Peterborough’s award-winning Mac & Cheese Festival is returning for its fourth time, with a spring edition this year that includes a new outdoor celebration and a new award for the festival champion.
Running from April 1 to 26, this year’s festival features exclusive specials at 17 downtown restaurants, each of whom will put their own creative spin on the classic comfort food, and will culminate with a grand finale celebration at Quaker Foods City Square on the last day of the festival.
First organized by the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) in 2021, the festival won a special events and promotions award at the Ontario Business Improvement Area awards conference the following year. The festival has previously taken place annual during the fall, but did not happen in 2024.
“We’re excited to bring this event back with an outdoor festival component that not only supports our local business community, but also kicks off the spring season in a really exciting way with a day full of food, music, and fun for all ages,” says DBIA executive director Nour Mazloum in a media release. “The Mac & Cheese Festival is a fantastic way to showcase the culinary talent and the creativity of our downtown restaurants, while also bringing the community together over a dish we all love.”
As with the previous editions, foodies can indulge in specialty mac and cheese dishes at participating restaurants, who will serve up everything from classic homestyle recipes to bold gourmet interpretations and even unexpected twists, like The Dirty Burger’s Mac & Cheeseburger Samosa and a spicy offering from pescatarian restaurant The Vine — the winner of the 2023 festival.
“We figured why settle for just one cheesy guilty pleasure when you can have two?” says The Vine owner Tyrone Flowers. “This year we’ve combined two fan favourites — mac and cheese and jalapeno poppers — into one irresistible dish. It’s rich, creamy, packed with flavour, and just the right amount of heat. Cheese lovers, we made this one for you.”
New this year is the grand finale event, taking place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 26 at Quaker Foods City Square on Charlotte Street in downtown Peterborough, which will feature vendors, live music, entertainment, a beer garden, and a variety of mac & cheese vendors offering samples of their creations.
Also new this year is the Judge’s Choice Award, which will see a panel of local celebrity judges at the grand finale event decide which dish reigns supreme as Peterborough’s Mac & Cheese Champion for 2025.
As with previous festivals, people will still be able to vote online for their favourite mac and cheese dishes at participating restaurants. This year, the dish receiving the most votes will win the People’s Choice Award. Online voting will open on Tuesday, April 1.
As for the April 26th grand finale celebration, a lineup of four local bands — Jeanne Truax, Warren Frank, Brooklyn Doran, and VanCamp — will be performing throughout the afternoon.
“I’m really looking forward to playing the Mac and Cheese Festival at Quaker Square with the band,” says Peterborough-based songwriter and VanCamp founder Calvin Bakelaar.
“There’s nothing like an outdoor event with live music and an unreasonable amount of mac and cheese to really kick off spring.”
A beer garden will be set up on the rink pad at Quaker Foods City Square featuring local breweries including 100 Acre Brewing Co., Sandbagger Hard Seltzer, and Maple Light.
The grand finale event is being supported by Peterborough Tourism, the City of Peterborough’s new tourism department, and is sponsored in part by Sparq Retail.
For more information about the Mac & Cheese Festival and to vote online for your favourites starting April 1, visit theboro.ca/program/mac-cheese-festival/.
