Top picks
Some soup festivals are bigger than the rest: tens of thousands at the tables, decades of editions, a soup the whole country knows. These are the ones worth planning a trip around, world-class first, then each country's best, the next to happen first.
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
2,000 gallons of chowder on City Hall Plaza
Restaurants compete for the title of Boston's best chowder at a free-to-browse public tasting in the city centre.
Expected early August 2027
Szolnok, Hungary
Hungary's goulash cauldron festival at Tiszaliget
An international goulash-cooking festival in Szolnok's Tiszaliget park, with a judged cook-off in open cauldrons and music on stage.
Expected early September 2027
Kinsale, Ireland
Ireland's national chowder championship final
Restaurants from across Ireland, each representing a county, serve their best chowder in Kinsale while the public tastes and votes for the All-Ireland champion.
Expected mid-April 2027
Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal
Billed as Portugal's largest · 119 soups in 2016
About 100 soups compete from 13:00 on the Sunday, with chef Ljubomir Stanisic on the jury. The weekend also has a bio-region market, restaurants, street and children's entertainment, a concertina and accordion meeting on the Saturday and a José Malhoa concert at 18:00 on Sunday.
Expected late May 2027
Kraków, Poland
Kraków's international soup contest since 2002
A one-day soup festival on Plac Nowy in Kraków's Kazimierz district, where local restaurants compete for the best soup.
Expected mid-May 2027
Kraków, Poland
Europe's largest Ukrainian street festival
A free charity street festival built around Ukrainian borscht, with live music, family zones and food stalls; every zloty raised goes to Ukraine's armed forces.
Expected late July 2027
Sitia, Greece
Guinness record: largest kakavia, 686 kg
A seaside feast on Sitia's harbour in Crete where the municipality cooks kakavia, the fishermen's soup, in huge cauldrons and serves it to the crowd; the town holds a Guinness record for it.
Expected mid-August 2027
São Paulo, Brazil
Brazil's best-known soup festival · 80+ soups
A cherished São Paulo winter tradition, the Festival de Sopas Ceagesp brings unique flavors, exclusive recipes, and unforgettable moments to the city's culinary calendar.
Expected early August 2027
