Top 5 Chocolate Festivals around the World

Everybody loves chocolate. Kids and adults alike always appreciate its wonderful flavour and creamy, yet bitey texture.

Naturally, not all chocolate is the same. It comes in endless varieties of shapes, sizes, and colours. It can be topped off with nuts, raisins, sprinkles, and whatever else could possibly come to mind.

Main image skeeze Pixabay

Most of us are completely fine with the variety and flavours of the chocolate available in our local supermarkets. True aficionados of the delicious substance scoff at the notion that the bars sold en masse are anything but a cheap copy of the real chocolate.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with liking the store-bought stuff, but you can’t really deny the fact that a regular Milka tablet’s taste seems almost watered down when compared to the exquisite flavour of real Belgian chocolates.

You can dip into that exclusive world of cocoa-based goodness by going to a chocolate festival or any other similar event, where chocolate makers and enthusiasts from all over the world gather to share their produce and mingle with like-minded people.

You will have a chance to taste the best, naturally produced chocolate, from South American tablets and bars with added spices that nicely accentuate the sweetness, all the way to experimental treats that come in all shapes and sizes.

Once you experience the atmosphere of a well-organized chocolate festival, you’ll be itching to go to another one almost right away.

Hell, it might even inspire you to take a shot at chocolate-making yourself! Be sure to stock up on a lot of wholesale cocoa paste, though it takes a long time before you can honestly say that you know what you’re doing.

To help yourself get started, check out this list of the five coolest chocolate festivals all around the world!

Eurochocolate

This jolly event taking place in Perugia, in central Italy is an annual, ten-day long chocolate extravaganza that will surely elevate your senses and expand your understanding of the entire process of chocolate production and proper tasting techniques.

The entire festival has a very laid-back vibe, with live music and life-sized chocolate sculptures that greatly contribute to the overall atmosphere of the event.

It takes up a sizeable chunk of the town of Perugia, and if you decide to attend, you’re going to spend most of your time walking around; admiring the skill and dedication of some of the maestros, trying out the fruits of their labour until you physically can’t take in any more sugar.

Chocoa Festival

European festivals were bound to dominate this list. The Chocoa Festival takes place every year in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and, similarly to Eurochocolate, this event will broaden your understanding of one of the most delicious products on the face of our planet.

However, Chocoa does not stop at the chocolate making and tasting intricacies. While you’re there, you’ll have the unique opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of cocoa production, trade, and sourcing of most of humanity’s favourite treat.

Some of the stuff they tell you about won’t be all that sweet since a lot of exploitation and unfair labour practices take place in many cocoa plantations around the world.

chocolART

A festival nearly as extravagant as its name, this annual, Christmas-time event happens in a little German university town called Tübingen.

It takes place for five days every December, and aside from being able to taste the goods produced by Germany’s finest chocolatiers, you’ll also have a chance to attend chocolate and praline making classes.

It will certainly add to your appreciation of this wonderful food. Moreover, you’ll be able to impress your family and friends back home with newly learned skills!

Salon Du Chocolat

The final European festival on this list combines chocolate with art and fashion in a way only the French could conceive.

Salon du Chocolat takes place in Paris and will astonish you with the ingenious and incredibly creative outfits that the world’s finest designers conceived and created principally with the use of chocolate.

Naturally, in addition to viewing models dressed up in chocolate-inspired costumes, you’ll have a chance to try out some of the tastiest products around.

Although it doesn’t attract as many world-class chocolatiers as some of the previously mentioned festivals, the bars, tablets, and chips on display at Salon du Chocolat will undoubtedly appeal to your taste buds.

Big Chocolate Show

If you’re based in the United States and don’t have the budget to travel all the way to Europe, or simply want to try out something more local, you can head on over to New York City to experience the Big Chocolate Show!

The festival lasts only for two days, but it attracts some of the biggest names in chocolate-making in the world, and can easily compete with its European counterparts.

With the beautiful, fall-time NYC as a backdrop, you can’t really go wrong with attending this glamorous event.

Decided Yet?

There are obviously many more chocolate festivals and events happening around the world. The ones listed above are just a few of the most popular ones.

If you’re not a fan of big, touristy events, scour around your local area for fairs and breakfast markets, where you’ll surely be able to enjoy locally-made chocolate in great company!