Virgin Voyages to host immersive food festival at sea
Besides the kid-free environment, one of the things that passengers love most about sailings with adults-only cruise line Virgin Voyages is the food. With no buffet and a wide variety of modern restaurants that are all included in cruise fares, Virgin Voyages offers elevated cruise dining that makes culinary experiences on board the ship a memorable highlight of passengers' vacations - at no extra charge.
With stylish eateries serving diverse cuisines like Mexican, Indian, and Korean BBQ, and menus curated by Michelin-starred chefs, Virgin Voyages makes high-quality food a central element of its cruise experience.
And for one month each year, the cruise line makes food and even bigger part of the experience through a month-long food festival at sea featured fleetwide on immersive Eat & Drink voyages.
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Virgin Voyages' 2026 Eat & Drink Festival will be a feast for the senses
Virgin Voyages is going bigger on culinary exploration with its 2026 Eat & Drink Festival, which will be held across a limited range of voyages this fall. This year's festival will be a "Festival of Senses" that invites Sailors to come curious and hungry for an experience that engages all the senses to turn taste into theatre and leave them with stories to share.
A ship-wide gastronomic takeover, the festival will be a multisensory celebration of food and drink where flavor, sound, scent, texture, and visual spectacle transform how food and beverages are experienced on select voyages between Aug. 27 and Sept. 28.
Related: What happens when you buy liquor in port on your cruise?
Bold flavors aren't the only thing on the menu for the festival. Sailors can expect special immersive experiences, sensory dinners, fresh beverage events, and meals that are as visually striking as they are flavorful.
"There's a moment at a really great meal where you stop thinking and just feel it - the atmosphere, the smell, the sounds around you all click into place," Virgin Voyages' Director of Food & Beverage Experiences and Strategic Partnerships Charles Steadman said in a press release. "We spent a lot of time this year asking how we engineer more of those moments. Festival of Senses is the result, and I think Sailors are going to be genuinely surprised by what we've put together."
Immersive culinary events will invite discovery on Eat & Drink voyages
A Feast for the Senses headlines the new experiences coming to Virgin Voyages' 2026 Eat & Drink Festival. Part art installation, part culinary experience, the event presents an immersive sensory gallery where short films of food and drink come to life inside The Manor.
Sailors can also savor an intimate Sensory Dinner Series at The Wake crafted by the acclaimed husband-and-wife duo behind Caputo's Kitchen and authors of "The Flavor Matrix." Additionally, a new Color Me Curious dinner series from The Taste Curators will offer a color-matched, three-course Sip & Savor-style experience at Extra Virgin with each course paired to a color-inspired cocktail.
Related: Virgin Voyages spices up cruise dining with new culinary concept
On sea days, Sailors can explore the world of beer with Sea-Cerone, A Beer Master Class at Draught Haus designed to introduce them to beer styles, tasting techniques, and flavor fundamentals. Virgin Voyages is also bringing back the fan-favorite, phone-free Shhh... Speakeasy for the Eat & Drink Festival with a fresh aesthetic and a new cocktail program.
Virgin Voyages' 2026 Eat & Drink Festival: Festival of Senses is featured across the following voyages:
- Scarlet Lady: Aug. 31, Sept. 10, Sept. 20
- Valiant Lady: Aug. 27, Sept. 6, Sept. 19
- Resilient Lady: Aug. 27, Aug. 31, Sept. 5, Sept. 10, Sept. 14, Sept. 19, Sept. 24
- Brilliant Lady: Aug. 27, Sept. 3, Sept. 11, Sept. 19
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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 10:47 AM.