There are chocolate festivals—and then there is Northwest Chocolate Festival 2025.

If you’ve ever tasted a single-origin bar and wondered where the bean came from, or if you dream of sampling award-winning craft chocolate from around the world under one roof, this is your moment

This one’s for you.

The Northwest Chocolate Festival 2025 is back this fall, and you won’t want to miss out on this year’s lineup – it’s more globally inspired than ever. Whether you’re a flavor chaser, bean-to-bar purist, or just love connecting with makers, this is the ultimate chocolate weekend.

What Makes the Northwest Chocolate Festival 2025 Amazing?

This is the largest gathering of artisan chocolate makers in North America, aiming to celebrate craft, flavor, and educational depth

Over 100 exhibitors from 30+ countries will gather in Bellevue, Washington, spanning everything from dark single‑origin bars to vegan milks, confections, and drinking chocolate.

Plus with all the workshops, talks, and demonstrations included with festival passes, this experience has been crafted for die-hard chocolate lovers.

This isn’t just a trade show. It’s where makers, farmers, roasters, and chocolate lovers meet face-to-face to explore flavor, ethics, and innovation. Expect:

• Rare and award-winning bars
• Global single-origin chocolates
• Vegan, botanical, and inclusion-forward bars
• Direct conversations with the makers
• A full Cacao & Chocolate Education Program—included with your pass

This is where bean‑to‑bar makers from around the world gather, not just to sell bars, but to share origin stories, ethical practices, and the craft itself. They’re all celebrating what’s next in the world of bean-to-bar. For more information, check out last year’s recap.

Plan Your Weekend to The Northwest Chocolate Festival 2025

When and Where (so you don’t miss a thing)

• What: The Northwest Chocolate Festival 2025
• Location: Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE 6th St, Bellevue, Washington
• Dates: October 4–5, 2025
• Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (both days)
• Website: nwchocolate.com

Expect two full days of tasting, learning, and discovering with some of the most innovative chocolate makers from around the globe.

Ticket Info – Northwest Chocolate Festival 2025

Whether you’re there to taste, learn, or leave with an armful of bars, there’s a pass that fits:

1. • Early Entry ($45/day) – Get in at 9 AM for first dibs on rare bars and no crowds.
2. • General Admission ($35/day) – Access the full floor and all workshops from mid-morning.
3. • Weekend Pass ($65) – Two-day access, ideal if you want to take your time.
4. • VIP ($125) – Perks, early access, exclusive tastings, and a few surprises.
5. • Youth Tickets – Discounted for attendees aged 7–17; kids under 6 enter free

*USD — ticket fees and taxes apply. See official ticket site for current pricing.

What To Expect

The Festival Floor

• • Global artisan lineup: Over 100 chocolate makers—from Ecuador to Japan to Ghana to the Pacific Northwest. Notable names announced include Dick Taylor, Dandelion Chocolate, Spinnaker Chocolate, Luisa Abram, Junglegold, among many others.
• • Exhibit / Show Floor with sampling, retail bars, confections, drinking chocolate, truffles, etc.
• • Workshops & Education Program (“Cacao & Chocolate Education”) included in your festival pass: talks, demos, sensory education
• • Incredible flavor combinations: You’ll find the comfort zones of Dark, milk, white, vegan – but get ready for botanical, spicy, and fruit-forward chocolate bars and bonbons
• • Retail Market: Take-home bars, chocolate tools, merch, rare inclusions
• • Cacao Education Program: Talks and live demos on sourcing, fermentation, tempering, flavor development, and ethical trade

Flavor Trends to Watch

• • Botanical Bars: Rose, lavender, tea-infused blends, pollen
• • Tropical & Fruit Bars: Passionfruit, banana, mango, lychee — often with crunchy textures
• • Spice & Savory: Ghost chili, curry, brown cheese, and even BBQ inspired chocolate
• • Cocktail-Inspired Bars: Bourbon, mulled wine, and gin-barrel–aged bars
• • Vegan My*lks: Oat, coconut, rice, and cacao butter-based white bars with creative twists

And there’s A LOT more on this to come – I’ve been doing a lot of digging…

Articles to savor:

Savory & Spiced Chocolate Bars That Will Surprise You

From olives and brown cheese to BBQ-smoked cacao—these bars break every sweet rule (and still work). Perfect for culinary risk-takers and flavor thrill-seekers.

