More than 100 vendors of celiac-friendly breads, cookies, pizza crusts and hot food are set to take over the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, on November 7 and 8, 2026, for the Wicked Gluten Free Expo NJ/NY Metro. Organizers are billing it as the country's biggest gluten-free food festival, and shoppers are being warned up front: there will be no tickets sold at the door, so advance online purchase is required.
What's on the Floor
According to Time Out, the expo will offer celiac-friendly baked goods, snacks, pantry staples and hot food alongside food trucks serving fried chicken, fried dough and soft pretzels. Shoppers can also expect fresh breads, cookies, sweet and savory treats, pizza crusts and cooking sauces, plus presentations, demonstrations, a kids' play area and a gluten-free red carpet. The event description from mecexpo.com confirms more than 100 booths of gluten-free snacks, treats, prepared foods and more, with free samples, products for purchase, a kids' zone and presentations or demos built into both days.
The Saturday session runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 7, while Sunday hours run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 8, per the same listing. The Meadowlands Expo Center location is also confirmed by Ugly's Gluten Free Bakery, which lists the Secaucus dates on its store-appearance schedule. Vendors at the show will both sample and sell their products, with offerings spanning cookies, cake mixes, waffles, brownies, breads, pasta, pizza crusts and pierogi, according to Wicked Gluten Free's own events page.
Timed Tickets and a Few House Rules
Admission is managed through timed tickets, and the organizer's site notes there will be a line to enter even with a scheduled slot. All attendees receive a free branded tote bag, and organizers encourage people to bring extra bags and rolling coolers to haul home whatever they buy. Because some vendors only take cash, shoppers are advised to bring both cash and a card.
Gluten-containing foods are not permitted inside the venue on the day of the expo, a restriction the organizer's events page states plainly. The show does allow some vendors that use shared production facilities, but Wicked Gluten Free says it vets those exhibitors' cross-contamination protocols before granting them a booth. Booth signage is meant to flag production arrangements and allergens present in individual items, since, as the organizer makes clear, the event is gluten-free but not allergen-free.
A Growing Market Beyond New Jersey
The Secaucus show follows a related Wicked Gluten Free expo in Oaks, Pennsylvania, that drew more than 110 exhibitors, according to WHYY. A senior director at the Celiac Disease Foundation told the outlet that the turnout reflects how much the gluten-free market has expanded and diversified, with manufacturers leaning on more flour alternatives and paying closer attention to fiber, sugar and salt content.
Gluten-free expos themselves aren't new to the region. The Gluten-Free and Allergen-Free Expo series, which started in 2007, grew from a single city to seven across the country, per mecexpo.com, and one past iteration was described as featuring more than 100 brands alongside free samples, discounted products and informational classes. Whether the Secaucus event ultimately outdraws those earlier shows remains to be seen, but the lineup of vendors and the no-door-sales ticketing policy suggest organizers are expecting a crowd.
