Trade show
Winter FancyFaire 2027: Tips for Exhibitors and Attendees
Replaces the Winter Fancy Food Show. January 17 to 19, 2027, Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA.
Food & BeverageVerified on official site: Oct. 26, 2026
January 17 to 19, 2027
San Francisco, California
Official site: specialtyfood.com | Convention center website
Winter FancyFaire 2027 runs Sunday through Tuesday, Jan. 17 to 19, 2027, at Moscone Center in San Francisco. The Specialty Food Association created it to replace the Winter Fancy Food Show, which ended after 2025. The trade-only show is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday and Monday and until 3 p.m. Tuesday. Buyer badges get in at 9:30.
Show guide
Quick facts
The show has not named it on a public page yet. Check the exhibitor service manual when it posts.
Facts checked Oct. 26, 2026. Numbers in brackets link to the sources at the bottom of this page.
Winter FancyFaire 2027 at a glance
I've been in trade shows since 2006, and a January food show is one of the busier things you can sign up for, with deadlines landing right on top of the holidays. This page covers what's confirmed for 2027 and what's still TBA, so you can plan around both.
Here's the background. The Specialty Food Association announced Winter FancyFaire on Jan. 19, 2025, and sunset the Winter Fancy Food Show after that year (SFA, Jan. 19, 2025). The new show debuted in San Diego on Jan. 11 to 13, 2026, and moves to San Francisco for 2027 (SFA, Jan. 20, 2026). When SFA announced it, the association described a "culinary campus" that reaches past the convention center (SFA, Jan. 19, 2025). For 2027, the show page promises "offsite sampling, unstructured networking, and local immersion" (SFA show page).
Michael's Tip
When a long-running show relaunches under a new format, don't assume last year's notes still apply. Read the new exhibitor manual front to back, check the floor plan and hours again, and ask your show contact what changed for exhibitors. Set your goals fresh, since past traffic numbers may not carry over.
Is the Winter Fancy Food Show still happening?
No. The 49th and final Winter Fancy Food Show ran Jan. 19 to 21, 2025, in Las Vegas (SFA, Feb. 5, 2025). Winter FancyFaire is the SFA show that replaced it and is now the association's January show. The Summer Fancy Food Show continues in New York.
Who attends (and who exhibits)?
SFA says its trade shows are open only to qualified members of the specialty food trade, industry affiliates and media (SFA, Jan. 19, 2025). That means the people walking your aisle are there for business, and you won't be handing samples to the general public.
For the 2026 show in San Diego, SFA reported more than 12,000 industry professionals and more than 1,000 exhibitors, with exhibitors from 30 countries (SFA, Jan. 20, 2026). The show page lists 4,000+ buyer attendees and 1,835 key buyers, and it says exhibitors show products across "40+ categories" (SFA show page). So buyers are a big group, but they're not everyone you'll meet, and your staff needs a quick way to tell who's who.
Before the show, agree on two or three questions your team asks everyone who stops, and decide what counts as a lead worth a follow-up call. Write it down and go over it at a short huddle each morning, so the person working the booth at 3 p.m. on Tuesday is using the same yardstick as the one who opened on Sunday. More on that is in our booth staffing section.
Michael's Tip
When buyers are only part of the crowd, ask one question early: what do you buy for, and who makes the final call? That tells you quickly whether you're talking with a buyer, a broker, press or another exhibitor. Be friendly to everyone, but save your best samples and your time for the people who can put you on a shelf.
Exhibitor tips for Winter FancyFaire 2027
Where exhibitor information lives
For booth space and sponsorships, SFA's exhibits and sponsorship sales line is (646) 878-0302 (SFA show page). Move-in and move-out times, the general service contractor, service order deadlines and booth pricing are all TBA here, since I couldn't confirm them on SFA's site yet. Your exhibitor manual is where those details will show up, so watch for it and read it as soon as it opens. More planning help is in our Logistics section.
Michael's Tip
Open the manual the day it posts and put every deadline on a calendar right away. For a January show, discount dates and shipping cutoffs can land during the holidays, when your team and suppliers are out. Get your electrical, furniture and drayage plans done early, and check the advance warehouse dates before you book freight.
Using the show's features
SFA lists several features on the show floor, including the Spotlight Shoppe, the First Taste Table and the Discovery Kitchen. The sofi Awards are part of the show too, with finalists sampled on site and winners announced live. Beyond the hall, SFA's "Campus Tasting Trail" includes offsite sampling at local restaurants (SFA show page). Participation rules and fees for these are TBA, so check with SFA before you plan around any of them.
Michael's Tip
Offsite sampling can be worth it for a small brand if the audience matches your buyers, but never leave the booth empty. Plan on at least two people, one who stays in the booth while the other goes. Bring a short talk track and a way to capture contacts, so the time away turns into follow-up.
Sampling and food booths
If you're sampling, plan your cold storage, supplies and trash before you think about anything else in the booth. Figure out how you'll keep product at the right temperature over a full show day, how many cups, napkins and utensils you'll go through, and where the waste goes so it doesn't pile up in sight. Sampling rules for this show and building are TBA, so follow the exhibitor manual once it's out.
