Food festivals in Chattanooga worth planning a trip around, by month.
Food festivals in Chattanooga worth planning a trip around, by month.
Chattanooga Beer Fest pours unlimited samples from about 31 breweries at the First Horizon Pavilion each May, a capped 1,300-ticket session with food trucks and live music alongside.
Focus: Craft beer
Tip: The 2026 edition ran Saturday 23 May and every year since 2021 has sold out; buy the $48 advance ticket rather than gambling on the door.
Chattanooga Oktoberfest fills the First Horizon Pavilion with a biergarten, Bavarian cooking, stein hoisting and oompah bands each October, a free-entry weekend now in its 25th year.
Focus: Bavarian food and beer
Tip: Entry is free but all beer and merchandise sales are card-only on site; the 2026 edition runs 17 and 18 October.
Wine Over Water has poured unlimited tastings beside the Tennessee River for three decades in Chattanooga, with proceeds funding Preserve Chattanooga's historic preservation work.
Focus: Wine
Tip: The 2026 edition runs 10 October in Renaissance Park during bridge renovations; tickets include a charcuterie box and glass.
Scenic City Wings lines Chattanooga's wing kitchens up under the First Horizon Pavilion for a taste-and-vote Sunday, with proceeds supporting the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.
Focus: Chicken wings
Tip: Admission is complimentary and the 2026 date is 4 October; the In the Hot Seat interview series puts local personalities through escalating heat live.
Chattanooga Pizza Week sets a flat price for featured pies across more than a dozen pizzerias, from Community Pie to Fiamma, with an app-based vote crowning the city's favourite.
Focus: Pizza
Tip: The 2026 edition ran 11 to 17 May with $14 featured pizzas and $7 lunch slices; download the organiser's app to log check-ins and vote.
MAINx24 packs more than 120 events into 24 hours on Chattanooga's Main Street each December, resident-organised since 2007 with a chili cook-off and the city's biggest parade.
Focus: Street festival with chili cook-off
Tip: Held the first Saturday of December and free to attend; the chili cook-off and parade cluster around late morning, so go early and graze.