Citi Field is trading baseball for bagels this fall. New York BagelFest returns to the Mets' home in Queens on Sunday, November 15, bringing together more than 25 bagel shops from 10 states and five countries to compete for titles like Best Bagel, Schmear of the Year, and Best Bialy.
The event, which began as a small Brooklyn gathering, has grown into what founder Sam Silverman calls the bagel world's answer to a global championship. According to Time Out, Silverman said it was time to focus on the bagel world's equivalent of the soccer World Cup. Tickets go on sale September 8, with early-bird prices starting at $49 and general admission starting at $69.
This year's lineup includes Black Seed Bagels making its BagelFest debut, alongside returning competitors Utopia Bagels and Dallas-based Starship Bagel, which the festival's organizers consider its most decorated competitor. Starship Bagel took home Best Bagel honors in both 2023 and 2025, while Utopia Bagels claimed the same title in 2024. Ess-a-Bagel, which won Best of the Boroughs in 2025, is also returning to defend its standing.
Shops Traveling From Across the Globe
The competitor list stretches well beyond the five boroughs. Bodega Bagels is traveling in from Belfast, St-Viateur Bagel from Montreal, and Si Si Bagels from Madrid, joining domestic entrants like Bagel Market, Bagizza, Bagel Joint, and Curley's Bagels. Organizers say fewer than 9 percent of applicant bakeries made this year's cut, according to Silverman.
Beyond the bagel competition itself, the festival will host the returning World Bagel Rolling Championship, which tests how quickly competitors can roll dough into a ring. Attendees can also expect live demonstrations, interactive exhibits, and a kids' zone, along with exhibitor booths from Acme Smoked Fish, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Variety Coffee, and Peter Pan Donuts.
How the Judging Works
New York BagelFest will run two tasting sessions where attendees get unlimited access to bagels, schmears, and sandwiches from the competing shops. Competitors are vying for titles including Best Bagel, Best Bialy, Schmear of the Year, Most Creative, and Best Showmanship, with winners determined through a mix of expert judging and public voting. Attendees cast their own votes for People's Choice and other honors, while organizers say thousands of guests are expected at Citi Field this year.
A Launchpad for National Bagel Brands
Winning at BagelFest has historically meant more than bragging rights. PopUp Bagels built its early reputation on back-to-back Best Bagel wins at the Brooklyn edition of the festival in 2021 and 2022, a run of success that helped fuel its national expansion into markets from Ohio to Michigan to the Carolinas. Starship Bagel's own BagelFest breakthrough similarly preceded its rise to national acclaim, a trajectory Hoodline chronicled back in 2024.
New York BagelFest takes place inside Citi Field's Heineken Diamond Lounge in Queens, with early-bird tickets going on sale September 8 ahead of the festival's return on November 15.
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