The First industry event of the year, Winter FancyFaire* offers proven models for brand-buyer connections alongside unstructured opportunities for networking and sampling, offsite community events, and local immersion.
Highlights from San Diego 2026
The first-ever Winter FancyFaire* brought together 12,000 industry professionals for a new and inspiring trade show experience.
Explore the Excitement
Read the Recap
Serving as a guidepost for the year ahead, the show featured more than 1,000 exhibitors and a wide array of new-to-market products, along with leveled-up experiences including local immersion, creative sampling and networking events, personalized recommendations, virtual reality showcases, and more. Brands were also able to engage with both attendees and the San Diego community beyond the trade show walls through activations and events with local restaurants, small businesses, and nonprofits.
Who Attends Winter FancyFaire*
A Campus Tasting Trail
The Winter FancyFaire* experience goes beyond the Exhibit Hall.
From intimate tasting tables to networking in San Diego’s Little Italy, participants got to connect, discover, and sample within the Convention Center and offsite, in both traditional and progressive settings.
Explore the 2026 Show Floor
A reimagined Exhibit Hall experience, where inspiration can be found in every corner.
Discover tastings, showcases, and networking at every turn. The Winter FancyFaire* app's interactive floor plan (including walking directions!) helps attendees make the most of their time on the show floor.
A Guidepost for the Year Ahead
Specialty is where food trends begin and Winter FancyFaire* is the First industry event of the year. Be there as the specialty food community kickstarts the annual trends cycle by unveiling key consumer insights, industry projections, sofi™ Award winners, and the Trend of the Year.
Trend of the Year
Unveiled at the First Night Celebration.
sofi Awards
Attendees can sample products from the finalists, and winners are announced live!
Industry Outlook 2026
Be the First to see SFA’s latest research and projections.
And your First taste of the future of specialty food
Get Hands-On in the Convention Center
From demos in Discovery Point to browsing the Spotlight Shoppe, new sampling settings will inspire you.
Get More Done with Better Data
Expect streamlined planning, meetings, and discovery tools—so you crush your ROI and ROT.
Get Excited and Ready for the Year, Together
The best recipe to beat the post-holiday slump: having fun, giving back, and looking to the year ahead.
Presenting Sponsors
Affiliate Organizations
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