New York’s BagelFest makes its Los Angeles debut in April

A famous New York bagel festival is coming to Los Angeles this April with the West Coast debut of BagelFest West.

Tickets are now on sale for the celebration of all things bagels happening on April 12 at the Audrey Irmas Pavilion at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

“A global bagel boom is underway, and the West Coast has fully arrived,” said Sam Silverman, producer of the Los Angeles event, in a statement. “BagelFest West is to celebrate the artisans who are breaking the outdated idea that world-class bagels can only be made with New York water.”

The event, which was launched in New York by a group of 300 bagel enthusiasts in 2019, is expected to attract up to 1,000 attendees and bring together top bagel makers, plus live demos, panel discussions, competitions and of course bagel and schmear sampling.

Some of the competition categories include Best of the West, Best Bagel, Best Sandwich, Most Creative, Rising Star, and Schmear of the Year.

The event has given rise to several bagel stars including past contest winners like PopUp Bagels, which opened its first Los Angeles location last year in Brentwood. PopUp won for Best Bagel  in 2021 and 2022 and now has 300 locations nationwide

BagelFest will also include a dedicated kids section featuring make-your-own aprons, bagel-themed coloring and chef hat decorating.

Tickets start at $65 and are available at bagelfest.com/tickets