Chocolate lo vers can easily spend the entire year visiting one chocolate festival after another- there are so many. From big cities like New York and Denver to resorts like Winter Park and small towns like Hershey, there is a chocolate festival near you wherever you live. These indulgent celebrations of chocolates are often accompanied by great local music, foods, local wines and craft beers, and all sorts of activities.
Dallas Chocolate Festival
Dallas Chocolate Festival was created to celebrate the “Future of Chocolate” and teach Dallas chocolate lovers all about chocolate. The highly anticipated three-day event brings together more than 70 renowned and innovative chocolate makers and chocolatiers from Dallas and all over the world. The festival includes a range of events such as a VIP Party, a family-friendly exposition offering chocolate samples, selling chocolates, cooking demonstrations, hands-on workshops, a chocolate-making workshop, and a chocolate tasting class. Various events are held at several venues. The festival attracts thousands of visitors yearly, folks eager to taste and experience the craftsmanship and artistry of making quality chocolate. Every year a portion of proceeds is donated to fund scholarships to local culinary programs.
Dallas, Texas
Northwest Chocolate Festival
Northwest Chocolate Festival is the largest chocolate industry meeting in the world. More than 160 exhibitors from 20 or more countries come to Seattle with their best milk and dark chocolates, inclusion bars, chocolate desserts, truffles, bonbons, chocolate cakes, drinking chocolate, caramels and more, made by hand using the finest ingredients, for two days of pure bliss. There are also over 80 workshops, food trucks with all sorts of delicious foods, talks with chocolate makers and cocoa beans growers, and chocolate-making demos. The festival is held at the Pier 91 at the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal.
2001 West Garfield Street, Pier 91, Seattle, Washington 98119
San Francisco Fall Chocolate Salon
In the heart of one of the greatest culinary metropolitan regions in the world, San Francisco is already known for its fabulous chocolates. But, once a year for two days, city chocolate aficionados and addicts can indulge in tasting the best products of 30 or more award-winning chocolatiers, best confectioners, and various culinary artisans. The salon is held in different venues every year, usually in more than one spot around the city, and it includes chocolate tasting, chocolate-making demonstrations, talks with chefs and book authors, wine tasting, chocolate pairing with other foods, and much more. Some of the chocolate artisans that participate in this popular event are Amano Artisan Chocolate, Z. Cioccolato, K+M Extravirgin Chocolate, Kindred Cooks Caramels, Michael’s Chocolates, Raphio Chocolate, and The Cocoa Exchange.
San Francisco, California, various locations
Harvard Square Chocolate Festival
Every year in January The Harvard Square Business Association turns lively Cambridge Harvard Square into a chocolate extravaganza. The highly anticipated Harvard Square Chocolate Festival is a weekend celebration of chocolate in all its forms and shapes. Hundreds of chocolate makers, chocolatiers and chocolate artists line up the streets of the charming urban village known as Harvard Square with their goodies for folks to sample and purchase. There is music of all kinds during the whole weekend, including salsa, merengue, reggeton, rock, and jazz. Dancing is encouraged.
Harvard Square Business Association, Cambridge, MA 02138, Phone: 617-491-3434
Glendale Chocolate Affaire
Every year for three days in February just before Valentine’s Day, the Glendale Chocolate Affaire takes over the entire downtown Glendale to fulfill every chocolate-lover’s dream. Chocolate makers, vendors, and artisans from Arizona and all over the country gather in Glendale to showcase their best products at this award-winning festival. The festival celebrates the art and the romance of chocolate and the creativity of its makers. Chocolate confections presented at the Affaire include delights such as chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate-covered nuts, chocolate-drizzled kettle corn, berry chocolate kabobs, chocolate-covered cheesecake, fudge popsicles, fried Snickers and Twinkies dipped in chocolate, and more. The Chocolate Affaire is sponsored yearly by Cerreta’s, Arizona’s renowned candy makers’ factory. The candy factory offers tours during the festival to show the visitors a behind-the-scenes look at how are chocolates made.
Historic Downtown Glendale, in Murphy Park, 58th and Glendale Ave, Glendale, AZ, Phone: 623-930-2299
Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend
Wines and chocolates are very special combination, so those that love both are eagerly awaiting the annual two-day Wine and Chocolate event usually held in February. Participants of this fun celebration purchase tickets that allow them to visit 50 renowned wineries in the Lodi region. While tasting superb wines each winery is so proud of, they can sample delicious chocolates made by Brix Chocolates, made especially to go with particular wines. There is a bonus: one of those boxes of chocolates hides a special surprise. Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend brings together wine and chocolate lovers from all over the country. Each winery is also organizing additional entertainment.
2545 W Turner Rd, Lodi, CA 95242, Phone: 209-367-4727
Mobile Chocolate Festival
The Mobile Chocolate Festival is a one-day popular event that brings together large number of vendors selling delicious chocolates as well as jewelry and bath and body products. There are free samples of chocolates and chocolate-related products such as chocolate martinis. The event brings just about everyone in town who is fond of chocolates, and it always becomes a large party. There is of course music, chocolate-making demonstrations, a chocolate challenge, and even a competition in making the most beautiful chocolate-inspired fashion. One of the most popular spots is the Cupcake Boot and Magic Memories Photo Boot. All proceeds benefit Penelope House, an organization that provides safety, support, and protection to victims of domestic violence.
1035 Cody Road North, Mobile, AL 36608
Colorado Chocolate Festival
Colorado Chocolate Festival is a two-day chocolate extravaganza, a massive celebration of chocolate and everything to do with chocolate held in Denver Mart, in Denver, Colorado. The entire 30,000 square feet of space is packed with chocolate candy, cookies, fudge, truffles, brownies, toffies, and much more brought by more than 80 chocolate producers and vendors. Besides overindulging in tasting everything chocolatey, visitors can attend demonstrations, wine tasting, wine and chocolate pairing, blindfolded chocolate identification, listen to interesting speakers, play all sorts of games, and have lot of fun.
451 E 58th Ave, Denver, CO 80216, Phone: 303-347-8252 Denver International Airport is easy to get to and the A Line rail will take you from the airport straight downtown. The ride is under 40 minutes. There are many great hotels and restaurants to choose from. There are several hotels near the Union Station, including The Crawford Hotel in Hotel Indigo Denver Downtown-Union Station. You can get settled in your room and enjoy the sights.
