Burger Champions and Celebrity Crowds Fill New York's 2026 Wine & Food Festival
The 19th annual Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, presented by Invesco QQQ, ran from October 15 to 18, 2026, drawing a reported 35,000 attendees to more than 50 events across New York City. The four-day program returned to the Seaport and added The Rooftop at Pier 17 as a new venue for several of its headline events.
A Four-Day Program Spread Across the City
Produced by a21, the Festival's exclusive production partner, the event brought together more than 300 chefs, culinary personalities, creators and entertainers. The Invesco QQQ Festival Campus in the Seaport served as the main hub, while The Rooftop at Pier 17 made its Festival debut as part of the Norwegian Cruise Line Rooftop Series. Programming ranged from waterfront tastings and chef-led dinners to live culinary demonstrations held at venues throughout the city.
Celebrity Appearances and Live Entertainment
Guests saw appearances from Sylvester Stallone, Bryan Cranston and Whoopi Goldberg, who joined The Cookout. Machine Gun Kelly (mgk) took the culinary demonstration stage, and performances by Method Man and D-Nice were part of the schedule. These names drew attention, but the Festival's core remained its chef-driven and hands-on tasting formats.
The 2026 Blue Moon Burger Bash Winners
The Festival opened on Thursday, October 15 with Blue Moon Burger Bash, hosted by Rachael Ray and Bert Kreischer and presented by Pat LaFrieda Meats. Cedric the Entertainer served as a celebrity judge alongside Anthony Anderson, Sophie Flay, Ana Navarro, Andrew Rea and Jet Tila. The competition produced three honorees:
- Pat LaFrieda Judges' Choice: Gotham Burger from Michael Puma, a double-smash burger with grilled onions, American cheese, house-made pickles, jalapeños, club sauce and ketchup and mustard on a Martin's potato roll.
- People's Choice: Nowon's Legendary Cheeseburger from Chef Jae Lee, a double-smash patty with American cheese, kimchi special sauce, pickles and raw white onion on a sesame brioche bun. The winner also received a cruise for two from Norwegian Cruise Line.
- Mike's Amazing Bottle Royale: Midnight Shokupan from Chef Keith Hernandez of RW Prime at Resorts World, a short rib burger with white American cheese, chili crisp aioli, pickled Fresno chili and crispy shiitake on toasted Japanese shokupan. The win gives RW Prime the chance to create and bottle a signature sauce with Mike's Amazing.
Festival Support for Industry Causes
The 2026 Festival also supported the James Beard Foundation and Event Zero Foundation, organizations that work on a stronger and more sustainable future for the hospitality and events industries. The organizers presented this support as part of the Festival's broader goals; the supplied material does not detail specific funding amounts or program outcomes.