All the American Cheese Festivals This Year (2025)

If you live in Wisconsin, you are lucky: you can hardly swing a cheese curd without hitting a cheese festival. Wisconsin’s Art of Cheese Festival is one of the largest cheese gatherings in America annually, with many other regional and specialty cheese fests happening throughout the year. Local cheese fests, wine and cheese fests, beer and cheese fests, chocolate and cheese fests: Wisconsin has it all.

For the rest of us, we must watch our calendars a little more closely for the events. No matter what state you inhabit, chances are good there’s probably a mac and cheese festival and/or a grilled cheese festival or cook off near you — excellent for your state of mind — but that’s not the whole of it when it comes to celebrations of cheese throughout America. Stay tuned for an accounting of all of Wisconsin’s myriad cheese festivals, and meanwhile, we’ve rounded up 21(!) American cheese festivals, presented in calendar order, that are worth putting in your diary for the months and years to come.

California Artisan Cheese Festival

March, California

Jill Giacomini Basch of Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese with Fennel Blue photo credit Lee Sherman

A three-day festival of all things California dairy, California’s premier cheese event is equal to the size of the state itself. Held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, and much more than just a walkaround tasting, the California Artisan Cheese Festival includes farm tours, seminars and workshops, a cheese crawl featuring local businesses, and of course an artisan cheese tasting and marketplace. Major plays in American dairy are present for this one, including Cypress Grove, Laura Chenel, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, Nicasio Valley Cheese, Marin French Cheese Co., Cowgirl Creamery, and others. While a lot of American cheese festivals are nice if they’re in your backyard, this one is a destination festival for cheese aficionados from around the country and the world and has events for days.

Oregon Cheese Festival

April, Oregon

Lest one forgets that the first American cheese to break the Best Cheese barrier at the World Cheese Awards was from Oregon, this two-day festival is one of the largest cheese festivals outside of California or Wisconsin. General admission tickets allow participants to sample a multitude of local cheeses and accoutrements for purchase. A Friday-night, four-course cheesemaker dinner and cheese reception is also available for those who want to taste what Oregon cheese can do across the menu. Oregon’s cheesemaking powerhouse Rogue Creamery is a co-sponsor, and other Oregon vendors in attendance include Briar Rose Creamery, Face Rock Creamery, and Tillamook, among others.

Colorado Chocolate and Cheese Fests

April and September, Colorado

With events in both Loveland and Colorado Springs, Colorado cheese fans are lucky to have two cheese festivals within striking distance. While these events primarily celebrate local chocolatiers, we are nonetheless grateful that cheese gets equal billing, with selections from among the whole spectrum of cheese. The one-day festivals are primarily chocolate and cheese sampling extravaganzas, but cheesy events throughout the day include a cheese rolling competition, and a chocolate versus cheese fondue dip-off!

Beer Cheese Festival

June, Kentucky

While mac and cheese and grilled cheese festivals are regular occurrences, we love a regionally specific, niche cheese festival. The town of Winchester, Kentucky, celebrates enigmatic beer cheese for its annual, one-day celebration, bringing makers and enthusiasts from all over the country. (Clark County, where Winchester is located, was officially recognized in 2013 by the Kentucky state government as the birthplace of the form.) A tradition since 2009, a Professional Beer Cheese Competition awards both judged and people’s choice awards, and an amateur category also exists for beer cheese aficionados to submit their recipes for judging.

Pimento Cheese Festival

April, South Carolina

Hosted by the town of Cary, South Carolina, this one-day festival is a celebration of another iconic expression of cheese with massive Southern importance: pimento cheese. Local restaurants put out their best versions of the creamy spread for tasting, competing for the honor of Best Pimento Cheese, plus there’s a crowd favorite pimento cheese sculpting content.

Knoxville Cheese Festival

April-May, Tennessee

Proof that the power of Wisconsin’s cheese industry knows no bounds, this week-long event in Knoxville, TN, is a celebration of Wisconsin cheeses. (At least in 2025.) Held primarily at Knoxville’s TAPestry brewery, plus a few other Knoxville locations, each day features a different cheese-centric event, including a Cheese 101 class, Grilled Cheese and Cider Pairing, Wine and Cheese Pairing, and Mini Golf and Cheese, with samples provided along the course.

