Food tourism is an important element that contributes to strengthening the gastronomic identity of a destination (Andersson, Mossberg, 2016). It often enhances the visibility of tourist destinations through the organization of events dedicated to food which are able to leverage on the local culture and its specificity (Marchini, Riganelli & Diotallevi, 2016).

Food festivals aim to promote local gastronomy through the exploration and tasting of typical food products of the local area. Moreover, food events could help developing tourism by improving the relationship between guest and host, and introducing tourists to local flavors and traditions during their vacation. (Getz,1991, 2000; Ciani & Diotallevi, 2013; Mitchell & Mitchell, 2001; Sidali, Kastenholz, & Bianchi, 2013). Generally, existing research on food events concentrate mainly on rural areas (Hall & Sharples, 2008; Hollows, J., et al. 2013).

The aim of the study is to contribute to the food events literature by focusing on a maritime environment. Qualitative research and case studies on sea food festivals in Italy and Sweden have been performed to understand how different approaches related to tradition and marketing can influence the process leading to the creation of sea food festivals. Moreover, the purpose of the research is to investigate the ideas of the stakeholders involved and the relationship between them, interviewing the organizations managing these events