Dennis Nett

Lucky eaters in Central New York can feast their way through food festivals almost year-round.

This year, the celebration kicks off with crawfish, hot wings and barbecue. Summer starts with Taste of Syracuse and ends with the New York State Fair -- and in between festival-goers can eat their way through Greece, the Middle East, Poland and the Ukraine. For fall, think red: tomatoes and apples.

Don't Edit

Dennis Nett

Crawfish Festival & Clambake

Syracuse

May 5

The 11th annual Crawfish Festival & Clambake runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Clinton Square. Operation Northern Comfort is bringing in 3,500 pounds of crawfish, plus a generous amount of deep-fried crawfish mac and cheese.

Operation Northern Comfort works to rebuild homes damaged by natural disasters, and this festival is one of its main fundraisers. The group also raises money for Syracuse-area groups, such as In My Father's Kitchen and A Tiny Home for Good.

Don't Edit

Jared Paventi

Syracuse Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival

May 12

More than two dozen food trucks from Central New York and the Finger Lakes will drive to the New York State Fairgrounds once again for one of the season's earliest -- and biggest -- rodeos.

Don't Edit

Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

Salt City BBQ Festival

Geddes

May 19

This barbecue cook-off is sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society. Yes, it's a serious contest. Yes, you can sample some of the meat. (Not all competitors offer samples, FYI.)

The event also raises money for Phoenix Philosophies, an organization that buys and renovates homes for homeless veterans in Syracuse.

The festival is at the New York State Fairgrounds. It runs from noon to 11 p.m. General admission is $5.

Don't Edit

Stephen D. Cannerelli

Inner Harbor Wing Fest

Syracuse

May 18 and 19

This new festival will be at the Inner Harbor, which is in the midst of a major redevelopment. The two-day festival features 10 Syracuse-area chicken wing makers. On Saturday, the one with the tastiest wings wins the crown. Live music and tours of new Inner Harbor apartments are also part of the festivities.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Submitted by Happy Eating Ground

Taste of Syracuse

Syracuse

June 1 and 2

The Bang Bang Shrimp is back.

This annual event in and around Clinton Square attracted more than 200,000 people last year. This year's lineup includes homemade ramen, milkshakes, more fried dough and mac and cheese and Thai foods, and some cake pops. (Plus, Chick-fil-A is coming.)

The headline act is Smash Mouth. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. both days. There is no admission charge.

Don't Edit

Gary Walts | gwalts@syracuse.com

St. Sophia's Greek Cultural Festival

DeWitt

June 7 to 10

This marks the 45th annual Greek festival at St. Sophia's, a Greek Orthodox church just east of Syracuse. Thousands of people come during the four-day festival, many for the food: lamb kebabs, chicken souvlaki, pastichio, moussaka, and the pites, spinach and cheese pies in homemade dough.

Don't Edit

Teri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.com

Taste of Summer Festival

June 9

Auburn, N.Y.

The day-long event will feature food vendors from the Syracuse and Rochester areas. The music line up includes The Dean's List and Under The Gun.

The festival is from noon to 8 p.m. on Deauville Island at Emerson Park on Owasco Lake in Auburn.

Don't Edit

Photo provided by Clear Path for Veterans

Red, White & Blue Barbecue

June 16

This four-hour event benefits Clear Path for Veterans in Chittenango. Adam Richman, star of "Secret Eats" returns this year, as does former Syracuse football coach Doug Marrone.

Pro tip: Take a look at this menu. It's not your ordinary barbecue.

Don't Edit

Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.

Syracuse Polish Festival

Syracuse

June 22 to 24

This annual downtown event raises money for the Polish Scholarship Fund. That means every pierogi you eat will help send a kid to college. Seriously. So far, the group has awarded $370,000 to about 400 students.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Mike Greenlar

St. Elias Middle Eastern Festival

Onondaga

July 12 to 15

This four-day event features Middle Eastern fare: tabbouleh, labneh, kibbeh, gyros, shwarma and Lebanese dolma. The St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church added an extra day to the festival a couple of years ago. They've worked hard to make sure the food lines are shorter and more parking is available.

