Birmingham News file photo/Linda Stelter

The calendar has flipped the page to September, and as summer comes to an end and fall fast approaches, that means another food festival season has arrived in Birmingham.

Between now and early November, the fall calendar is filled with food events all around the Magic City and its surrounding suburbs, including festivals celebrating everything from Birmingham's Greek heritage to its Hispanic culture, from a mac-and-cheese fest and a catfish fry to a farm-to-table picnic and the city's largest food truck rally.

To whet your appetite for the weeks ahead, we've put together our annual list of Birmingham food festivals to put on your fall calendar, complete with details, dates, locations, and websites where you may find tickets and more information.

Please continue reading to see what you have to look forward to. -- Bob Carlton

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Photo courtesy of Magic City Mac 'N Cheese Festival

Magic City Mac 'N Cheese Festival

What: Festival participants get to taste mac and cheese dishes from several of Birmingham's favorite restaurants, food trucks and caterers. Proceeds benefit Community Grief Support, which helps fund grief counseling and support groups in the Birmingham area.

When: Sunday, Sept. 9; 1 to 4 p.m.

Where: Brookwood Village, Homewood.

Tickets and more information: www.macfestbhm.com.

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Photo by Say Bre Photography

Graze: Birmingham

What: This fourth annual farm-to-fork picnic features culinary collaborations between area farmers and chefs, who pair up to prepare dishes especially for Graze. The event is vegetarian-friendly, and several dishes also will be vegan. Beverages include beers from Avondale Brewing Company, plus wine and Harvest Roots Ferments kombucha. A full menu of dishes, along with the farmer-chef pairings, will be available on the Graze: Birmingham Facebook page.

When: Sunday, Sept. 9; 5-8 p.m.

Where: Avondale Brewery, 201 41st St. South, Birmingham

Tickets and more information: www.asanonline.org/graze

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Image courtesy of Shelby County Education Foundation

Taste of Shelby County

What: About 25 restaurants and caterers from around Shelby County offer guests a taste of their specialty dishes.

When: Thursday, Sept. 13; 6 to 8 p.m.

Where: Inverness Country Club, 1 Country Club Drive, Birmingham.

Tickets and more information: www.shelbyedfoundation.org/event/taste-of-shelby-county.

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Taste of Mountain Brook

What: Sample dishes from more than 20 of Mountain Brook's favorite restaurants.

When: Sunday, Sept. 16; 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Where: 101 Hoyt Lane, Crestline Village, Mountain Brook.

Tickets and more information: www.tasteofmountainbrook.com.

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Photo courtesy of Railroad Park

Trucks by the Tracks

What: Sample dishes from about 30 food trucks and carts at this annual fundraiser for Railroad Park.

When: Sunday, Sept. 16; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Railroad Park, Birmingham.

Tickets and more information: www.railroadpark.org.

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Image courtesy of Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce

Taste of Trussville

What: This 10th annual event features food samples from some of Trussville's most popular restaurants.

When: Thursday, Sept. 27; 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Where: Trussville Civic Center, 5381 Trussville Clay Road, Trussville.

Tickets and more information: www.trussvillechamber.com.

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Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com

St. George Middle Eastern Food Festival

What: This annual festival, which celebrates its 37th year in 2018, features such Middle Eastern dishes as kibbee, grape leaves, meat pies and falafel.

When: Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 27-29; 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Where: Saint George Melkite Greek Catholic Church, 425 16th Ave. South, Birmingham.

Tickets and more information: saintgeorgeonline.org/food-festival.

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Image courtesy of Brat Brot

Bratoberfest

What: Birmingham's new Brat Brot biergarten hosts a two-day German-style festival featuring beer, brats, pretzels and live music.

When: Friday-Saturday, Sept. 28-29.

Where: Brat Brot, 2910 Sixth Ave. South, Birmingham.

Tickets and more information: www.bratbrot.com.

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Photo by Teresa Odom

Fiesta

What: Day-long celebration of Alabama's Hispanic culture, featuring Latino music, dance and food.

When: Saturday, Sept. 29.; noon to 8 p.m.

Where: Linn Park, Birmingham.

Tickets and more information: www.fiestabirmingham.com.

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Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com

Whistle Stop Festival

What: Now in its 27th year, the Whistle Stop Festival moves from its hometown of Irondale, the little town that made the fried green tomato famous, to the Outlet Shops of Grand River in Leeds. The festival features food vendors, arts and crafts and live music.

When: Saturday, Sept. 29. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: The Outlet Shops of Grand River, Leeds.

More information: irondalewhistlestopfestival.com.

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Photo courtesy of Cahaba River Society

Cahaba River Fry-Down

What: Teams compete to see who cooks the best catfish and side dishes, and festival-goers get to sample all the dishes and vote for their favorites. Proceeds benefit the Cahaba River Society.

When: Sunday, Sept. 30; noon to 4 p.m.

Where: Railroad Park, Birmingham.

Tickets and more information: www.frydown.com.

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Photo courtesy of Birmingham Greek Festival

Greek Festival

What: This annual festival, which began in 1972, celebrates Birmingham's Greek heritage with such dishes as lamb kabobs, souvlaki, gyros, pastitsio and baklava.

When: Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 4-6.

Where: Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 307 19th St. South, Birmingham.

Website: www.bhamgreekfestival.com.

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Photo courtesy of Alabama Butterbean Festival

Alabama Butterbean Festival

What: Annual fall festival includes a beauty pageant, car show, fireworks and, of course, lots of butterbeans.

When: Friday-Saturday, Oct. 5-6.

Where: Pinson.

Website: alabamabutterbeanfestival.com.

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Photo by Henny Liu Mitchell

Southern Soiree

What: The Birmingham chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier hosts a sunset dinner featuring a menu prepared by Les Dames members Kay Reed of Iz Weddings & Events, Deborah Stone of Stone Hollow Farmstead, Mary Grace Viado of Village Tavern, Kathy Mezrano of Kathy G & Co., Carey Thomasson of Dinner, and Ashley McMakin of Ashley Mac's. Steva Casey of the Atomic Lounge will prepare a signature cocktail especially for the event.

When: Sunday, Oct. 7; 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Where: Jones Valley Teaching Farm, 701 25th St. North, Birmingham.

Tickets and more information: ldeibirmingham.org.

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Photo courtesy of Aldridge Gardens

Taste of Hoover

What: Enjoy an evening under the stars at Aldridge Gardens while sampling dishes from some of Hoover's top restaurants and caterers. Admission includes international wines and craft beers, plus live music.

When: Thursday, Oct. 11; 5 to 8 p.m.

Where: Aldridge Gardens, 3530 Lorna Road, Hoover.

Tickets and more information: aldridgegardens.com.

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Photo courtesy of Birmingham Originals

Breakin' Bread

What: Presented by the Birmingham Originals, this annual, one-day festival features many of your favorite dishes from some of Birmingham's best independently owned restaurants.

When: Sunday, Oct. 14; 1-5 p.m..

Where: Pepper Place, Birmingham.

Tickets and more information: www.breakinbreadbham.com.

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Photo courtesy of St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church

St. Nicholas Russian/Slavic Food Festival

What: Parishioners at this 124-year-old church in rural Jefferson County prepare food and pastries from recipes handed down from relatives and friends who immigrated to Brookside from Western Ukraine and what is now known as Slovakia and from Russian members of the church. Dishes include dumplings, meat pies and kolbasa and kraut.

When: Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 3-4.

Where: St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Brookside.

More information: www.stnicholasbrookside.org.