The Great Canadian Cheese Festival

May, Ontario, Canada

An important reminder from the 2024 American Cheese Society Conference: not only is Canadian cheese actually American — North American — it is majorly on the up-and-up. Canada lays claim to a number of cheese festivals, but The Great Canadian Cheese Festival, held in Ontario, is the big one. Back in 2025 after a long hiatus, this massive two-day event features over 100 vendors, plus a number of guided tastings and educational seminars, including sessions tailored to kids.

Pine Island Cheese Festival

June, Minnesota

Minnesota’s Pine Island has a history of cheese production, and its Cheese Festival was founded in 1936 to help promote the area’s dairy business. While the festival has expanded into a broader community fair, the festival still honors the area’s cheese pedigree, with a beer, wine, and cheese tasting exhibition taking place at a former cheese factory during the weekend-long event. Will there be cheese curds? You betcha.

Cheese Fest

June, Michigan

Many dairies and creameries have their own cheese-centric fairs and events throughout the year, and Michigan’s Leelanau Dairy hosts a pretty epic one. It’s a deep celebration of cheese, not only with plenty of cheese to taste, but cave tours, meet and greets with cheesemakers, and mozzarella and fromage blanc workshops. Plus: Cheese Olympics. Few cheese festivals offer participants the opportunity to toss cheese wheels, and we daresay no other festivals offer the opportunity to try your hand at curling with cheese wheels.

World Cheese Dip Championship

June, Arkansas

Naturally, the first order of business here was to uncover the meaning of cheese dip: basically, it’s an Arkansas take on chili con queso, a genuine staple of Arkansas cuisine, and something we heartily support as the basis for a festival! (Arkansas Tourism even publishes an Arkansas Cheese Dip Trail map.) This one-day event in Little Rock draws professional and amateur contestants from across the country together to showcase their takes on this cheesy goodness, concurrent with a craft beer festival. For festival attendees, it’s a win-win-win situation.

Cheesemonger Invitational

June, New York

Where cheese sampling meets cheesemonger skill competition in a rock concert setting, one would be inclined to call this annual Brooklyn-based cheese festival a cheese rave. (Though Brooklyn recently debuted another event actually called a cheese rave. We will wait and see if this becomes an annual occurrence!) A one-day extravaganza, the sampling of cheese amazingly plays second fiddle to the performative aspect of the event, where cheesemongers from around the country compete in cheese trivia, portioning, cutting, and wrapping challenges. Plus founder and event host Adam Jay Moskowitz emcees in a cow costume. Read our interview with Moskowitz about the Cheesemonger Invitational.

Vermont Cheesemakers Festival

August, Vermont

Small in size but massive in importance, Vermont is on par with California and Wisconsin when it comes to formidable dairy. Presented by the Vermont Cheese Council, Shelburne Farms hosts the annual gathering of Vermont’s many artisan cheesemakers, a one-day, sellout event whose vendors include some of the biggest names in American cheese, including Jasper Hill, Vermont Creamery, and Cabot. An irresistible tidbit from their materials, and an excellent reminder to plan ahead: “While many of our vendors accept credit cards, Wi-Fi and cell reception are never a guarantee in Vermont, and we encourage attendees to have a little cash on-hand for purchases. (How much? Only you know your true cheese limitations.)”

Maine Cheese Festival

September, Maine

Taking place in Pittsfield, Maine, the Maine Cheese Festival is the main fundraising event for the Maine Cheese Guild, which supports 20-plus cheesemakers throughout the state. The one-day event showcases Maine’s rich cheesemaking tradition — its neighboring state is Vermont, after all — and is a ticketed event for participants to taste and buy cheese, and meet Maine’s innovative cheesemakers, including Silvery Moon Creamery, Lakin’s Gorges Cheese, and Fuzzy Udder Creamery.

SF Cheese Fest

September, California

As if California didn’t already have it good with its Artisan Cheese Festival, another opportunity to celebrate the state’s exemplary cheesemakers pops up in September. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025, the SF Cheese fest is a one-day opportunity to taste an abundance of California as well as locally made accompaniments.

The Ohio Swiss Festival

September, Ohio

With over 70 years of history, The Ohio Swiss Festival in the town of Sugarcreek is a three-day celebration of all things Swiss culture, but has historically been sponsored in part by the Ohio Swiss Cheese Association, so you know cheese has a robust presence. A weekend-long wine and cheese tasting is available at the local fire station, and an annual footrace is also affectionately named the “Cheese Chase.”