Don't Edit

Provided photo

Rotary Ribs Rhythm & Blues Festival

Auburn

July 20 to 22

The festivities start Friday night with a free concert at Emerson Park. The meat of the festival is Saturday and Sunday, when the competition begins. The contest is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. More than two dozen teams competed last year, the festival's first. Admission on Saturday and Sunday is $10 per adult, per day. Children 12 and under are $5.

Don't Edit

Katrina Tulloch

Syracuse Ukrainian Festival

Syracuse

July 27 to 28

The festival at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church on Tipperary Hill features more than 14,000 pyrohy (potato and cheese dumplings), 4,000 holupchi (cabbage rolls), 500 links of kielbasy (pork sausage), 17 tubs of kapusta (Ukrainian sauerkraut), and gallons of borsch (beet soup, sometimes spelled borscht). Also look for the popular Ukrainian breads and baked goods.

Don't Edit

SCOTT SCHILD

Macedonian Festival

Onondaga

Aug. 3 to Aug. 5

This three-day festival is put on by the St. George Macedonian Orthodox Church. The food includes lamb, chicken, musakas and sarmi (stuffed cabbage with beef and rice).

Don't Edit

Submitted by the Jewish Music & Cultural Festival

Syracuse Jewish Music & Cultural Festival

DeWitt

August 5

This family event at the Jewish Community Center features food from Oaks Catering: corned beef sandwiches, falafel wraps, kosher hot dogs, kugel and knish.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

David Lassman

Festival Latino Americano

Aug. 11

Syracuse

This celebration will return to Clinton Square for the second year in a row. The party -- filled with food, art, music and dancing -- starts at noon.

Don't Edit

N. Scott Trimble

Syracuse Bacon Festival

Aug. 18

The bacon returns to Clinton Square for a free, all-day fest from noon to 8 p.m. Nearly 30 vendors are expected -- and each one has to serve at least one thing with bacon.

Don't Edit

SYR

New York State Fair

Geddes

Aug. 22 to Sept. 3

Great ready for the food festival of food festivals: The Great New York State Fair. This 13-day fair feeds the 1 million visitors who descend on the Syracuse-area at the end of the summer. From funnel cakes and sausage sandwiches to hot beef sundaes and 25-cent-cups of milk, the fair has something for even the pickiest eater. (Yes, you can even find a few healthy foods, too.)

Don't Edit

Stephen D. Cannerelli | scannerelli@syracuse.com

Central New York's Tomato Fest

Auburn

Sept. 8

The Tomato Fest in Auburn has raised more than $300,000 for food pantries since the first festival in 1985. The day's events include food and shopping.

Don't Edit

SCOTT SCHILD

Festa Italiana Syracuse

Syracuse

Sept. 14 to 16

This downtown Syracuse tradition has all the classics: meatballs, Utica greens, arancini and lots of sauce. The bocce tournament is on Saturday.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Dennis Nett

Jordan Fall Festival

Jordan

Sept. 14 to 16

Friday starts with a fish fry. Other foods include "famous" donuts and cider, a pie sale, chowder, barbecue chicken and a Sunday pancake breakfast.

Don't Edit

Gary Walts

Apple Festival

Central Square

Sept. 28 to 30

This three-day festival is hosted by the Lioness Club of Central Square. The event includes music, shopping and, of course, candied apples.

Don't Edit

Mike Greenlar

LaFayette Apple Festival

LaFayette

Oct. 6 to 7

This arts and crafts festival features a slim but delicious menu of, mainly, apple pies, fritters and pancakes. Admission is $5.

Don't Edit

Courtesy of Daniel Bell Photography

READ MORE:

The FLX family is adding fried chicken to its growing menu of restaurants.