Lisbon, first bite of grilled sardine snaps in the mouth, smoky-sweet, soft with olive oil. Festas de Lisboa rolls well into August, but the Sardine Festival (Festa da Sardinha) peaks during the Santo António days: watch city squares packed, every corner lit, locals shouting to friends, fish sold straight off the grill with bread. Dates this year: August 9–15.

Barcelona brightens with the Festa Major de Gràcia from August 15–21. Along with wild street decorations, food stalls line narrow lanes. Expect botifarra, pa amb tomàquet, crema catalana, all passed from hand to eager hand, most stands run by families with old recipes, smiles for regulars and first-timers.

Bangkok, heat deepens near the river as the Thai Fruit Festival fills the central plazas August 4–10. Fresh mangos sliced to shine in the sun. Rambutan, lychee, durian: samples everywhere, sometimes free. Squeeze in for shrimp cakes, coconut ice, sticky rice. Senses jolt awake.

Greece celebrates its Baklava Festival August 18–22, a competition, street party, confectioner’s playground. The first tray is carried out, gold syrup running over layers, pistachios ground into dust. Sugar and laughter stay in the air hours after the last piece is cut.

Antibes, Market Day in Old Town stretches into the Antibes Taste Week, August 7–12 this year, focused on Mediterranean dishes. Pissaladière, socca, tapenade. French wine sipped under striped awnings, trays of olives, grilled fish, soft cheese, and rose petal jam. Locals linger past dusk.

Dublin’s Big Grill Festival takes Merrion Square August 21–24. Smoke from open fires, sizzling beef, pork, chicken, spices billowing out to the street. Chefs battle with tongs and secret rubs. The crowd makes room for Irish whiskey tastings, baked potatoes, charred corn.

Los Angeles, the Gelato Festival arrives August 30-31. The city turns into a sugar rush, lines winding around squares, flavors from salted pistachio to fig and ricotta. Judges sample, children try to snag extra cups. Someone hands out wooden spoons.

Stockholm’s Food Market Festival, August 8–10, brings wild berries, elk stew, cinnamon buns with crunching sugar, local beer with surprising bitterness. The ferry landing smells of cardamom by evening.

If you are visiting for a food festival, be sure to give food for your brain as well with Wingman’s audio tours. You can get the app here!