The crunchy and colorful leaves, the cozy sweaters, the pumpkin spice lattes — there are many reasons to love fall. But perhaps the best reason of all is that it means the arrival of one of the culinary industry's most-anticipated events: the annual New York City Wine & Food Festival. Each October your favorite Food Network chefs converge upon the Big Apple for a four-day celebration of all things food and drink, from the cheesiest, juiciest burgers and the most-succulent barbecue to craveable tacos and a seemingly never-ending supply of meat.

This year's festival kicks off Thursday, Oct. 15, and will run through Sunday, Oct. 18. FN Dish will be on hand all weekend long to join A-list stars, like Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, Bobby Flay, Robert Irvine and more, as they mingle with fans at walk-around tastings, late-night bashes and jam-packed demos alike. If you can't make it to New York this weekend to take in the parties for yourself, stay tuned to FN Dish for continued coverage of the action, or search the hashtag #NYCWFF to see what's going down.

Blue Moon Burger Bash, presented by Pat LaFrieda Meats and hosted by Rachael Ray

Greenmarket Brunch, hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian; part of LOCAL, presented by Delta Air Lines

Grand Tasting, presented by ShopRite and featuring Samsung Culinary Demonstrations presented by MasterCard

Pigs n' Pints, hosted by Robert Irvine; part of LOCAL, presented by Delta Air Lines

Grand Tasting, presented by ShopRite and featuring Samsung Culinary Demonstrations presented by MasterCard