If you're planning a trip to Canada this year, you're probably also planning on eating out at restaurants. Narrowing it down to just a few restaurants could be difficult, so why not go to one place with variety: a local food festival. You'll be able to sample a variety of cuisines in one spot. Plus, many restaurants cater during these events so if you end up trying a dish you like, you can hone in on that particular restaurant on another day of your trip. Here are five festivals you might be interested in attending:

1. Toronto, Ontario

Since Toronto is Canada's most populous city, it naturally has quite the melting pot of cultures and ethnic cuisine. Many of their food festivals highlight the city's heritage. For instance, one festival in Toronto transforms the city's historic military site into a multi-cultural food event every year. These festivals also highlight the city's most popular restaurants, local food vendors, and live entertainment. If you are big foodie, you'll be happy to note that many festivals have wine tasting and food cooking classes.

After you've enjoyed the festival, you should spend at least one night dining in a multicultural neighborhood like Kensington Market, Eglinton West, or Chinatown. Since many neighborhoods were established by expatriates, they feature authentic cuisine from Latin America, the Caribbean, China, and so on.

2. Victoria, British Columbia

Many festivals in Victoria kick off in mid-July. If you are into very fine dining or supporting community farmers, this is the place to visit! Many profits earned at Victoria's local festivals not only stay in the community, but they go towards charitable causes.

3. Edmonton, Alberta

If you're traveling in the fall and looking for a very casual dining experience, Edmonton often has food trucks parked in one location for the day, and these festivals provide maps so you can easily spot the trucks you want to visit.

You don't have to pay to walk around Edmonton's festival grounds, but you do have to pay each vendor separately for food—so choose your truck wisely! If you do find a truck you'd like to eat at again, make sure you ask about their social media page since many food trucks build their customer base there. Lastly, make sure you bring cash since many food trucks don't accept credit cards.

4. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Saskatoon's festivals are the epitome of a family-friendly summer festival. The city makes the price of food very reasonable, and if you have gluten allergies, many festivals here have gluten-free entrees. The best part of Saskatoon's festivals is its free musical entertainment. Since many festivals last at least a week, there are all sorts of bands and genres to enjoy.

5. Montreal, Quebec

Montreal hosts fantastic winter festivals--there are ice castles, tobogganing, and snow sculpture contests. But even though the cuisine isn't the centerpiece, it's still a great event to add to your list if you want quintessential Canadian treats. If you really want to party, you could try Caribou, a sweet alcohol made with maple syrup. If you are craving some cheesy goodness, the festival has restaurants that serve both fondue and poutine. Poutine is made with cheese curds, french fries, and gravy. Although it's not the most upscale food, it did originate in Quebec—so you have to try it for tourism's sake.

As you can see, there's a wide variety of food festivals that you can attend. And, these are just the tip of the iceberg--there are events year-round in every province and territory. So if you aren't sure what kind of restaurant you're in the mood for, go for a food festival medley!