22nd annual San Diego Food + Wine Festival

The 22nd annual San Diego Food + Wine Festival runs from November 1 to 8, 2026, with the main action concentrated on the Grand Weekend from November 6 to 8. This year the festival has moved its two biggest days—the Grand Tasting and the Grand Fiesta—to Embarcadero Marina Park North on the waterfront, where the event is split into five culinary districts: Smoke + Fire, Sweet Street, So San Diego, South of the Border, and Street Feast. The Grand Weekend kicks off Friday with Icons & Legends, formerly known as Grand Decant, followed by the Grand Tasting on Saturday and the Grand Fiesta on Sunday.

Across the full week, more than 800 wines and spirits are poured, and the lineup features chefs Tara Monsod, Aidan Owens, Danny and Dante Romero, Javier Plascencia, Miguel Ángel Guerrero, Gale Gand, and Kareem 'Mr. Bake' Queeman. Beyond the Grand Weekend, there's a 20-year anniversary dinner at Romesco Mexiterranean Bistro with Chef Javier Pl, a Bevan Cellars wine lunch at Mister A's, The Chino Farm Legacy Dinner, and a Baja Culinary Expedition to Valle de Guadalupe.

The festival is run by Fast Forward Events and supports Fast Forward Futures, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has awarded over $600,000 in culinary, enology, and hospitality scholarships and grants. There's also a food-recovery program led by Ken Baker of Rethink Food and built with the San Diego Food Bank, which sends surplus food to people facing food insecurity. Southwest Airlines is the official airline and presenting sponsor of the Embarcadero days.

Tickets for the Grand Weekend are tiered by day and entry level. Friday's Icons & Legends runs $210 for general admission, $185 for designated drivers, and $310 for early entry. Saturday's Grand Tasting is $210 for general admission, $185 for designated drivers, $260 for early entry, and $360 for VIP, with a FOMO 4-Pack at $780. Sunday's Grand Fiesta is $155 for general admission, $205 for early entry, $255 for VIP, and $130 for designated drivers, with a FOMO 4-Pack at $582. Multi-day packages cover the Grand Weekend: 2-day general admission is $331, early entry $396, and VIP $556; the full weekend is $405 for general admission, $505 for early entry, and $755 for VIP.