Read the Savory & Spiced Chocolate Guide →

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Floral-Infused Chocolate Bars to Brighten Your Festival Day

Aromatic, elegant, and surprisingly complex. These botanical bars pair chocolate with rose, lavender, gorse, and more.

Explore Floral Bars at NW Fest →

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Tropical Fruit Bars That Taste Like Vacation

Mango, guava, açaí, passionfruit—these bars channel sun-soaked flavors into every square. Summer in bar form.

Discover Tropical Fruit Bars →

And there are so many more – visit our NW Chocolate Festival Guide for all the details!

Tips to Make the Most of it.

We’ve been doing a little digging, and here are some confirmed trends from the current exhibitor lineup:

Before You Go:

• • Plan ahead: The exhibitor list is – Pick your top 10 makers and work from there. And stay tuned here for insights.
• • Get ready to take notes: After 10 samples, they blur. Use your phone or grab a tasting journal.
• • Hydrate + cleanse + energise: Bring water, plain crackers, nuts and maybe a little cheese to reset your palate and give you energy to get through the day.
• • Leave room in your luggage: You will want to bring bars home—trust me.
• • Wear comfy shoes: You’ll be walking, standing, and tasting all day

While You’re There:

• • Arrive early: Early Entry is worth it if you want something specific or you’re after the rare bars. It also gives you the space to meet the makers, really get to know their craft and learn more about them. I recommend not treating this as a taste and run. Say hello – you never know what you’ll find.
• • Workshops fill fast: Even though they’re included, arrive early to grab a seat. The ones I attended last year were eye opening and gave me a whole other perspective on chocolate. Highly, highly recommend.
• • Talk to makers: Ask about origin stories, fermentation, and flavor development. Stay connected too – makers are always experimenting and if you love what they do it’s worth keeping an eye out (plus we can obsess together)

What You’ll See, Taste & Learn.

Here’s what this year’s festival floor is shaping up to deliver:

• Diverse flavor profiles: From 100% dark to creamy mylk, floral infusions, and savory experiments
• Live demos & workshops: From bean roasting to flavor pairing with spirits
• Retail zone: Perfect for bar collectors and gift hunters
• Educational panels: “Chocolate Chats” on sustainable trade, farming partnerships, fermentation, and more
• Passionate community: Whether you’re deep into cacao genetics or just getting started, you’ll be among kindred spirits

Bonus: Chocolate Makers Unconference (Oct 3rd 2025, 9:00am – 5:00pm)

Happening the Friday before the festival, the Chocolate Makers Unconference is a separately ticketed event for professionals and entrepreneurs. It’s a great space for the industry to catch up, network, and learn what’s progressing in the world of craft chocolate from all voices in the global chocolate space.

More info at nwchocolate.com

Why You Should Go

If you want more than sugar and cocoa, this festival is for you.

It’s where craft meets culture, story meets flavor, and global cacao meets local community. Each of these makers add their own stories into the chocolate, and with so many global makers the flavors under one roof are guaranteed to be new, exciting and a little wild in the best way. You’ll walk away with new bars, new knowledge, and maybe even a new favorite chocolate maker you’d never heard of before.

Whether you’re a chocolate hobbyist, a seasoned pro, or just curious about how a 70% dark bar made with only cocoa and sugar can taste like passionfruit while the bar next door tastes like berries, then this event delivers.

Bring your curiosity, your sweet tooth, and a bag big enough to bring home your next obsessions.

Plus check out last year’s review – as a chocolate lover, you can’t go wrong.

The Northwest Chocolate Festival and Unconference has always been more inspiring and memorable than I ever could have imagined. This year’s October 2025 festival is just around the corner and I cannot wait to see what we all bring to the NW floor and to the community this year.

So what are you waiting for – grab your tickets here! Hope to see you there.

Did you go to Northwest 2024? Are you already thinking about Northwest 2025? Let us know – I would love to hear your stories.

Where to next?

Well if you’re new, we recommend:

And if you’re curious, we recommend:

And if you’re still not so sure, check out what events or makers are in your area:

Got any questions? Feedback? Want to hi say? Reach out below – we’re always happy to chat!

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