This RI food festival is one of the best in the country, per USA TODAY. How to go this year

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Seafood lovers, Rhode Island has the perfect festival for you.

USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards just released its festival award winners, and a seafood festival in the Ocean State ranked among the best in the country.

The annual 10BEST awards highlight the best in travel, food and lifestyle, and winners are chosen by a public voting poll after being nominated by industry experts. In the best of festival awards, highlighting different types of festivals from all across the country, the Rhode Island Seafood Festival in Providence ranked tenth for best specialty food festival.

Here’s what to know about the top food festival in the state.

When is the Rhode Island Seafood Festival

Taking place in Providence every fall since 2011, the Rhode Island Seafood Festival offers the freshest catches of the Atlantic Ocean, according to USA TODAY.

The festival teams up with local restaurants to offer a wide selection of East Coast seafood specialties, including lobster rolls, clam chowder and clam cakes. Along with the great selection of seafood, the festival has plenty of non-seafood options, as well as local drink and dessert vendors.

USA TODAY also praises the festival’s food competitions and live music performances, which entertain the crowd all weekend long.

How to go to the 2025 Rhode Island Seafood Festival

This year’s 15th annual Rhode Island Seafood Festival will take place at India Point Park in Providence on Saturday, Sept. 6 and Sunday, Sept. 7, with hours from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets to the festival are available at the gate, and advance tickets will go on sale around Memorial Day. Follow the festival on social media for alerts about ticket drop times.

What other food festivals made the list?

Here is USA TODAY’s full ranking of the top 10 specialty food festivals in the country:

1. Picklesburgh – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2. Delta Hot Tamale Festival – Greenville, Mississippi
3. National Buffalo Wing Festival – Buffalo, New York
4. Cheese Curd Festival – Ellsworth, Wisconsin
5. National Shrimp Festival – Gulf Shores, Alabama
6. Kennett Square Mushroom Festival – Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
7. Sebring Soda Festival – Sebring, Florida
8. Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival – Astoria, Oregon
9. Georgia Peach Festival – Byron and Fort Valley, Georgia
10. Rhode Island Seafood Festival – Providence, Rhode Island