Roots, Rants and Roars is a two-day celebration held every year during the third weekend in September in the town of Ellison, the root cellar capital of the world. This year’s festival will be taking place on Friday, September 20th and Saturday, September 21st.

Since the very first festival in 2009, Roots, Rants and Roars has come to be recognized as one of the premier culinary festivals in Canada. A uniquely interactive event, it offers an immersive experience that gives guests a chance to get to know the land and waters their food came from.

The festivities will kick off on Friday evening at 7 pm with the Cod Wars event, which will see seven talented and award-winning Newfoundland chefs competing for the title of “King of the Cod.” Each chef must prepare their best cod dish, and festivalgoers will get to cast their vote for their favourite one.

Make your way through the chef stations and taste the different ways some of the province’s rising culinary stars have chosen to prepare and present their cod while you tap your toes to the musical stylings of local performers. In between food stations, head over to the wine stations for a sample of wine that has been specially selected to go with your dish. At the end of the night, the King or Queen of Cod will be crowned on the festival stage.

The festival continues on Saturday morning with The Hike, which is scheduled to begin at 11:30 in Elliston Municipal Park. Participants will follow a 2.5 km trail to Maberly and back, along the rugged and beautiful coastline. Five chefs will set up stations at different points along the trail, serving up five-star restaurant meals using local ingredients.

Stay awhile at each station and sit back in the grass while you enjoy your dish and look out over the ocean. Each station will have local musicians playing live music, and there will be one wine and one craft beer sampling station set up along the way as well.

The final Roots, Rants and Roars Festival event is The Feast, which will begin at 7 pm on Saturday night at Ellison Municipal Park. String lights will guide guests to the beautiful dining area, where they will enjoy a seven-course, family-style meal prepared by the festival’s amazing partner chefs. Enjoy delicious platters of lamb, pork, fish, and root vegetables, and not one but two desserts to conclude the meal.

After the meal, be prepared to dance the night away to modern Irish Newfoundland music from local musicians on a dance floor of soft grass. The night will come to a close after the final performance just past midnight.

The Roots, Rants and Roars Festival is a true celebration of Newfoundland food, music, and culture. Come see the beauty and the abundance of the land and the sea while you hike, dine, and dance your way through this unique culinary event.