Food and beverage marketing ideas served up at nation’s food festivals

Who’s hungry? The only reason we ask is because August and September are the peak months for food festivals and, as food and beverage marketers, we definitely plan to attend a few and suggest you do the same.

In addition to more free samples than you can shake a fork at, food festivals offer an inside look at the latest trends and the hottest new products within various industries. Below are just a few of the many food fests coming up in the next two months (some more category focused than others). For a more comprehensive list by state and even nation, visit FoodReference.com.

• Lisbon Sauerkraut Days (August 9-11th) (Lisbon, IA) – This ode to pickled cabbage features the crowning of the Sauerkraut King and Queen, a parade, and a cabbage weigh-off.

• Olive Festival (August 18th) (Paso Robles, CA) – Includes “olive oil and olive product sampling from producers all over California, culinary row with great food, wine & beer tasting, cooking contest and free olive oil ice cream.”

• National Hamburger Festival (August 18-19th) (Akron, OH) – This burger lover’s paradise features a hamburger cook-off, the Ohio Hamburger Eating Championships, “Bobbing for Burgers,” and the crowning of Miss Hamburger Festival. (Yes, you read that right – we said Bobbing for Burgers.)

• Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival (August 26th) (Austin, TX) – This event, which began in 1990, has become the world’s largest hot sauce festival, drawing as many as 15,000 spectators and more than 350 vendors each year.

• 77th Annual Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival (August 30th-September 3rd) (Morgan City, LA) – Billed as “Louisiana’s oldest chartered harvest festival,” this gathering is held each year to celebrate shrimp … and petroleum.

• Lowell Food Truck Festival (September 8th) (Lowell, MA) – Organized with the belief that “food trucks needn’t be a ‘treat’ restricted for city dwellers only,” this festival offers a taste of some of the finest meals-on-wheels in New England.

• Monroe Cheese Festival (September 8th) (Monroe, NY) – This shindig celebrates the town’s rich history of cheese making. Ironically, Velveeta (which is not technically a cheese) was first made in Monroe back in 1918.

• Taste of the Hawaiian Range & Agriculture Festival (September 21st) (Waikoloa Village, HI) –  The annual event “showcases the isle’s grass-fed beef industry, bringing together local ranchers, farmers, restaurateurs and eager eaters to celebrate locally produced food.”

MARKETING LESSON: Hungry for some marketing inspiration (or just hungry in general)? Stop by a food festival near you and get ready to learn.