Popular dessert-based festival Dessert Goals is going digital for the first time in response to the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1, the virtual festival will bring dessert-lovers together nationwide to experience Dessert Goals in a whole new way in the safety of their homes.

Access to the two days of interactive programming ($25 per ticket) will include virtual panels from influencers, bloggers, bakers and other business experts, baking demos, a birthday celebration, dessert happy hour, a morning fitness class, family-friendly activities, a keynote speech,  and much more.

Panel topics include “How to Run a Food Business”, “How to Be a Food Influencer” and “How to Take Stunning Food Photos with your Phone”.

Tickets will also include access to a curated dessert marketplace, providing a forum for independent merchants to showcase sweet offerings and exclusive treats available for home delivery (shipping nationwide). Guests will get access to a discount code for free shipping, a deal or an exclusive dessert from each vendor, so they can create their own mini dessert fest at home. The marketplace will provide a much-needed revenue stream for small hospitality businesses impacted by the pandemic.

There are currently over twenty vendors confirmed (with more to come) for the marketplace including Buttery Popcorn Co., Gracie Baked, Illuminatea, Insomnia Cookies, Little Red Kitchen Treats, Spoonable Spirits and Mini Melanie.

One dollar of each ticket will be donated to No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to end childhood hunger in America. Dessert Goals will also launch a scholarship program on Monday, July 20 that offers free festival access to 200 frontline workers and out of work hospitality industry professionals, with the goal of bringing a bit of sweetness and joy to those most affected by the pandemic.

“The past few months have been a roller coaster for me and for all of us across America and the larger world,” says Dessert Goals founder Miraya Berke. “While it’s been challenging to grapple with the loss of the in-person festival I was planning - our 10th! – I’ve also been so inspired by the challenge of conceptualizing how to bring our experience online and provide joy to our community during this strange moment. Our goal is to create something truly unique and engaging and continue to raise the bar for what virtual experiences can be.”