MA Cheese Festival

September, Massachusetts

Sponsored by the Massachusetts Cheese Guild, and celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025, this one-day celebration at High Lawn Farm brings together cheese makers as well as local chefs for pairings, discussions, and demonstrations. Expect to see and taste Massachusetts favorites from producers such as Round Table Farm, Pariva, and Grey Barn.

Quad State Cheese Fest

September, Maryland

Referring to an area in the Mid-Atlantic U.S., and taking place in Maryland, the Quad State Cheese Fest is tagged as “a true celebration of cheese in every way.” And indeed, according to its banner, this one-day cheese festival promises grilled cheese, fried cheese, mac ‘n cheese, cheese fries, fresh cheese, artisan cheese, seafood and cheese, cheese burgers, cheese pairings, cheese desserts, cheese snacks, “and so much more!” (Like, what else even is there?) The organizers also produce a Beer Fest, Wine Fest, Pickle Fest, Brunch Fest, and Flavor Fest, and frankly? We are here for the hyperbole.

Watonga Cheese Festival

October, Oklahoma

Our research shows that many towns throughout America have a cheese fest of sorts that is primarily a grilled cheese or mac and cheese cook off. The Watonga Cheese Festival, taking place in October in Watonga, Oklahoma, goes a step beyond that. A 47-year tradition centered around Watanga brand cheese — whose production moved to Texas, but is still a source of local pride — the two-day Watonga Cheese Festival involves a tasting line of Watanga products, a wine and cheese pairing booth featuring local cheeses and Oklahoma wine, and a cook off that includes any food made with cheese.

Little Falls Cheese Festival

October, New York

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2025, the Little Falls Cheese Festival is a one-day gathering of New York State’s cheesemakers. Past festivals have featured over 70 vendors, a third of them cheesemakers, so expect to see some familiar producers and cheesemongers such as Old Chatham Creamery, 5 Spoke Creamery, and Adirondack Cheese Company. In 2024, there was even a cheese-themed radio play performance, called “Where’s the Big Cheese Now?”

Carolina Mountain Cheese Fest

October, North Carolina

Sponsored by the WNC Cheese Trail, the Carolina Mountain Cheese Fest was cancelled in 2024 due to Hurricane Helene. While we wait to see if the festival has plans to return this year or in years to come, we’re including it here to show a little love to those regional cheesemakers who were affected. Hosted by the Oak and Grist Distilling Company, 2024 participants were to have included over 10 Carolina creameries, such as Looking Glass Creamery, Blue Ridge Mountain Creamery, and Boxcarr Handmade Cheese.

Queso Quesoff

November, Texas

Austin’s annual Queso Quesoff — with points for both word play and curd play — is a celebration of melted, scoopable, and spicy queso. Held at Mohawk, an iconic music venue, in downtown Austin, professional chefs and enthusiastic amateurs can enter their versions into the competition, with four awards up for grabs: meaty, spicy, veggie, and wild card! (2024’s Wild Card winner, Yellow Ranger, offered up an Asian-inspired queso with black garlic, kimchi, and chili crisp. Yes, please.) As if such a competition weren’t a worthy event in its own right, the one-day festival’s proceeds also support the Central Texas Food Bank.

Wisconsin Cheese Festivals Preview

While we’ll highlight Wisconsin’s annual festivals in its own post, here’s a sneak preview of what’s available for enthusiasts in America’s cheese state.

Beer, Cheese, and Beyond Fest (January, Madison)
Dairy State Cheese and Beer Festival (April, Kenosha)
Between the Bluffs Beer, Wine, and Cheese Festival (April, LaCrosse)
Wisconsin Cheese Festival (May, Lake Geneva)
Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival (June, Little Chute)
Cheese Curd Festival (June, Ellsworth)
New Glarus Beer, Bacon, and Cheese Festival (June, New Glarus)
Cheese Capital Festival (June, Plymouth)
Colby Cheese Days (July, Colby)
Blair Cheese Festival (September, Blair)
Art of Cheese Festival (September, Madison)
Drink Wisconsinbly Curd Fest (October, Milwaukee)