The food industry’s global calendar
The next ten months bring one of the densest stretches on the food calendar; trade floors in Cologne, Dubai and Bangkok where next year’s ingredients, formats and machinery get their first public airing, alongside the festivals where the rest of the world just shows up to eat.
We’ve pulled together a working list of both: the major international food and beverage trade shows worth building a research trip around, and the public festivals worth knowing the dates for, from this September through until next June.
Food Factory Technology Week
SIAL Paris
Paris Nord Villepinte, France
The biennial flagship of the SIAL network and one of the largest food innovation showcases anywhere, drawing producers, distributors, restaurateurs and importer-exporters from every region.
Gulfood Manufacturing
Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE
The food-tech and processing counterpart to Gulfood — machinery, packaging, ingredients and logistics across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia corridor.
Food Factory Technology Week
Tokyo, Japan
A second 2026 edition of the Osaka show, held in Tokyo — the year's other major stop for processing and automation.
NRF: Retail's Big Show
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York
The retail industry's largest annual gathering — not food-specific, but a key read on the technology, formats and consumer trends reshaping grocery and food retail alongside every other category.
Winter Fancy Food Show
San Francisco, California
The Specialty Food Association's West Coast edition — a good early read on specialty and better-for-you trends heading into the new year.
ISM Cologne
Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany
The world's largest trade fair for sweets and snacks, newly restructured as a trio — ISM Ingredients, ISM Manufacturing, ISM Snacks & Sweets — under one roof.
Fruit Logistica
Berlin, Germany
The definitive global stage for fresh produce — sourcing, packaging, logistics and varietal innovation across the fruit and vegetable supply chain.
BIOFACH
Exhibition Centre Nuremberg, Germany
The world's leading organic food trade fair, running alongside Vivaness, its organic personal-care counterpart.
Anuga FoodTec
Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany
Food and beverage processing and packaging technology at industrial scale — a strong complement to Anuga's consumer-facing counterpart.
Natural Products Expo West
Anaheim, California
North America's benchmark for natural, organic and better-for-you products — the show that tends to surface the trends everyone else catches up to a year later.
ProWein
Düsseldorf, Germany
The industry's leading wine and spirits fair — relevant for beverage buyers and hospitality groups building out drinks programs.
FOODEX Japan
Tokyo Big Sight, Japan
Asia's largest food and beverage trade show, with a growing AI and food-tech presence. A cornerstone of any Japan-focused research program.
Gulfood
Dubai World Trade Centre & Dubai Exhibition Centre, UAE
Billed as the world's largest annual food and beverage sourcing event, spanning two venues for its 2027 edition.
Speciality & Fine Food Fair
London, UK
Now in its new spring slot — independent retail, artisan producers and specialty imports for the UK market.
Seafood Expo Global
Fira Barcelona Gran Vía, Spain
The world's largest seafood trade event, covering sourcing, processing and sustainability across the entire seafood supply chain.
HOFEX
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Asia's leading food, hospitality and foodservice show, held biennially — a strong second stop alongside a Japan or Southeast Asia trip.
Sweets & Snacks Expo
Indianapolis, Indiana
The confectionery and snacks industry's principal North American gathering.
THAIFEX – Anuga Asia
IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand
Southeast Asia's largest food and beverage show, and one of the best single stops for reading trends across the wider Asia-Pacific market.
IDDBA Show
Atlanta, Georgia
North America's dedicated show for the dairy, deli and bakery categories — perimeter-of-store innovation in one place.
This calendar reflects publicly announced dates as of August 2026. A small number of autumn 2026 dates were still unconfirmed at time of writing — worth reconfirming closer to travel.
Oktoberfest
Theresienwiese, Munich, Germany
The 191st edition of the world's largest folk festival — beer tents, tradition, and the full spectacle of Bavarian food culture.
Terra Madre Salone del Gusto
Turin, Italy
Slow Food's flagship gathering — producers, artisans and food communities from around the world, open to the public across the city.
Salon du Chocolat
Porte de Versailles, Paris, France
The world's largest event dedicated to chocolate and pastry, with tastings, fashion shows made of chocolate, and demonstrations from top chocolatiers.
Eurochocolate
Perugia, Italy
A ten-day takeover of the historic centre by chocolate makers from across Italy and abroad — one of Europe's biggest public food festivals. Dates provisional.
South Beach Wine & Food Festival
Miami Beach, Florida
Celebrity chefs, tasting events and a full week of programming on the beach — the marquee consumer food festival on the U.S. calendar, marking its 25th year.
Consumer festival dates move more often than trade show dates and several organisers mark theirs provisional this far out — reconfirm before booking travel.
Turn any of these into a research trip
A2D designs bespoke programs around the shows that matter most to your category — pairing floor time with factory visits, supplier meetings, and the destinations behind the headlines.
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