New York BagelFest Returns To Citi Field This Fall

QUEENS, NY — New York BagelFest, presented by King Arthur Baking Company, will return to Citi Field in November.

The festival will be held on Sunday, Nov. 15, bringing together more than 25 bagel makers, culinary personalities and industry leaders for a day of tastings, competitions, entertainment and family programming.

This year’s festival will feature bagel shops from 10 states and five countries, with bakers traveling from Ireland, Spain, Canada and India to compete alongside New York institutions and bagel makers from across the United States. Organizers said fewer than 9% of applicants were selected to compete this year.

The event will also feature a panel of bagel experts, an Industry Talks series and entertainment including magic, mentalism, live fine art and family programming. Tickets are now on sale.

"The 7th Annual New York BagelFest will be the most magical one yet - quite literally, with a magician and mentalist joining this year's entertainment lineup - for our foodies, industry professionals, and competitors," BagelFest founder Sam Silverman.

The Best Bagel title at New York BagelFest will be decided through a blind taste test, with judges scoring unsliced plain bagels from 1 to 10 based on flavor, texture, appearance and aroma. The highest average score will win, with flavor serving as the tiebreaker.

The same criteria will be used for Best Bagel – New York Style, Best Bagel – Sourdough and Best Bagel – Montreal Style. Judges will also select winners for Schmear of the Year, Most Creative, Best Showmanship and Best Bialy.

Festival goers will choose winners in several categories, including People’s Choice, Best of the Boroughs, Best Beyond the Boroughs, Best International and Rising Star.

The Bagel Rolling Championship will also return to the main stage, challenging participants to roll the most bagels in one minute.