By Kate Bartlett
This Labor Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday September 2 and 3rd, come hang out on an NFL Field, the home of the Buffalo Bills, and indulge in some of Buffalo’s Best Wings. 23 local, national and international eateries will showcase over 100 types of wings, including spicy, savory and everything in between. With live entertainment and the much-anticipated wing eating championship, it’s sure to be a fun, quintessential Buffalo weekend.
Drew Cerza, also known as the Wing King, is the festival founder and has been running the festival since its inception. The idea was inspired by a scene in the movie Osmosis Jones. “In the movie, Bill Murry’s character talks about going to WingFest. I then realized at that time there was no such festival. It seemed crazy to me that the city known for it’s Buffalo Wings didn’t have a WingFest, so I decided to start one.”
The first WingFest was held at Sahlen Field, which at the time was Dunn Tire Park. Drew ran the festival here for 19 years, until COVID, when WingFest found a new home at Highmark Stadium after a one-year hiatus. The festival has evolved to include restaurants and eateries from around the country, even internationally. “It’s really become a community of people with a love for Chicken Wings and Buffalo Cuisine. It’s a great opportunity to show our pride for the city; we’re proud to welcome back returning guests and vendors and invite new visitors out to the festival.”
For the third straight year, the festival will be held at the Stadium at One Bills Drive. The festival attracts around 45,000 attendees from all 50 states and 44 different countries. Entertainment includes live music, a baby wing pageant, amateur and Hot Wing Eating contests, a sauce-off competition, bobbing for wings, and the much-anticipated Wing It On! U.S. Wing Eating Championship.
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New this year, the festival will offer a VIP Craft Beer Tasting Fundraiser. On Saturday, local craft breweries will be featured in two tasting sessions in the air-conditioned Pepsi Club. Proceeds will benefit Hope Rises, Shine Gold supporting those affected by pediatric cancer, as well as Mafia Babes local charitable efforts. Tickets are $75 and include an all-day festival admission, 2 hours of tasting, $15 wing tickets, along with a souvenir plate/cup and a bottle of Dan-O’s Spicy Seasoning.
This year, the festival will include 23 eateries with over 100 different styles of wings and other local favorite foods, including award-winning restaurants that have gained national recognition. Special participant House of Wings Restaurant is traveling 2,640 miles from Reykjavik, Iceland to showcase their wings. Owner and Erie PA native Justin Shouse moved to Iceland to play professional basketball. After retiring he started frying wings as a fundraiser before basketball games, and eventually opened his own food truck and restaurant. The restaurant has won awards for Best Bite at the 2020 European Street Food Awards and has over 45 different sauces today.
Drew’s favorite thing about the event is the people. “The wings are great, the entertainment is fun, but the people are what make this festival. People come back year after year from all over the country to celebrate the end of summer. It’s the last hurrah of summer before the start of football season. It’s like a reunion seeing everyone, and it’s quintessential Buffalo: wings and football in the city of good neighbors.”
Drew invites everyone to come out and experience the festival that celebrates the food indigenous to Buffalo on Labor Day weekend, Saturday 12-9pm, Sunday 12-7pm. $20 per person/per day, children 8 and under free. Cash and credit cards accepted, no presale, all tickets sold at the gate. Free parking. For more information visit https://buffalowing.com/ and follow on social media.
Cont. Caption: Drew Cerza, also known as the Wing King, is the festival founder and has been running the festival since its inception. The idea was inspired by a scene in the movie Osmosis Jones. “In the movie, Bill Murry’s character talks about going to WingFest. I then realized at that time there was no such festival. It seemed crazy to me that the city known for it’s Buffalo Wings didn’t have a WingFest, so I decided to start one.”
Caption 2: For the third straight year, the festival will be held at the Stadium at One Bills Drive. The festival attracts around 45,000 attendees from all 50 states and 44 different countries. Entertainment includes live music, a baby wing pageant, amateur and Hot Wing Eating contests, a sauce-off competition, bobbing for wings, and the much-anticipated Wing It On! U.S. Wing Eating Championship.