Chocolate Expo Returns To Long Island In March

The Chocolate Expo, America’s largest and most unique chocolate festival, will be returning to Long Island’s Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City on Sunday, March 1 from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.

At The Chocolate Expo, attendees will get to taste, purchase, celebrate and otherwise indulge in gourmet chocolates, baked goods, specialty foods, cheeses, wines, spirits, hard ciders, craft sodas and much more while touring one of the largest air and space museums in the world with a historic collection that includes one of Charles Lindbergh’s original planes and prototypes from NASA’s Apollo Space Program.

In the museum’s three-story lobby, guests will be greeted by chocolate fountains, which will be overflowing with dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate that can deliciously drench a yummy selection of fresh strawberries, sweet pineapple, marshmallows, pretzels and crisp rice treats.

Participating chocolatiers in this year’s festival will offer chocolate bon bons, chocolate bars, raw chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate fudge, chocolate novelties, chocolate barks, chocolate-coverage pretzels, chocolate-covered bacon and so much more chocolate.

Cake jars, cupcakes, brownies, donuts, raw cookie dough treats, challahs, hamantaschen, Bahamian-style rum cakes and gluten-free offerings will be showcased along with other baked goods, while chocolate spirits, chocolate wines, chocolate beers, sangria and hard ciders will be among the craft beverages available for tastings and to purchase by the bottle.

New at The Chocolate Expo this year is the “Long Island Honey Market,” featuring hundreds of local, regional and international honeys and honey products, plus for this first time the festival will have a “New England Pavilion” to highlight vendors from that region offering handcrafted chocolates, desserts and other items.

There will also be tons of entertainment throughout the day.

In partnership with the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Long Island Cares, a food drive will take place on the day of the Expo. Guests are asked to bring non-perishable food items for donation.

Timed-entry tickets to The Chocolate Expo are $15 for adults and $10 for children (ages 2-12), when purchased online from www.TheChocolateExpo.com, or $21 for adults and $16 for children (ages 2-12) at the door. With the time-entry tickets, guests get priority entry during the specific time they choose to help even-out entry arrival flow, but can stay as long as they like.

For greater savings, The Chocolate Expo’s “5PM Special” ticket is priced at just $10 per person for admission after 5 p.m., when purchased online, and $16 per person, when purchased at the door.

A special VIP ticket, for $35 per person and available online only, provides priority entry at all times during the day, plus a VIP badge, a deluxe Chocolate Expo insulated tote bag (a $10 value) and a chocolate spa bath bar (a $7 value), as well as a donation to the Harry Chapin Food Bank.

To purchase tickets in advance, and to get more information about the expo, visit www.TheChocolateExpo.com.