Summer may be coming to an end and the Labor Day festivals might have ended, but there are some still upcoming festivals that will help you savor the last bit of summer.
For everyone developing a post-Labor Day appetite for fun, here are a few events you might want to put on your plate.
New York City Wine and Food Festival:
In New York City, the Food Network's popular Wine and Food Festival takes place from Oct. 17 to Oct. 20. The festival brings together celebrity chefs, winemakers, spirits producers and other culinary personalities for tastings, seminars, demos and dining.
As the Festival continues to grow, 2013 will also mark the move of the Festival's central hub to just northwest of New York City's popular Hell's Kitchen and expansion into Midtown.
The event not only tastes good, but does good. Proceeds benefit community-based organizations in the fight against hunger. Echoing the charitable component of South Beach, the New York City Festival benefits the hunger-relief programs of Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry® campaign.
According to www.nycwff.org, the festival has raised over $6 million to date. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the Festival go directly to community-based organizations such as Eat. Drink. End Hunger.
Norwalk, Connecticut's 36th annual Oyster Festival:
The festival begins Sept. 6 and will last through Sept. 8 at Veterans Park. The weekend event celebrates the history of the area.
For everyone who is not a fan of oysters, they can find lot more to do. The Village People will take the main stage Saturday night. Sunday night is family day, and children are free. The festival has over a dozen food courts, that has something for everyone.
"They fry them, they serve them raw, they serve them in soup," said Jerri Toni of the Norwalk Seaport Association, according to New York One. "Just different varieties."
According to seaport.org, the purpose of the Norwalk Seaport Association is to push public awareness of their maritime resources, environment and heritage through research, education and preservation and to also preserve and have rehabilitation of the area of historical value in Norwalk Harbor and Long Island Sound.
Metro-North has special packages that include admission and a shuttle bus ride from the station to the festival and back.
The Eastern States Exposition, aka The Big E:
In West Springfield, Massachusetts, The Big E, is considered the largest fair in the Northeast. Springfield food specialty in include Maine lobster rolls and Vermont cheddar cheese.
The fair comes with all the food you can eat.
The Big E takes place for 17 days, from Sept. 13 to Sept. 29. For more information, visit www.thebige.com.
The fair also comes with Craz-E Burger. It's a New England extravaganza with top name entertainment, The Big E Super Circus, The Avenue of States, Storrowton Village Museum, animals, competitive exhibits, rides, shopping, crafts, a daily parade and a Mardi Gras parade.