The Del Mar Wine and Food Festival runs September 30 through October 4, 2026, and Lofty will be taking part once again, which means attendees can enjoy Lofty Coffee alongside dishes from SoCal’s top chefs.
We've been roasting coffee up the road in Encinitas since 2011, so we have plenty of insight on how the festival goes. Here’s what buying a ticket gets you, as well as where to find Lofty.
When and Where San Diego's Biggest Food Week Actually Is
Rather than condensing everything into one afternoon, the Del Mar Food and Wine Festival spreads across the county for five days of unique food and drinks.
- Wednesday, September 30: Signature San Diego Opening Night Party at Monarch Ocean Pub
- Thursday, October 1: Rioja Uncorked at Rancho Valencia
- Friday, October 2: Drew Brees Celebrity Pickleball Tournament at Barnes Tennis Center, and the JUSTIN Wine Dinner at Estancia
- Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4: Grand Tasting at Surf Sports Park, Del Mar
The full schedule and tickets are live on the festival's site, and they keep it current.
Which Events We Recommend Attending
There are plenty of incredible things happening all five days, and you’d do great even if you just explored it at random. Here’s what we are looking forward to.
The Drew Brees Celebrity Pickleball Tournament: Friday, October 2
Friday is the one day we would pick, even if we weren’t there to serve Lofty Coffee.
Drew Brees will host a celebrity pickleball tournament from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma on October 2nd, benefiting Feeding San Diego, a local charity working to end food insecurity for people in San Diego County.
The celebrity roster pulls from both San Diego's sports and food worlds:
Sports
- James Blake
- Jeremy Roenick
- Brett Tomko
- Travis Lee
- Andy Buckworth
TV and Culture
- Richard Blais
- Jazmin Blais
- Jet Tila
- Catherine McCord
- Troy Johnson
- Glenn Howerton
- Geena the Latina
The Grand Tastings: Saturday October 3 & Sunday October 4
The grand tastings are bigger than they sound, yet shorter than you'd think.
Held at Surf Sports Park, the tastings showcase over 100 chefs and 150 beverage makers. That’s a lot of food and drinks!
That’s why getting a two-day pass will probably give you a better chance to sample as much as possible. The event is designed to be unhurried, so you’ll have the opportunity to explore at your own pace. (Just know that it’s probably not possible to try absolutely everything.)
Protip: Start Off at Lofty Solana Beach
The Grand Tasting does not open until late morning, which means you’ll probably need some coffee to fuel up for the day.
Our Solana Beach café on Cedros sits about five minutes from the festival grounds, with outdoor seating and enough room to actually sit down before a three-hour tasting.
If you’re in the mood for a light breakfast, you can get a Organic Acai Bowl (V/GF) ahead of a tasting (or even a Superfood Bowl (V/GF) if you are recovering from one). Both are organic, both are made from scratch, and both go well with a Single-Origin Nitro Cold Brew.
We can’t wait to see you on Cedros, as well as at the Lofty table at Barnes Tennis Center on Friday, October 2nd.
Tickets for the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival 2026 are available at https://delmar.wine/.
