The Best Food and Wine Events in Europe Worth Planning a Holiday Around

Each bite of food carries a whole story, interweaving agriculture, history and local customs. One good-growing crop can inform a region’s entire cooking style – or in Lyon’s case, an abundance of great produce can start a global culinary movement. Which is why food is one of the most illuminating and rewarding ways to become introduced to a place.

From Alba’s truffle markets in Italy to a jamón festival in Spain, Qatar Airways connects you to Europe’s most flavour-driven festivals – and straight into the heart of each region’s table. Here are five food and drink events across Europe worth travelling for.

Copenhagen Cooking, Denmark

Danish style has proliferated in Australia in recent years – from Scandi-inspired cafes with bits-of-everything plates to that clean Copenhagen fashion taking over the cities. But the culture that inspired it all is, as always, best understood at the source. Much of Copenhagen’s food scene is built on the New Nordic philosophy, which emerged in the early 2000s with an emphasis on sustainability, seasonality and a connection to the landscape.

Copenhagen Cooking turns that ethos into a 10-day, citywide celebration each August. Chefs host pop-ups, harbourfront dinners, neighbourhood walks and one-off collaborations – making it a perfect time to experience the city’s pantry as a local might. Each year, the festival has a “friendship region” and in 2025 it was Provence, channelled into several events like a ratatouille competition and a petanque tournament.

Alba International White Truffle Fair, Italy

In autumn, the Langhe hills turn gold and menus across Piedmont shift into their richest form – tajarin tangled with butter, soft eggs, Fassona beef and fonduta all await a snowfall of shaved truffle. It’s not a luxury add-on here; it’s a seasonal rhythm, tied to the forests, the dogs and the hunters who know the land better than anyone.

The Alba International White Truffle Fair brings that world into town each year from October to December. The historic centre fills with scent-heavy markets, cooking demos, regional wine tastings and truffle auctions that feel equal parts theatre and tradition. Visitors can join guided truffle hunts in the surrounding hills or settle into long, Barolo-fuelled lunches that showcase the ingredient in its purest form.

Lyon’s Street Food Festival, France

Lyonnaise cuisine already pulls people to France, but it deserves its own spotlight. Sitting in the middle of an agricultural belt, the city has long been a gastronomic hub where bouchons funnel in premium produce from neighbouring regions. Much of that tradition is owed to les meres lyonnaises – the self-taught cooks who shaped the city’s palate after the revolution. Their legacy is serious: in 1933, Mère Brazier became the first woman to earn three Michelin stars across two restaurants.

Since 2016, the Lyon Street Food Festival has opened that heritage to the masses, pulling chefs out of their kitchens and into huge industrial spaces for four nights each June. The vibe is looser and more democratic, but the ingredients stay close to home. Chefs tap the same regional pantry – Bresse chicken, Rhone Valley wine, market garden produce – and channel it into collaborative dishes and late-night bites under a party-like atmosphere.

Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival, Ireland

When Ed Sheeran sang about a pretty little Galway Girl, it was about the city’s famous oysters. At least, in my book it was. Even if you’re loyal to Australian bivalves, Galway’s are a different experience. The native flat oyster has a mineral depth that speaks straight to the cold waters of Galway Bay – the kind of terroir you lose the moment you drown it in sauce. Here, people tend to eat them clean, maybe with a squeeze of lemon, letting the place itself come through.

Each September, the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival marks the start of the season with tastings, parades, live music and the World Oyster Opening Championship, which pulls shuckers from around the globe. It’s lively, a little chaotic and proudly local – a long weekend where you can taste one of Europe’s oldest seafood traditions right at the source.

Estepona’s Jamón Festival, Spain

Every August, the seaside town of Estepona turns its palm-lined promenade into one of Andalusia’s most joyful (and fragrant) open-air food events: the Jamón Festival. For one week, producers from across Spain set up stalls along the Paseo Marítimo, carving jamón ibérico and serrano to order, while locals and holiday-makers wander through with paper cones of sliced ham and cold drinks in hand.

It's a lively street party where families come out after dark, kids run between stands, and producers talk through the differences between cebo, cebo de campo and the prized bellota. Prices are deliberately accessible, most set at €5, letting you taste cuts that might normally be reserved for special occasions.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Qatar Airways. Discover all of Europe’s best culinary experiences with flights to Spain, France, Ireland, and Denmark, and more via one stop at Hamad International Airport in Doha with Qatar Airways, awarded the World’s Best Airline by the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2025.