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Imagine the best things about Nashville’s dining landscape — restaurants, local artisanal foods, spirits, cocktails. Then add the most creative and civically engaged leaders in the local culinary community — entrepreneurs, chefs, makers, distillers. Combine these ingredients at the landmark heart of the Athens of the South, and pack the calendar with four days of tastings, demonstrations, collaborations, competitions, dinners and brunches. That’s the shape of the 2025 Music City Food & Wine Festival, anchored at Centennial Park’s Parthenon, with satellite events in restaurants across the city.

Music City Food & Wine Fest launches a weekend of events April 24-27, bringing together beloved elements of long-running events, including the Nashville Scene’s venerable Iron Fork competition and the Nashville Food Faire. Meanwhile, MCFWF’s Friday night FEAST reprises the outdoor dining splendor of Nfocus magazine’s Alfresco series. In this updated iteration of the elegant open-air event, expect lush tablescapes in the heart of Centennial Park against a backdrop of the Parthenon with a soundtrack of live music. 

MCFWF’s top-tier Connoisseur Pass ($399) comes with entrée to all MCFWF events, including a reserved seat at FEAST. The multi-course wine, cocktail and culinary collaboration by leading chefs — including 1 Kitchen’s Chris Crary, Noko’s Dung “Junior” Vo and Lockeland Table's Hal Holden-Bache — will benefit nonprofit partners Centennial Park Conservancy, the Nashville Food Project and more. The Connoisseur Pass also includes access to reservations at MCFWF’s intimate dinners, Big Gay Brunch and specialty tastings around the city. 

With a Weekend VIP Pass ($199), you can enjoy Saturday’s Grand Tasting with more than 30 booths, the Iron Fork and Mixology competitions, a charity auction, and wine and brew pairings — plus VIP access to Sunday’s Food Faire Brunch Garden. With a Grand Tasting VIP ticket ($150 - SOLD OUT), you’ll get VIP access to everything except the Brunch Garden — meaning exclusive lounges, front-row seats, and the chance to try sips of the Mixology Competition cocktails. General Admission tickets ($89) offer standard access to the same events, including the Grand Tasting hosted at Centennial Park on Saturday, April 26 from 6 to 9:30 p.m.

Over the course of the weekend, look out for local culinary icons, including Deb Paquette and Jess Lambert of etc. and Etch restaurants, Vivek Surti of Tailor, Julio Hernandez of Maíz de la Vida, Mark Grimes of Deacon’s New South, Giovanna Orsino of Tutti da Gio, Edgar Victoria of Alebrije, Mark Waldo of Waldo’s Chicken and Beer, and more local and regional talent to be announced.

For tickets and schedules, visit mcfwf.com.