Michael's Tip
My sampling checklist: sanitizer or a hand-washing setup, gloves, tongs, single-serve cups or picks, clear allergen labels, a trash plan, and a cooler or hot holding that meets the show's food rules. Check the manual for health permit rules and for any items that must go through the venue's caterer. Prep portions before doors open so buyers aren't waiting while you cut product.
Filling your booth before the show
SFA publishes a 2027 exhibitor list and a downloadable 2026 attendee list on the show page (SFA show page). With the show opening about two and a half weeks after New Year's, your invitations need to go out before the holidays take over everyone's inbox. My pre-show email templates can help with the wording, and there's more on promotion in our Marketing section.
Michael's Tip
Send your first invitation in early December, before people leave for the holidays, and a short reminder in the first week of January. Ask for a set meeting time, not just a visit. Buyer calendars fill up before a food show, so a booked appointment is worth more than a general invite.
Attendee tips for Winter FancyFaire 2027
Registration
The show is trade-only, so plan on showing you work in the specialty food trade, as an industry affiliate or as media. SFA's trade show registration line is (219) 354-6648 (SFA show page). SFA qualifies every registrant by their company's primary business and asks for proof of employment and business credentials (business cards aren't accepted). SFA doesn't list pass prices on its registration page, and it says no refunds are issued for any reason (SFA registration).
Plan your days
The floor is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday and Monday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, and all halls open at 9:30 a.m. for buyer badges. SFA also lists its Trend of the Year and "First-Look Insights" research reveal on the show page (SFA show page). Tuesday closes an hour early, so don't save your most important stops for the last afternoon.
Before you fly out, go through the exhibitor list and pick the booths you can't miss, then group them by hall so you aren't crossing the building all day. Leave some open time too, because a lot of the good finds at a food show are the booths you didn't know to look for.
Michael's Tip
Eat a real breakfast and walk with a plan. Mark the booths you need on the floor plan, see those first, and take small tastes instead of full samples. Carry water and take notes on your phone as you go, because by afternoon the booths start to blur together.
Travel and getting around San Francisco
SFA's official hotel provider is onPeak, which offers discounted rates at a selection of San Francisco hotels (SFA Hotel and Travel). SFA says onPeak is the only hotel provider it endorses, so if another company contacts you offering rooms, don't book with them. Transit and parking details for Moscone will come with our San Francisco venue guide.
Michael's Tip
Book your hotel as soon as the official housing opens, and stay within walking distance of Moscone if the budget allows. Downtown parking is expensive, so I'd skip the rental car and walk, take transit or use rideshare. Pack comfortable shoes, because you'll cover a lot of ground between the halls.
Related guides
Browse all of our show guides, or read more on staffing, trade show marketing and logistics.
Winter FancyFaire 2027 FAQs
When and where is Winter FancyFaire 2027?
Winter FancyFaire 2027 runs January 17 to 19, 2027, at Moscone Center, 747 Howard St, San Francisco.
Is Winter FancyFaire the same as the Winter Fancy Food Show?
It's the Specialty Food Association's replacement. SFA sunset the Winter Fancy Food Show after its 2025 edition and launched Winter FancyFaire, which debuted in San Diego in January 2026.
What are the Winter FancyFaire 2027 hours?
Sunday and Monday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All halls open at 9:30 a.m. for buyer badges.
Is Winter FancyFaire open to the public?
No. SFA says its trade shows are open only to qualified members of the specialty food trade, industry affiliates and media.
How big is Winter FancyFaire?
SFA reported more than 12,000 industry professionals and more than 1,000 exhibitors at the 2026 show in San Diego.
Where is Winter FancyFaire after 2027?
SFA lists January 23 to 25, 2028, in San Francisco and January 14 to 16, 2029, in San Diego.
Planning to exhibit at Winter FancyFaire?
Have questions about exhibiting at Winter FancyFaire 2027?
Written by Michael Flavin, a trade show pro since 2006.
Sources
All checked Oct. 26, 2026.
- Specialty Food Association, Winter FancyFaire show page: https://www.specialtyfood.com/fancy-food-shows/winter-fancyfaire/
- Specialty Food Association, Winter FancyFaire launch release (Jan. 19, 2025): https://www.specialtyfood.com/news-media/news-features/association-press-releases/winter-fancyfaire/
- Specialty Food Association, 2026 Winter FancyFaire recap release (Jan. 20, 2026): https://www.specialtyfood.com/news-media/news-features/association-press-releases/specialty-food-associations-reimagined-winter-fancyfaire-sets-the-tone-for-2026/
- Specialty Food Association, 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show post-show release (Feb. 5, 2025): https://www.specialtyfood.com/news-media/news-features/association-press-releases/wffs25-post-show-release/
- Specialty Food Association, Winter FancyFaire registration page: https://www.specialtyfood.com/fancy-food-shows/winter-fancyfaire/register/
- Specialty Food Association, Winter FancyFaire Hotel and Travel page (onPeak): https://www.specialtyfood.com/fancy-food-shows/winter-fancyfaire/hotel-and-travel/