Get your spoons ready for this Thursday, as Binghamton Philharmonic’s Seventh-Annual Mac & Cheese Fest returns on Feb. 10 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in Downtown Binghamton.

After last year’s festival was drive-thru-only, this year’s festival will be conducted through a hybrid system of both in-person dining as well as a takeout system. Patrons will be given a set of containers to pick up their samples at each restaurant table and apply their own lids for takeout, according to the festival’s website.

Caitlin Khan, the marketing and publications coordinator for the Binghamton Philharmonic, said it has been a fun process in making the Mac & Cheese Fest an in-person event again.

“We’ve had a ton of fun planning Mac & Cheese Fest this year,” Khan wrote in an email. “We started planning this past September and are thrilled to host this event in person again.”

Khan said that despite the difficulties the Omicron COVID-19 variant has brought, the Binghamton Philharmonic is still very excited about the event.

“It has been tough planning around the recent surge of Omicron,” Khan wrote. “Many restaurants in our area are short-staffed and were unable to participate. We did, however, get a number of new restaurants to participate this year that we’re very excited about including The Brickyard Endwell, [The] Outlet Bar & Lounge, Tiny Vegan, Kindred Plates Catering and [The] Fat Cowboys [Fireside BBQ]!”

This year’s festival will feature a wide array of award categories as well as a diverse menu, Khan said.

“We have 16 local restaurants coming to compete for ‘Judges’ Choice,’ ‘Most Classic Mac,’ ‘Most Original Mac,’ ‘Best Presentation’ and ‘Best of the Fest,’” Khan wrote. “They will be offering all-you-can-eat samples of different types of mac and cheese including a three-cheese miso mac with teriyaki candied bacon, jerk chicken mac, buffalo chicken mac, a taco-based mac with pico de gallo, [barbecue] pulled pork mac and Cajun mac!”

Khan discussed the voting process for awards, as well as this year’s other special features.

“Everyone at the fest will be able to vote online for their favorites and we have celebrity judges who will vote for their top choice as well including Jim Ehmke from WIVT News, Mayor Jared Kraham [of Binghamton] and Sydney Park, Miss New York 2021,” Khan wrote. “DJ music will be provided by Just Breathe. and Chelsea Cheddar, Mayor of Macaroni, will be the MC! Water Street Brewing Co., [Farm by] Beer Tree Brew, A.L. George and Rocco J. Testani, Inc. will also be there offering their most popular beer samples to those who are of age.”

Khan said Mac & Cheese Fest is very important in terms of fundraising for the Binghamton Philharmonic and supporting its yearly programs.

“Mac & Cheese Fest is our biggest annual fundraiser,” Khan wrote “We are a local, nonprofit professional orchestra and would never be able to put on so many incredible concerts without the support we receive every year from this event. We have about one concert a month from September to April as well as a Summer Chamber Music concert series. The money from Mac & Cheese Fest goes to support the musicians in our orchestra and the staff that work tirelessly to bring high-class live music to Binghamton.”

For those interested in attending Mac & Cheese Fest, Khan has a promise for you.

“A ton of fun, a ton of cheese and an evening they will never forget!”

Tickets for Mac & Cheese Fest can be found here.