World Food Championships return to Indy

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana State Fairgrounds and Event Center is hosting the 2025 World Food Championships again.

The event will be held Oct. 16-19 at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion, where it was held last year.

In 2024, the competition included over 300 teams, 1,200 chefs and competitors from more than 35 states and 30 countries.

The teams competed for over $450,000 in prize money and championship status across a variety of categories, including bacon, barbecue, burger, chef, dessert, live fire, noodle, rice, sandwich, seafood, soup and vegetarian.

“We are extremely proud to partner with the team at World Food Championships to bring this unique and one-of-a-kind event back to our market, which is truly becoming a destination for events of all kinds,” said Cindy Hoye, executive director of the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Event Center.

“The Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion is the perfect facility to invite Hoosiers and a global audience to explore and experience culinary excellence. We are grateful to the leadership team at the World Food Championships for their commitment to the state of Indiana.”

The competition debuted in 2012 and has since gained a worldwide following. It has facilitated the creation of more than 10,000 new dishes so far.

It also supports communities via partnerships with nonprofits, charities and food banks throughout the United States.

“After the success of our championship event in 2024, we are excited to make our return to Indianapolis this year,” said Mike Eaton, World Food Championships CEO.

“Beyond that, we are looking forward to adding a number of additional programming elements to this year’s event that promises to make the experience even more consumer-friendly, entertaining and delicious for both our competitors and fans of food sport.”

To learn more, follow @WorldFoodChampionships on Facebook and Instagram, @WorldFoodChamp on X, formerly Twitter, and @WorldFoodChampionshipsHoldings on LinkedIn.