New York’s most carb-centric celebration returns this fall. BagelFest 2025, presented by King Arthur Baking Company, will take over Citi Field on Sunday, November 16, marking its largest and most ambitious edition yet.
What started in 2019 as a small gathering of bagel fanatics has risen into the ultimate destination for bakers, brands, and food lovers — part industry summit, part edible love letter to the bagel.
Saturday: Where the Bagel Business Gets Serious
Before the main event, two new companion gatherings are joining the lineup on Saturday, November 15, at 120 Walker Street in Manhattan:
The BagelFest Growth Lab (2:00–5:00 p.m.) – an incubator-meets-tasting-room featuring emerging bagel makers from across the U.S. and Canada. Guests can meet new bakers, sample small-batch creations, and join a live Q&A hosted by the Bread Bakers Guild of America on what it really takes to start — and survive — in the modern bagel business.
BagelFest founder Sam Silverman says the Lab is about more than dough:
“We’re building a community that connects rising bakers with mentors, experts, and peers. The Growth Lab shines a light on the people shaping the future of the bagel world.”
The BagelFest Inner Circle Mixer (5:00–8:00 p.m.) – a relaxed evening designed for bakery owners, founders, and food professionals to network, trade stories, and plot the next great bagel collab before Sunday’s big show.
Sunday: The Main Event at Citi Field
Then comes the grand finale — BagelFest at Citi Field, running 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Heineken Diamond Lounge. The event features tastings, live demos, and the festival’s signature competitions: Best of the Fest, Best Bagel, and Best of the Boroughs.
Judging this year falls to a panel of chefs, writers, editors, and dough obsessives — a who’s who of the carb world chosen, as Silverman puts it, “to make the toughest calls in the industry.” Winning, he says, can “redefine a bakery’s future.”
Bagels for the Whole Family
For 2025, BagelFest also doubles down on family fun with a Kids’ Section featuring bagel-themed arts and crafts by Miss Pop Nails, plus multilingual storytelling sessions led by children’s author and food historian Arianna Brooks, who will read from her book My Mushy Matzah Ball. The day ends, appropriately, with the beloved Bagel Rolling Contest.
A Festival That Rises Every Year
Between the Growth Lab, Industry Mixer, expert judges, and kid-friendly flair, BagelFest 2025 is shaping up to be both a serious industry event and a deliciously unserious weekend for anyone who believes carbs are culture.
Tickets start at $69 and are available now at www.bagelfest.com.
