New York BagelFest announces official baker lineup for November event

The New York BagelFest, presented by King Arthur Baking Company, has unveiled its exhibitor lineup for its upcoming event at Citi Field on Sunday, November 15, 2026. The festival will bring together more than 25 bagel makers from around the world for two distinct tasting sessions.

Organizers selected fewer than 9% of applicants for this year’s roster through a vetting process based on product quality, original methods, and brand reputation. The final lineup features vendors from 10 states and five countries, including participating bakeries from Ireland, Spain, Canada, and India alongside local New York establishments.

The event will host several competitive categories judged by both a designated panel and event attendees. Awards include Best Bagel, Schmear of the Year, Most Creative, Best Showmanship, Best Bialy, and various regional recognition titles. The schedule also marks the return of the World Bagel Rolling Championship, a speed and precision contest for bakers.

Returning titleholders include Dallas-based Starship Bagel, as well as Seattle-based Hey Bagel and Irvine-based Rise Bagels, who both previously earned honors at BagelFest West. In addition to unlimited bagel and sandwich samples, the event will feature live baking demonstrations, vendor merchandise, and a dedicated interactive area for children.

Early bird tickets for the festival go on sale Tuesday, September 8, via the event’s official website. Organizers plan to release additional event details, including culinary speakers and celebrity participants, in the coming months.

The 2026 BagelFest Lineup

Starship Bagel — Dallas, TX. BagelFest’s most decorated competitor, Best Bagel Champions ’23 & ’25 (runner-up ’24); Schmear Of The Year ’24, runner-up ’25; Rising Star ’23; Most Creative runner-up ’25; Best Beyond the Boroughs podium ’23, ’24
Olmo — New Haven, CT. People’s Choice Champ ’23 and runner-up ’22, ’24. Schmear of the Year ’23. Returning to the competition after a one-year hiatus, with seven total podium finishes across the previous three years.
Utopia Bagels — New York, NY. 2024 Best Bagel champion, with Best of the Borough podium finishes in ’23 and ’25. Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, 2026
Ess-a-Bagel — New York, NY. Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, 2024. Best of The Boroughs champion, 2025.
Fantzye — Kingston, NY. Best Bagel runner-up ’25, Schmear Of The Year ’25, Best Beyond The Boroughs ’24 & podium finisher ’25
Hey Bagel — Seattle, WA. Double champion at BagelFest West 2025, sweeping both Best Bagel and Best Bagel – Sourdough.
Rise Bagels — Irvine, CA. Double champion at BagelFest West 2025, taking home both Best of the West and Most Creative.
Bagel Market — New York, NY. Podium in Best Bagel ’23 & ’24, Schmear of the Year runner-up ’23
St-Viateur Bagel — Montreal, Canada. Best International champion in ’23 and ’25 and runner-up ’24, the category’s most consistent competitor.
Curley’s Bagels — Sunnyside, NY. People’s Choice runner-up ’25.
Bagizza — New York, NY. 2025 runner-up Rising Star, Best of The Boroughs podium finisher
Bagel Joint — Brooklyn, NY. 2024 podium finishes in Best of The Boroughs and Best Bialy.
Emerald City Bagels — Atlanta, GA. Best Showmanship runner-up, ’25.
Inglorious Bagels — Carlsbad, CA. Best Bagel – Yeasted runner-up at BagelFest West ’25.
Si Si Bagels — Madrid, Spain. Best International podium finisher ’25.
Dutchman’s — Brunswick, ME. Returning competitor.
Bagel Uprising — Alexandria, VA. New competitor.
Bagel Boss of Roslyn — Roslyn Heights, NY. New competitor.
Bagel Brigade — India & Texas. New competitor.
Bev’s Bagels — Detroit, MI. New competitor.
Black Seed Bagels — New York, NY. New competitor.
Bodega Bagels — Belfast, Ireland. New competitor.
Pete’s Bagels — St. Petersburg, FL. New competitor.
Pigeon Bagels — Pittsburgh, PA. New competitor.
Schmear Bagel Parlor — Philadelphia, PA. New competitor.
Original Sunshine — gluten-free bagels
Queen Street Bakery — gluten-free bagels

