October Foodie Activities

October is #VirginiaWineMonth, and that brings wine festivals, harvest celebrations, and fall beer events all month long. Find an event near you and toast to the flavors of the season in the Commonwealth.

• Virginia Wine Month – October

• Great American Food Festival – October 3rd (Chesapeake)
  The Great American Food Fest is jam-packed with finger-licking foods including BBQ pork and chicken, hush puppies, corn and the cob and many other cookout staples.

• National Taco Day – October 4th

• 41st Annual Suffolk Peanut Festival – October 4-7th (Suffolk)
  This family-friendly event honors the city’s agriculture heritage and devotion to peanuts, a favorite legume!

• Virginia Crab Carnival – October 5-6th (West Point)
  Food vendors, band performance, parades, fireworks and more are all in store at this popular family-friendly festival.

• Virginia Craft Spirits Roadshow at Belmont Farm Distillery – October 6th (Culpeper)
  Sip on cocktails and spirits neat at Belmont Farm Distillery. Tickets will include all samples of artisan spirits as well as craft cocktails from numerous Virginia distilleries, local brews and music from Steel Gray and Friends! 

• Powhatan’s Festival of the Grape – October 6th (Powhatan)
  25+ Virginia wineries, live music, 100 vendors, food trucks. Powhatan knows how to uncork and unwind.

• 46th Annual Chincoteague Oyster Festival – October 6th (Chincoteague)
  Oysters, oysters, and more oysters. On the half shell, steamed, single fried, fritters – if you can name it, it’ll be there.

• Yorktown Wine Festival – October 6th (Yorktown)
  Sample some of Virginia’s finest vino as well as taking your palate on a trip around the world.

• Bacon, Bourbon & Beach Music Fest – October 6th (Smithfield)
  Tastings of small batch specialty bourbons, tastings from Virginia craft breweries, and lots and lots of bacon.

• Oktoberfest Harvest Celebration – October 6th (Lanexa)
  Celebrating the end of harvest with Saude Creek Vineyards and friends from Alewerks. Great music, food, and wine is in store.

• National Noodle Day – October 6th

• 45th Newport News Fall Festival – October 6-7th (Newport News)
  The festival, which attracts 35,000 visitors each year, will feature over 150 exhibitors showcasing art, crafts, heritage trade demonstrations, entertainment, children’s activities, and food.

• Culpeper Downtown Restaurant Week – October 8-14 (Downtown Culpeper)
  If you’ve been waiting for a special occasion to explore the diverse mix of downtown Culpeper restaurants, you now have one!

• Hands & Harvest Festival – October 12-14th (Highland County)
  This event offers three days of activity, entertainment, farm tours, and fall fun. 

• Orange Chili Cook-Off & Brew Festival – October 13th (Orange)
  Taste and vote for the Best Chili Recipe offered by area professional and amateur chefs.

• A Taste of Virginia – October 13th (Norfolk)
  A tasting and pairing of Virginia Wines and a variety of Virginia’s Finest food items.

• Little Washington Winery Harvest Feast – October 13th (Washington)
  Celebrate the harvest with an open-air dinner on the Inn’s expansive Gone-with-the-Wind porch. The 5 course dinner will feature local farm-to-table foods and wine pairings. 

• 28th Annual Virginia Wine & Garlic Festival – October 13-14th (Amherst)
  Virginia wines, live entertainment, arts, crafts and garlic! Tastings by guest wineries, multiple stages with live entertainment, over 150 unique arts, crafts and specialty foods.  

• Molasses Festival – October 14th (Whitetop)
  Enjoy music, food, molasses and apple butter making, arts & crafts and more at this fall festival.

• Harvest Party at Blenheim Vineyard – October 14th (Charlottesville)
  Celebrate all things harvest with live music by Erin & The Wildfire, A collaboration harvest beer on tap from Reason Beer, Two Brothers Food Truck, Chickapig, and more!

• National Dessert Day – October 14th

• National Pasta Day – October 17th

• City Center Oyster Roast – October 19th (Newport News)
  A festival of oysters and other Chesapeake Bay seafood favorites with live music and free children’s activities. 

• Richmond Oktoberfest – October 19-20th (Richmond)
  This fest includes all the elements that you would expect to find at a good Oktoberfest in Germany: Good food, good beer, great entertainment, and most of all a great atmosphere.

• Commonwealth Coastal Classic – October 20th (Norfolk)
  The inclusive food and beverage ticket includes all day feasting from bountiful themed tables prepared by more than 35 Chefs and Oyster Waterman from across the state, and enjoyed with more th
  an 50 Virginia fine wines, seasonal and limited release craft beers, spirits and craft cocktails. 

• Apple Dumpling Festival – October 20th (Stuart)
  What’s a better fall treat than apple dumplings? Enjoy local apples and treats from local artisans and vendors.

• 28th Annual Bay Seafood Festival – October 20th (Kilmarnock)
  Come out for all-you-can-eat seafood, beverages and live music under the stars.

• Virginia Beach Craft Beer Festival – October 20th (Virginia Beach)
  Taste 50+ craft beers from over 25 breweries. Tickets include unlimited sampling, a commemorative cup, and live entertainment.

• Harvest Celebration & Oyster Throwdown – October 20th (Purcellville)
  Taste over 15,000 oysters in 6 different varieties. From salty to sweet, robust to delicate, you have the opportunity to try them all at Breaux Vineyards.

• Town Point Virginia Fall Wine Festival – October 20-21st (Norfolk)
  Experience Hampton Roads’ most anticipated Wine Festival of the fall season along the Downtown Norfolk Waterfront.  This year’s fest will showcase more than 30 wineries with over 200 of the Commonwealth’s finest wine varieties. 

• Fall Oyster Festival at Early Mountain Vineyards – October 21st (Madison)
  Enjoy an afternoon of Virginia wines, The Jacob Paul Allen Band, out of Nashville, and fresh oysters sourced from the Eastern Shore. 

• Brunswick Stew and Stout – October 27th (Richmond)
  Brunswick Stew & Stout is a fundraiser presented by and benefiting the Enrichmond Foundation. Good food, good beer, good company and a great cause!

• Best of Virginia Wine Festival and Luncheon – October 27th (Great Falls)
  This special event is the perfect time for wine lovers to enjoy Virginia’s world-class wines while enjoying the fine dining of L’Auberge Chez Francois.

• National Potato Day – October 27th

• Stone Tower Wine Dinner Harvest Party – October 28th (Lovettsville)
  Enjoy a multi-course dinner as the chef creates a menu paired with wines from the Stone Tower Estate vineyard.

• National Chocolate Day – October 28th