The range of fresh produce and culinary styles from the different corners of the USA mean the variety of food festivals which take place each year are outstanding. Explore the Jewish heritage of America by visiting the Bagelfest held in small Illinois town Mattoon, or appreciate the country's Polish roots with the celebrated Pierogi Fest in Whiting, Indiana. Or, if you have a love for southern barbecue, you can't miss Lexington's epic Barbecue Festival or the National Shrimp Festival in coastal Alabama. Wherever you choose to visit, come with an empty stomach and get ready to renew your appreciation of the incredible culinary traditions of America.

Mattoon Bagelfest

Bagel lovers, unite! Mattoon Bagelfest is a quirky food festival held in the small city of Mattoon, Illinois, that celebrates the art of bagel making. Every July, a foodie weekend of celebration fills the city, where as well as ample bagels for tasting, you can find local craft beer and a vibrant street festival with plenty of live music. It even attracts nationally renowned musicians - in 2018, Grammy Award winning band Diamond Rio performed, so you can be sure your trip to the festival will have an epic soundtrack. There are even quirky side events like a Miss Bagel beauty pageant and a 10 or 5 km run. Make sure you arrive early for the events on Saturday - there's an annual Bagelfest Parade held at 10.30am which winds around 21st and Western Avenue to 1st Street, and is an experience you won't forget.

The Barbecue Festival (October 24, 2020)

Every October is Barbecue month in North Carolina, and nowhere celebrates it more than the city of Lexington. At the end of the month, the occasion is celebrated with a one-day barbecue extravaganza which takes over the town. Roam around the foodie city and barbecue capital of the world, and you'll find an incredible number of street food stalls dedicated to the craft. Attracting more than 160, 000 visitors each year, you can try all of the state's distinctive styles of barbecue here; from the Lexington style, where a vinegar based sauce is used to douse the pork shoulder section before it's lovingly smoked, or the Eastern style, where the flavouring is kept light to draw attention to the natural flavour of the pork, and the hickory infused from the smoking process. As well as food, explore the many crafts vendors and listen to live music.

Pierogi Fest (24 - 26 July 2020)

Near to Lake Michigan, the small town of Whiting celebrates its Polish heritage every July with a pierogi themed festival that takes over the whole town. More than 250, 000 visitors flood into the Northwest Indiana town, where downtown roads are only open to foot traffic, so people can most easily access the mouth-watering wares on sale. Don't miss the pierogi (Polish dumplings), kielbasa (caraway flavoured smoked sausage) and sauerkraut (fermented cabbage pickle) on sale. When you've no more room, enjoy the live music and carnival rides, and don't miss witnessing the pierogi eating competitions and the annual auspicious crowning of "Mr Pierogi."

Gilroy Garlic Festival

The Californian town of Gilroy dedicates itself to everyone's favourite delicious but pungent herb every July. You'll want to head straight for Gourmet Alley, where you'll see the awe-inspiring sight of their annual resident "Pyro chefs" who use flames to create a spectacular show, while cooking up a whole bunch of garlic themed goodies. Make sure you try their garlic shrimp, pepper steak sandwiches and pasta con pesto. After that, explore the festival and its many quirky offerings, from the Miss Gilroy Garlic Festival pageant to the Great Garlic Cook Off.

Annual National Shrimp Festival

For a festival in the great outdoors, you can't do much better than the Annual National Shrimp Festival on the beautiful beaches of coastal Alabama. Every October, a food boardwalk of sorts is set up, and a myriad of stalls serve up freshly caught shrimp in every way imaginable. As well as that, you can try locally made crab cakes and conch fritters, as well as succulent lobster and the infamous Cajun pistols - crawfish stuffed fritters. When you've finished your taste test, enjoy watching cooking demos, live music and see their annual Restaurant Challenge, where Alabama's finest chefs compete for a place at the World Food Championship.

When you think about Christmas, you might well think of the festive wonderland that is New York City in December. Recreated in many a Hollywood movie, the thought of ice skating, wandering through Central Park and stopping off to see extravagant window displays in historic department stores are at the top of anyone's Christmas list. Make your dreams come true this year and visit New York at Christmas time.

Rockefeller Christmas Tree

There are few things as quintessentially New York at Christmas as the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Head over to the Rockefeller Center and see the iconic Norwegian spruce lit up in full glory - the lights are on every evening till 9pm on 7th January. If you're in New York City in November, don't miss the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting, a blowout Christmas extravaganza of a ceremony with incredible performers and live music.