Bagel-Adjacent Exhibitors

Variety Coffee — Brooklyn, NY. A Brooklyn-born coffee roaster that’s grown from a single Williamsburg café in 2008 into nine NYC locations plus its own roastery.
Parlor Coffee — Brooklyn, NY. A Brooklyn roastery that got its start in the back of a Williamsburg barbershop in 2012 and now supplies cafés and home brewers from its Navy Yard headquarters.
Acme Smoked Fish — Brooklyn, NY. A fourth-generation, family-owned Greenpoint institution and the largest smoked salmon producer in North America since 1906.
Blue Circle Foods — Washington, D.C. An employee-owned seafood company known for sustainably sourced, beechwood-smoked salmon free of antibiotics, added hormones, and synthetic dyes.
Peter Pan Donuts — Brooklyn, NY. A longtime Greenpoint donut shop and neighborhood fixture beloved for its classic, no-frills counter-service donuts.
Gracie Baked — Brooklyn, NY. A Brooklyn bakery known for its layer cakes, cookies, and other made-from-scratch treats.
Mike ‘s Hot Honey — Brooklyn, NY. The Brooklyn-founded hot honey brand credited with popularizing the sweet-and-spicy condiment on menus nationwide.
Monty’s Plant-Based — Los Angeles, CA. An L.A. business making dairy-free cream cheese and other plant-based spreads.
The Matzo Project — Brooklyn, NY. A Brooklyn company putting a modern spin on matzo with flavors like everything and chocolate.
Joe Tea — Philadelphia, PA. A Philadelphia-based iced tea brand known for its brewed, not-too-sweet flavors sold in glass bottles.
Tizz — Brooklyn, NY. A Brooklyn beverage brand making tangerine soda.
Brooklyn Seltzer Boys — Brooklyn, NY. The successors to Gomberg Seltzer Works, delivering old-school seltzer in glass siphon bottles across NYC.
Allyson Fisher, Author, Bagel Finds His Center — A pediatric nutritionist turned children’s book author, whose picture book follows a nervous bagel finding his place at the Corner Cafe.
Da Shayna Punims — Chicago, IL. A Chicago-based Judaica and gift shop selling playful “Jewish swag” and holiday decor.
Bageled NYC — Brooklyn, NY. A Brooklyn brand that puts a bagel-shop spin on tennis apparel and gear, from cream cheese-themed grips to lox-print accessories.
Rainbow Unicorn Birthday Surprise — Brooklyn, NY. A Brooklyn accessories brand selling playful hair clips, socks, and keychains, including NYC-themed designs.
KatieB Cartoons — Brooklyn, NY. The pun-driven single-panel cartoons of illustrator Katie Brookoff, including a long-running bagel series, sold as prints and cards.
BonBagel — a revolutionary new bagel slicer
Hot Bread Kitchen — New York, NY. Hot Bread Kitchen uses the power of food to create economic opportunity, equipping New Yorkers facing barriers to employment with the skills, support, and pathways to build sustainable careers and businesses in the food industry.
Philadelphia Cream Cheese – A quintessential bagel companion and iconic American cream cheese brand known for its signature rich, creamy spread.
All Bake Technologies – Neptune, NJ. All Bake Technologies provides professional bakers with a one-stop solution for their bakery equipment needs – equipment, parts, technical support, and service – all in one place.
Manischewitz – Bayonne, NJ. From inventing machine-made matzo in 1888 to crafting the world’s most delicious matzo ball soup, The Manischewitz Co. have been serving up traditional Jewish foods since 1888.
Malt Products – Saddle Brook, NJ. Longtime producer of malted ingredients and natural sweeteners used by commercial bakeries and food manufacturers, including the malt that helps give classic bagels their distinctive flavor, color, and crust.
Bettani Farms – Berkeley, CA. Bettani Farms has developed a transformative protein-rich, dairy-free portfolio of products. Its next-generation cream cheese and goat cheese, both launching in late 2026, leverage Caseed, Bettani’s proprietary protein ingredient.

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