Food Network Holiday 2025 Programming Announced
Food Network will deliver a joyful slate of fresh holiday programming launching in November 2025 with the debut of a new holiday-themed spin-off of the network’s top-rated competition series, Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas, and a daring new dessert showdown with a twist, Sweet Empire.
The Food Network Holiday 2025 lineup also includes a new season of the wildly successful series, Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking, and returning fan favorites Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown and Holiday Baking Championship. The holiday cheer continues with Gingerbread Land: The Biggest Little Holiday Competition, special World’s Sweetest Candy Shops, and seasonal episodes of The Kitchen.
“This year we have upped the ante on Food Network’s must-see, seasonal family-friendly programming with new series, new twists, and new takes on this fan-favorite lineup,” said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery.
“Along with returning favorites, fans will be dazzled by the holiday spin on Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas and the unique take on the dessert competition format with Sweet Empire. With more than 50 hours of holiday programming, Food Network is truly the ultimate destination this holiday season.”
The holidays begin with the return of Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking on Sunday, November 2nd at 8 p.m. ET/PT, featuring even more spellbinding creations, enchanted elements, and baking wizardry as a new field of competitors embark on the experience of a lifetime. Hosts James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) bring their charm, humor, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
They are joined by esteemed culinary judges Carla Hall and Jozef Youssef, who bring their discerning palates and high expectations to the table. Special guests Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick), Afshan Azad (Padma Patil), and Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan) help evaluate the competitors’ showpieces as they share their own stories from the films.
Then, on Sunday, November 2nd at 10 p.m. ET/PT, the special World’s Sweetest Candy Shops will give viewers a look behind the scenes at three of the world’s biggest sweet stores as they prepare for their busiest time of the year. The It’Sugar flagship store in New Jersey’s American Dream mall will battle its rival store in Times Square to see who will make the most sales during the holiday rush.
Across the pond, Cadbury World in the United Kingdom will unveil an elaborate chocolate sculpture to celebrate its grand reopening following a massive renovation. In Sweden, Gottebiten, the world’s largest candy store by floor area, will struggle to keep up with demand for its 700 varieties of pick ‘n’ mix sweets in a nation of candy-loving Swedes.
Next, Holiday Baking Championship will return on Monday, November 3rd at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and for the first time, will split the 12 competing bakers into two teams of Naughty vs. Nice as host Jesse Palmer welcomes them to an adorable, immersive holiday village with a working coffee shop, general store, and town hall.
In this joyful world, the teams will take on tasks like “Snow Day Desserts,” “Chrismukkah Platters,” and of course, “Naughty Elf Desserts” – complete with advantages that lean either mischievous or merry. Judges Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller, and Kardea Brown will bring tough love as they determine which excellent baker will earn the title of Holiday Baking Champion and receive a feature in Food Network magazine, along with the grand prize of $25,000.
On Wednesday, November 5th at 8 p.m. ET/PT, Guy Fieri will make the most wonderful time of the year even more wonderful, with a high-stakes holiday incarnation of the ultimate sudden-death culinary showdown, Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas. And because the holidays are a time for cooking with the ones you love, chefs will be invited to pair up in teams of two to compete for glory and goodwill.
In every battle, teams will serve up a savory and a sweet dish based on the spin of the Randomizer. The chef teams will need to be in sync and on their game to earn the title, the belt, a $100,000 cash prize provided by Carnival Cruise Lines, and their share of an additional $50,000 prize to donate to a cause close to their hearts.
Competing teams include Antonia Lofaso and Alex Guarnaschelli; Maneet Chauhan and Stephanie Izard; Mei Lin and Nini Nguyen; Jet Tila and Ashley Holt; Lee Anne Wong and Zac Young; Sara Bradley and Damaris Phillips; Britt Rescigno and Jonathon Sawyer; Michael Voltaggio and Bryan Voltaggio; Marcus Samuelsson and Rachel Sherriffe; Shirley Chung and Sherry Yard; Kevin Lee and Dale Talde; Aarón Sánchez and Amanda Freitag; Tobias Dorzon and Marcel Vigneron; Adam Sobel and Christian Petroni; Aarti Sequeira and Crista Luedtke; and Graham Elliot and Giuseppe Tentori.
Judges across the season are Michelle Bernstein, Scott Conant, Cat Cora, Susan Feniger, Gale Gand, Lorena Garcia, Judy Joo, Nancy Silverton, Curtis Stone, Jacques Torres, Christina Tosi, Ming Tsai, and Geoffrey Zakarian. Floor reporters Tiffani Faison and Justin Warner will be joined by Hunter Fieri to provide insight into each team’s strategy.
Making its wintry debut on Sunday, November 9th at 9 p.m. ET/PT is a new competition series, Sweet Empire, where fourteen of the most competitive and talented sweets makers are invited to the Yuletide Lodge for a competition unlike any other. While the competitors enter as individuals, their goal will be to get on– and stay on– the strongest team by any means necessary, because in this game, the bakers must create incredible edible works of art to grow their teams and avoid elimination.
In the end, teams will crumble until only the strongest will be left standing to become the Sweet Empire. Wells Adams will host, with Jacques Torres and Yolanda Gampp serving as judges in this holiday baking competition with an edge.
‘Tis the season for revenge when Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown premieres on Tuesday, November 11th at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Last holiday season, Bobby Flay didn’t play nice and ended up with a clean sweep. This year, all his old friends and Food Network’s favorite chefs will return to serve a helping of “Revengesgiving” with a heaping side of “holi-payback.” The stakes will be higher than ever, as everyone is out to ruin Bobby’s holiday season.
Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown competitors and guest hosts include Sunny Anderson, Gabe Bertaccini, Maneet Chauhan, Esther Choi, Kelsey Barnard Clark, Tiffani Faison, Sophie Flay, Amanda Freitag, Carla Hall, Eddie Jackson, Michael Jenkins, Carson Kressley, Mei Lin, Antonia Lofaso, Jeff Mauro, Ayesha Nurdjaja, Damaris Phillips, Aarti Sequeira, Jet Tila, Michael Voltaggio, Brooke Williamson, Geoffrey Zakarian, Claudette Zepeda, and Andrew Zimmern.
On Monday, November 17th at 9 pm ET/PT, Gingerbread Land: The Biggest Little Holiday Competition will premiere on Food Network and Magnolia Network. Hosted by Oliver Hudson and executive produced by Chip and Joanna Gaines, top bakers will face off in the biggest little gingerbread competition ever imagined. Over the course of four challenges, teams will build incredible, edible worlds from scratch, complete with lights, motion, and storybook-level detail in every miniature.
Each week, Oliver Hudson guides the fun with warmth and humor, inviting viewers into a magical holiday world, where imagination has no limits. Judges for the series include acclaimed pastry chef Gale Gand and professor and architect Michael Ford, along with episodic guests such as celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, chef Christina Tosi, and actress D’arcy Carden, as well as Joanna Gaines for the finale.
All holiday series will stream the next day on HBO Max and discovery+. And for more festive inspiration throughout the season, viewers can tune in to holiday-themed episodes of The Kitchen during Food Network’s weekend daytime lineup.
Plus, fans can learn more about all of the holiday competitors, read episode recaps, discover behind-the-scenes tidbits, and take a deep dive into all of Food Network’s holiday offerings on FoodNetwork.com.
