Edible Events: December

There are all manner of fun, food events taking place in New York on a daily basis — from lavish, charity-driven galas to crowded, walk-around tastings and an endless array of pop-ups.  But unless you have the time and money to party seven days a week, you’ll have to be somewhat discerning about what goes onto your calendar.  So here are just a few worthy food celebrations we recommend getting tickets (or making reservations) for now!

Grand Holiday Bazaar NYC (Sundays throughout December): Enjoy four days of holiday spirit at Grand Bazaar NYC on the Upper West Side; the city’s largest curated weekly market.  Over 100 top merchants will participate, selling the one-of-a-kind and limited edition goods, including artisanal foods from Nuchas, Waffle Cabin, Wave Hill Breads and Voila Chocolates.  And the best part is, 100% of profits are donated to four neighborhood public schools, benefiting over 4,000 children while building and supporting a vibrant community of talented artists, designers, artisans, and entrepreneurs.

Food52 Holiday Market (12/2-4): The award-winning food media site is transforming their Manhattan offices and test kitchen into a winter wonderland— with the team’s personal kitchen and home favorites available for purchase, as well as fun, edible extras like a RISE Nitro Cold-Brew Coffee Bar, demos like a Zwilling knife skills class, Mike’s Hot Honey Pizza, Xocolatti Chocolate and Sohha Yogurt tastings, and cookbook signings with Food52 founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs.

Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl (12/3): Even the ugliest holiday sweater starts looking pretty good through a serious set of beer goggles — obtained through visits to ten East Village bars during this annual crawl; offering specials like $3 draft beers, $4 domestic bottles and 1/2 priced well drinks to merrily-clad customers.

Chocolate Expo (12/11): It’s worth traveling to Long Island in order to take part in this annual expo, devoted to the holiday season’s ultimate sweet — chocolate!  $15 tickets include all-you-can-eat treats from scores of cocoa-focused vendors, including stuffed truffles from Blue Owl Candy, pork-studded chocolate bars from Bacon Bites, and chocolate-dipped strawberries from Aurora Gourmet.

Speed Rack NYC (12/12): Snag a front row seat to this national cocktail competition, featuring top female bartenders who are put head-to-head in round robin style, timed and judged challenges.  Speed Rack is the first cocktail event to highlight the up and coming generation of strong women in the spirits industry, and 100% of proceeds go to breast cancer education, prevention, and research.

The 8th Annual Latke Festival (12/19): Taking place at the Brooklyn Museum, this celebrated holiday tasting event showcases the most creative potato pancake interpretations in New York City.  $70 tickets include unlimited latkes, with past participants (and delectable entries) including Saul’s Cassava Latke with Chana Masala, Jacob’s Pickles Southern Sweet Potato Latke with Cajun and Scallion Crème Fraiche, and Shelsky’s of Brooklyn’s schmaltz-fried “Hot Pastrami Latke” topped with Riesling braised sauerkraut.