The Taste food festival returns this summer to Paramount Studios

The Los Angeles Times announced that The Taste, its annual celebration of Southern California’s culinary scene, will take place over Labor Day weekend at Paramount Pictures Studios’ iconic back lot.

Five events will celebrate the city’s food, dining and cocktail culture, showcasing Los Angeles’ chefs, restaurants and bartenders. Each event -- Opening Night, Field to Fork, Dinner With a Twist, Sunday Brunch and Flavors of L.A. -- will include unlimited tastings, specialty drinks, wine seminars and live demos. Tickets are on sale now at latimes.com/thetaste.

Opening Night will be Friday, Aug. 29, from 7:30 to 11 p.m. The Taste’s premiere will bring together all of the weekend’s hosts, chefs and bartenders, including The Times’ Food staff, for a debut soirée featuring tastings, premium cocktail and wine offerings, and live entertainment.

Field to Fork, Saturday, Aug. 30, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Times Food Editor Russ Parsons leads a day inspired by seasonal dishes made with local ingredients.

Dinner with a Twist, Saturday, Aug. 30, 7:30 to 11 p.m. Betty Hallock, Times deputy Food editor, and Jonathan Gold, Times restaurant critic, collaborate for an evening of some of L.A.’s best dishes and complementary pours.

Sunday Brunch, Sunday, Aug. 31, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Noelle Carter, Times Test Kitchen director, makes Sunday fun-day with an homage to brunch.

Flavors of L.A., Sunday, Aug. 31, 7:30 to 11 p.m. Jonathan Gold, Times restaurant critic, will close out The Taste with a tour of the world flavors through the lens of L.A. chefs and local restaurants.

Opening Night tickets are $150. Tickets for each of the Saturday and Sunday events are $100 to $125, and a $25 discount on individual tickets is available exclusively to Los Angeles Times members. A limited quantity of weekend passes for all four Saturday and Sunday events is available for $299. For more information and tickets, to go latimes.com/thetaste.