4 Festivals To Help Kick Off December

Most festivities this month are holiday-themed and tend to play a loop of Christmas songs we've all probably memorized. So why not kick off December with a few non-holiday festivals going on across the country? Here are four of our top picks to inspire you...

Through December 10: Indulge in freshly baked treats like waffles, cookies, macarons, German pretzels, croissants, chocolate tarts, scones, and gluten-free goods for free! Baker's Market in Vancouver has been going strong since Oct. 1, with cupcake eating contests and free samples of sweets made by local bakers — from professionals to amateurs and home cooks. It's billed as a farmers market with no veggies.

November 30–December 4: Portland's Holiday Ale Festival brings together more than 50 rare and craft brews, some of which are specially made for this festival, like the Cranberry de Table and HOLLA-Day Ale. Taste vintage Belgian beers at their Sunday Beer Brunch, and feel good that the festival benefits the Children's Cancer Association.

December 3: Kick your feet up at Fort Lauderdale's Bahia Mar Beach Resort for an evening-long celebration of rum. The annual RumFest lets you taste dozens of rums, rhums, and cachaças from around the world, with live Latin music and perfectly paired bites. Don't forget to vote on the RumFest Cocktail of the Year!

December 9-13: Stay in Florida post-RumFest to join the five-day Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, which will be held across some of the area's chicest hotels and watering holes, like The Breakers Palm Beach, the Four Seasons Resort, Café Boulud, and Buccan Palm Beach. Events range from the Grand Tasting to an evening on "cocktail culture."