Bryant Park Winter Village (photo)

Another New York City winter stalwart, there are few things as Christmassy as a toasty evening spent at the Bryant Park Winter Village. The biggest draw here has to be the 17, 000 square foot ice-skating ring - which, amazingly, is free. Open every day from 8am - 10pm, you can bring your own skates or rent them for $20. As well as this, surrounding the ice rink are 170 different holiday shops including the Pierogi Boys (making epic renditions of everyone's favourite dumpling,) Good Stock (to warm up with homemade soups) and the unforgettable S'Mores Bar by Squash (a favourite NYC marshmallow company.)

Dyker Heights Holiday Lights

For an eccentric Christmas activity, book onto one of the bus tours out to Dyker Heights, a Brooklyn neighbourhood with a penchant for over-the-top holiday light displays. On the 3.5-hour bus tour, you'll witness 25-foot toy soldiers, a two-story tall Santa and impossibly, a house decked out with more than 30, 000 different lights. This Christmas spectacle has happened annually since 1986, when a holiday-loving new resident called Lucy Spata moved in - now known locally as "Mrs Claus" - and inspired her neighbours to join in too!

Holiday Window Displays

For a similarly spectacular experience of maximalist Christmas decorations, wander past New York's biggest department stores to see their annual extravagant window displays. Don't miss Barneys, Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as Bergdorf Goodman and Tiffany and Co, for a truly New York experience of the holiday season. Each year these iconic stores pick a theme, from sweets (think giant candy canes and gingerbread houses) to The Grinch, and the ensuing creativity will make your mind boggle.

All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914

For fans of theatre, New York City has some of the finest productions and actors working there. For a special Christmas treat, buy tickets for All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. This moving and unforgettable musical, originally shown on Broadway and created by writer-director Peter Rothstein, takes as its subject the 1914 Christmas Day truce between British and German troops during World War I. It draws on Christmas carols and war songs, as well as poems, letters and diary entries from soldiers, to create an extremely moving play that will bring you renewed appreciation of your loved ones this Christmas.

A Christmas Carol at the Merchants House

A special little Christmas event in New York City is the annual performance of A Christmas Carol in the peaceful Merchant's House museum. This tradition began after Charles Dickens spent a month performing it here in 1867, and the one-hour play is re-enacted during the Christmas period. The atmosphere here is truly enchanting – it's performed by candlelight in the historic building - and there's free mulled wine and festive snacks.

New York Christmas Walking Tour

If you're visiting the city this Christmas, why not do your sightseeing with a Christmassy twist? Book onto the Christmas Walking Tour and spend an hour wandering around Manhattan - you'll walk past many of the sights mentioned on the list - such as the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and Bryant Park Winter Village. You'll also finish off at the Radio City Music Hall, where you can see the fantastic 90-minute stage show the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes - a festive treat that stars over 140 different performers.

Every May, the celebrated Culinaria food festival takes over the Texan town of San Antonio for five glorious days. Renowned as one of the greatest food festivals in America, the event explores the best of southern state cooking as well as national and international culinary traditions. Make sure you arrive with an empty stomach and get ready to sample the best food you've tried all year.

Tex-mex cuisine

An internationally acclaimed blend of Mexican and southern state cooking, Culinaria hosts some excellent tex-mex chefs and food stalls. Don't miss their annual tex-mex and tequila event, which celebrates this unique comfort cuisine. Learn about and feast upon classic dishes like Chile con queso, a sinfully tasty blend of local cheese, cream and chilli peppers, best enjoyed with chips and guacamole. You'll also find incredible renditions of Texan-style Chile con carne, crispy tacos and fajitas loaded with freshly grown ingredients. Don't miss their annual taco showdown where tex-mex chefs from across the state battle it out for the coveted crown of "Taco King."

Wine

Wine country might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Texas, but the region has a long and celebrated history of wine production due to its sunny and dry climate. You can find a wide selection of locally produced wines at Culinaria, particularly at its Texas Grand Tasting, a luxurious wine pairing event which is accompanied by fine creations by the best local chefs.

Barbecue

Texas is where some of the country's best pit masters hail from, and if you're a fan of this unique facet of Southern food culture, make sure you visit the Burgers, BBQ and Beer section of Culinaria. You'll find a string of delicious-smelling grill stations in a smoke-filled but beautiful site in Texas Hill Country. Feast on the freshly grilled burgers and barbecue, wash it down with local craft beer and enjoy lively seminars and classes on the art of barbecue.

Food truck cuisine

Texas is the home of some of the best food truck restaurants in the world, and you can find a huge selection of these at Culinaria. Their food truck event is a fan favourite, and you can find a colossal variety of food here, from lobster rolls to tacos as well as locally produced wine and organic beer. Don't miss the infamous Duck Fat French Fries from Say She Ate, and the Chipotle Braised Pork Sliders from Crazy Carls. Afterwards enjoy live music and appease your inner child at the petting zoo.

