If you're looking for food porn, you've found it. That plus weather porn, clever graphic tee porn, and possibly picnic blanket porn. That's because the Valley's weather in 2019 has been spectacular so far, and was appreciated at annual food festivals like Tacolandia, the Devour Culinary Classic, and the Great American Barbeque & Beer Festival.
So whether you unwind by scrolling through food festival slideshows or just keeping an eye out for you and your friends in the shot, here are our best food festival photos from 2019 ... so far.
PHX Night Market Brought Asian Food, Music, and Culture to Downtown
Four city blocks of downtown Phoenix were transformed into the PHX Night Market, an Asian-inspired food, music, and art festival, on Saturday, April 20, and Sunday, April 21. Both days of the event were full of exciting live performances, pop-ups, fun events, and seemingly infinite food vendors. See the full PHX Night Market slideshow.
The Best Food and Other Stuff We Saw at the Scottsdale Culinary Festival
The weekend of April 12 and 14, Scottsdale Civic Center Mall hosted the 41st annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival with three stages, tons of food vendors, and plenty of smiling faces. The Arizona sun welcomed people from around the Valley and beyond to taste some of the best food and drink we have to offer. See the full Scottsdale Culinary Festival slideshow.
Meat, Music, and More Meat at the Great American BBQ & Beer Festival
Filling downtown Chandler with sauce, suds, and sounds, the 102.5 KNIX Great American BBQ & Beer Festival brought with a diverse array of meat lovers and music fans to Dr. A.J. Chandler Park. Food trucks lined the park's walkways, and other local eateries mobilized to represent themselves, too. Country stars Russel Dickerson and Dylan Scott headlined the event. See the full Great American Barbeque & Beer Festival slideshow.
Little Miss BBQ is serving two new sides — Brussels sprouts (top middle) and mac and cheese (bottom middle).
Jackie Mercandetti
Quarter one reports are in, and we have some picturesque results. So far in 2019 we've visited seven restaurants for Cafe Reviews — everything from pasta at a busy Asian supermarket to the follow-up location to Little Miss BBQ and show-stopping paella at Talavera. In addition to the spot-on descriptions and depictions from our food critic Chris Malloy, we've also seen some stunning food and restaurant photography from Jackie Mercandetti. See the full Best of Cafe Reviews slideshow.
Getting Global at Devour the World 2019
Part of the Devour Culinary Classic, Devour the World 2019 was postponed for a month, but finally filled the Japanese Friendship Garden on March 21 with Phoenix's global food vendors. The small culinary event sought to shrink Phoenix a bit, and succeeded. See the full Devour the World slideshow.
The Flying Burrito Festival: Bands, Burritos, and ... Lucha Libre Wrestling
Crescent Ballroom in downtown Phoenix held its second annual Flying Burrito Festival on Saturday, March 9, 2019. Second Avenue was transformed into a block party saturated with food trucks, several stages, and even Lucha Libre wresting. See the full Flying Burrito Festival slideshow.
Barbecue pulled pork nachos from Different Smokes BBQ paired with a brew at the Downtown Mesa Brew Fest.
The fifth annual Mesa Brew Fest happened this past weekend, March 9, 2019 in downtown Mesa. This festival was filled with breweries, food trucks, live music, a DJ, and festival vendors from around the valley. Wrestling, cornhole, painting, and pets made things even better. See the full Downtown Mesa Brew Fest slideshow.
The PHX Vegan Food Festival Was a Tasty Treat
There was no shortage of fun, drinks, and delicious vegan options at the PHX Vegan Food Festival at Margaret T. Hance Park on February 23 and 24. The two-day festival was packed with vendors, music, and plenty of different vegan food dishes. See the full PHX Vegan Food Festival slideshow.
The Desert Botanical Garden was a beautiful venue for 2019's Devour Culinary Classic.
Jacob Tyler Dunn
Chilly winds harassed the crowd at the Devour Bartending Competition, heavy rains postponed Devour the World, but the clouds literally parted in time for the anticipated main event. The Devour Culinary Classic is one of Arizona's top food festivals, and the 2019 edition celebrated its 10th anniversary with a bang. On February 23 and 24, the Desert Botanical Garden was closed to the public to hold this exclusive event filled with the state's most inventive restaurants and creatives, both new and established. See the full Devour Culinary Classic slideshow.
Lots of Love at 2019 Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival
The Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival was held for the fifth year at Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater on February 1 and 2. There was excellent weather and great relaxing vibes for those enjoying vegetarian vendors from around the Phoenix area. Like-minded individuals came together for an amazing weekend of food samples, yoga, live music, and everything in between. See the full Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival slideshow.
Tacolandia Was an Afternoon of Great Tacos and Amazing Weather
Phoenix New Times' annual Tacolandia Festival took place on January 6 at Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix. The day was chock-full of delicious tacos from the Valley's best taquerias, paired with great beer, good friends, and amazing weather. See the full Tacolandia slideshow.
