Overview Del Mar Wine + Food Festival is a weeklong celebration of Southern California food, wine and coastal living, founded by locals and co-owned by the team behind San Diego Magazine. Chef dinners, tastings, parties and a celebrity pickleball tournament move around San Diego County during the week. It all ends with a two-day Grand Tasting on the lawn at Surf Sports Park, the former Del Mar Polo Fields. On site The Grand Tasting puts more than 100 chefs and restaurants next to over 150 wineries, breweries, distilleries and drink makers. Guests wander themed zones such as Taco Alley, Plant Paradise, The Beach, The Tee Box and a Wellness Zone, each with its own presenting sponsor. A cooking stage runs demos and a culinary competition. VIP guests get early entry and a VIP Tent with small plates from Michelin-level chefs. Around it, the week adds an opening-night tasting, winemaker and whiskey dinners, and Nightcap, the official after party. Audience The crowd skews female, about 60/40, and comes for food, wine, wellness and the coastal lifestyle. San Diego County locals mix with visitors from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Seattle, Denver, Austin, New York and Miami. The Grand Tasting is 21 and over. Talent and Influencers Food Network chefs Jet Tila, Maneet Chauhan and Aarti Sequeira headline with Top Chef winner Buddha Lo, Beau MacMillan, Kelsey Murphy and Jackson Kalb. Michelin-starred chefs from Baja's Valle de Guadalupe, among them Drew Deckman and Javier Plascencia, cook beside San Diego names like Tara Monsod and Eric Bost, and MasterChef winner Claudia Sandoval hosts the stage. Drew Brees hosts the celebrity pickleball tournament. Guy Fieri, Alex Morgan, Rob Machado, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul have all turned up in past years. Track record Co-founded by Troy and Claire Johnson of San Diego Magazine with Chris Finn, the festival has grown into one of the largest food and wine gatherings on the West Coast, and Thrillist has ranked it among the best food festivals in the country. Feeding San Diego has been the charity partner from the start, and the festival has raised six figures for its hunger relief work. Brand presence Sponsors own whole pieces of the weekend. Alaska Airlines presents the cooking stage, Visit SLO CAL and Visit Santa Barbara each present a wine zone, DAOU presents The Tee Box, Milagro presents Taco Alley, and San Diego Wave FC and San Diego FC host a matchday zone. Category partners include Pechanga, Cadillac, prAna, LaCroix, Stone Brewing, Brandt Beef and COOLA. Aperol, Hendrick's, Tito's and Tequila Ocho pour at their own bars, and CBS 8, KPBS and San Diego Magazine carry the media.