The Fancy Food Show is a trade show about food and beverages organized by the Specialty Food Association (SFA). It is specifically for specialty producers, buyers, distributors, and other members of the food community to discover foods, make connections, and learn about specialty food and beverage trends. The Show will be changing formats in 2026.
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When and Where the Show Occurs?
Usually, there are two shows. One in the summer and the second in the winter. The Summer Fancy Food show annually takes place every summer at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The last Summer Fancy Food show will be Summer Fancy Food show 2025 on June 29- July 1, 2025.
The winter convention occurs every winter in Las Vegas at the Empire Las Vegas Convention Center. The last convention was the Winter Fancy Food show 2025 on January 19-21, 2025. The Winter show will be called the Winter FancyFaire and in 2026 it will be held in San Diego.
The Winter Fancyfaire will take place at the San Diego Convention Center January 11-13, 2026.
Key Features of the Fancy Food Show
The show features many specialty food and beverage products. All products are known for their quality, flavor and craftsmanship and could include shelf stable, refrigerated, and frozen foods.
That said, it is a trade-only event, limited to businesses and people in the industry. Attendees include retailer representatives (supermarkets, independent food stores, etc.), foodservice suppliers (restaurants, caterers), importers, representatives from media outlets, and so forth.
The Fancy Food Show provides considerable opportunities for both new and established brands to raise awareness for their products and connect directly with buyers. The Fancy Food show is often the place where new food products and trends are introduced.
The show includes more than an exhibition. The event also provides educational and seminar sessions, in addition to networking opportunities, for trade attendees to meet, share information, and discuss the food industry.
Event Activities and Content
At the event, visitors can find thousands of new products from nearly 2,500 exhibitors from many countries. Products from basic food products to frozen foods are displayed at the exhibition.
The event will include some educational seminars, including consumer education initiatives. Industry experts will speak on market trends, processing, product safety, branding, and marketing approaches. At the Summer Fancy Food Show in 2025, for example, there were presentations on food/beverage trends that can be expected in the near term.
In addition, the Fancy Food Show presents an excellent experience for developing business contacts. A series of networking events, parties, and others dedicated to meetings/events provide attendees with opportunities to engage with retailers, distributors, and the media.
Often there are industry competitions, such as pastry competitions, as well as industry accolades for innovative products, post-show the report for Summer Fancy Food Show 2025 mentions.
Summer and Winter Fancy Food Show 2025
For 2025, the themes will focus on innovation with vegetables, evolving global flavors in different formats, and functionality within foods to promote health and wellness.
The summer show will be a celebration of the initiators of change in the food industry, as it examines the trends, formats, and packaging to anticipate in the months and years ahead. Similarly, the winter show will be the first of many food shows over the calendar year and will decide and determine the trends for the duration of the season. It attracts established specialty meat and cheese companies.
The Summer Fancy Food Show 2025 is the largest Fancy Food Show on record. We saw a 14% increase of registrations for attendance with 32,000+. There were roughly 1,000 new products, a substantial increase from 2024.
In contrast, while the winter edition was not as large as the summer program, it had a strong draw for its increased purchasing power. It highlighted the latest products, trends, and innovations across the many specialty food categories, including but not limited to frozen foods to meat. Approximately 1,100 exhibitors promoted their products, focusing on specialty and heritage products.
Both events established a unique Debut District in the summer edition. The Debut District was a space for new exhibitors, innovative products, and extraordinary start-ups. The winter event had a Tastemaker Conference that had partner brands connected with influencers in food.
Exhibitors at the 2025 Summer Fancy Food Show put their industry commitment on display as they repeatedly collected & donated tens of thousands of pounds of food through City Harvest to help people in need in New York.
Changes to Winter FancyFaire
Starting in 2026, Winter FancyFaire will adapt the format to bring a program that leads with innovation and immersive experiences. The programming will have more intimate tasting tables, community events throughout the city, and networking activities at iconic San Diego locations. The changes support an initiative to create deeper relationships between brands and shoppers.