wines and spirits, featuring rare pours, standout vintages, and new discoveries from celebrated regions across Napa Valley, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Baja, Spain, France, and beyond, plus a lineup of rare whiskeys, tequila, and mezcal to explore.

On the giving-back side, SDFW is expanding its food recovery program this year in partnership with Rethink Food and the San Diego Food Bank, working to redirect surplus food from the festival to San Diegans facing food insecurity.

Beyond the Weekend: Exclusive Dinners and Experiences

The Grand Weekend is just part of the story. Leading up to it, a run of standalone dinners and experiences rounds out the week:

• Día de los Muertos at Grand Del Mar – an exclusive gala honoring Chef José Andrés, with proceeds benefiting Fundación Tijuana Sin Hambre
• Romesco Mexiterranean Bistro 20 Year Anniversary Dinner – featuring Chef Javier Plascencia and guests
• Legacy of the Land Dinner at Grand Del Mar – a multi-course celebration of San Diego’s small farms
• Baja Culinary Expedition – a cross-border journey through Valle de Guadalupe with founder Fernando Gaxiola
• Bevan Cellars Wine Lunch at Mister A’s – a five-course lunch paired with Russell Bevan’s acclaimed Napa Valley wines

See you there!

Twenty-two years in, San Diego Food + Wine Festival is still finding new ways to bring the best of this region and Baja to the table. This is the week to clear your calendar for.

📆 Sunday, November 1 – Sunday, November 8, 2026 | 11 AM – 3 PM
📍 Multiple venues across San Diego
🎟️ Grab your tickets here
ℹ️ See the full event lineup here

See you there, San Diego!