Desserts, Texan style

One of Texas' famous exports is the humble pecan nut, famous for perfectly finishing off a myriad of tasty desserts. Don't miss feasting on some of Texas' best sweets - make sure you try gourmet renditions of the humble pecan pie, also known as Texas' official dessert – which is perfectly matched with a scoop of soft vanilla ice cream. Make sure you also try buttermilk pie, a custardy cake flavoured with buttermilk, and Texas sheet cake, a delicious flat brownie-style sponge that's flavoured richly with cocoa and pecans.

The Grand Tasting

Not so much a Texan tradition as a unique Culinaria tradition, The Grand Tasting is the grand finale of the festival and treats visitors to a tasting event helmed by two of the area's top-rated chefs. You'll be accompanied by incredible live music and performances, as well as the best local wines chosen by sommeliers to match the meal. If wine isn't your thing, they also provide a selection of extremely creative cocktails to keep your thirst quenched. The night ends with a silent auction - where lots of foodie treats and top-notch bottles of wine are up for grabs, and everything sold raises money in support of local charities.

If you're into second-hand shopping, there's no end of brilliant flea markets around the USA. America is home to some renowned pre-loved shopping events, from the iconic Rose Bowl in California to the quirky antiques sold at the massive Brimfield Show in Massachusetts. If your idea of a great Sunday is waking up early to delve deep for your next one of a kind bargain, grab a coffee and head over to one of these fantastic events.

Rose Bowl Flea Market (photo)

It's here that you should pick if you're hoping for a celebrity sighting or two while you rummage. Held every second Sunday of the month at Rose Bowl Stadium, this Californian second hand extravaganza houses a sprawling selection of antiques and vintage. There are more than 2, 500 booths here, and you'll find amazing antique furniture to deck out your home, and classic vintage clothing and accessories from the 1920s to the 1990s. Oh and bring your camera - just in case you see one of Hollywood's famous residents shopping alongside you.

Brooklyn Flea

A newbie to the interstate flea market scene, Brooklyn Flea was launched in 2008, and since then has grown to fill multi-locations around the borough. From April to October, head over to flagship site Fort Greene every Saturday, and on Sundays the market is held at DUMBO. During the winter months the market changes location to Skylight One Hanson, and a visit here will give you a chance to rummage through vintage clothing and furniture, as well as ample amounts of awesome street food.

Brimfield Antique Show and Flea Market

The tiny Massachusetts town of Brimfield is the home of the biggest flea market in America, stretching across an entire mile. More than 5, 000 dealers attend the summer shows, which take place three times per year, in May, July and September. It's been running for over 50 years, and sells everything - vintage, design, antiques and collectibles. You'll be sure to find some bargains at this mega event.

First Monday Trade Days

Also known as the Canton Flea Market, First Monday Trade Days is a historic Texan second-hand fair that's taken place on the same site for more than 150 years. Originally set up to sell horses and livestock, it's come a long way since then, and now sells every kind of pre-loved item under the sun. Still befitting its name, the flea market opens for the weekend before the first Monday of every month. Come to explore more than 28 miles of quirky vintage and antique goods - and it's an easy drive from Dallas too, meaning you should definitely make a visit.

Randolph Street Market

Every weekend, downtown Chicago becomes home to a second-hand shopping blowout. Randolph Street Market includes a flea market, craft fair and antique show all in one epic event. Come to find stylish wares, as well as tasty street food and live music. If you're after a quirky way to travel there, why not board the free historic street trolley there? It leaves from the Water Tower Pumping Station every hour.

Fremont Sunday Street Market

The pretty centre of Seattle hosts a fantastic street market every weekend. Drop by on Sunday afternoon, where you can explore stalls from 180 different vendors who set up shop along the Salmon Bay Ship Canal. If you're happy to rummage for a bargain, head over to 34th Street, where an innocuous garage hides a secret array of vintage wares; from old band t-shirts and vinyl to cowboy boots and retro film posters. If you're after a place to enjoy the view and take a breather, get a drink at the Red Door pub and enjoy their sunny patio.

Shipshewana Auction and Flea Market

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the summer and autumn months, the tiny town of Shipshewana in rural Indiana hosts the largest flea market in the Midwest. Known for having the third largest Amish population in America, you can find lots of handmade goods for sale from Amish farmers who live and work nearby. There are 900 different stalls altogether, and you can find a wide selection of pre-loved goods like antiques and glassware for sale. Don't miss the infamous Auction Restaurant, housed at the market since 1950 – take the opportunity to purchase one of their legendary blueberry pies to take home with you.