Eat, Taste, and Play at the Niagara Wine Festival
Do you love wine? Then you don’t want to miss one of Niagara’s best local wine events – the Niagara Wine Festival. It is time for wine lovers to enjoy a festival of their own. The Niagara Grape and wine festival is back after a successful event last year. With over a half a century of great wine production, the Niagara Wine Festival features the region’s largest wine industry. This year’s festival will be held from 9th September to 24th September, with many interesting activities for all the visitors. The central location of the festival is located in Montebello Park, a historic location in the downtown of St. Catharines. The oldest part in the Niagara region is sparked back to life during the grape and wine festival.
If you’ve always wanted to sample some famous Niagara wines but don’t know where to start, you want to check out this Festival. Use this handy guide to explore this exciting time and take in everything there is to offer at the Niagara Wine Festival.
For any winery that wants to participate in this year’s grape and wine festival, there is great news. Niagara Wine Festival is offering Party Alcohol Liability (PAL) to all the vendors, which will keep you safe from any lawsuits against you or your winery. Contact us for more information on PAL policies!
A Short History of the Festival
Originally known as the Grape and Wine Festival, this yearly celebration began in 1951. The name changed to the Niagara Wine Festival in 2003 after a controversial decision made by the committee.
It started as a way to celebrate the yearly harvest of grapes and wine right in the heart of Niagara Wine Country. This region is home to Canada’s largest wine industry, so it’s only fitting that this huge celebration takes place here.
Since then, Niagara’s residents and visitors alike have been returning year after year to participate in all of the celebrations and gatherings.
Your Quick Schedule of the 2017 Niagara Wine Festival Events
Don’t miss a thing with this handy schedule we’ve put together for
you. There is so much action going on at all the participating locations, you’ll wonder where to start! Here are the top five major things to do at Niagara Grape and Wine Festival 2017:
Attractions at Montebello Park
Date: September 15-17 and 22-24, 2017
With more than 40 wineries participating in this year’s grape and wine festival, wine tasters will have more than they can imagine. There are plenty of attractions alongside, which includes live music and food stations for a perfect and thrilling environment. Live bands will be performing on the main stage throughout the day, which means there is enough entertainment for every visitor.
Discovery Pass Program
Dates: September 9-10, 16-17 and 23-24, 2017
The discovery pass program is the ideal place to visit for wine tasters. The venue offers an amazing combination of wine and food pairings to ignite your taste buds, but that is not all – you only pay a base price for all you can eat or drink. It is extremely affordable for enthusiast wine tasters who can have their share of savory food and enjoy live music throughout the day.
Pied Piper Parade
Date and Time: September 16 (Saturday) at 11:00 AM.
The perfect family event with great wine on display and serving. The Pied Piper Parade will feature all the exotic harvests, dressed up in costumes that offer a fun-filled experience for the whole family. There are rounds of refreshments and activities for children following the parade. Hint: dress up for the costume show and get a chance to win VIP seats for the Grande Parade.
Annual Meridian Grande Parade
Date and Time: September 23 (Saturday) at 11:00 AM.
The grand parade is the biggest family attraction at Niagara Grape and Wine Festival, and a sight you just cannot miss. The parade has some of the best costume displays with many new additions from the Pied Piper Parade.
The Niagara Wineries Bring Their Best to Montebello Park
Many of the award winning wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake showcase their best creations for festival visitors to sample.
Guests can purchase tokens, which they can use to purchase samples of different wines around the park in their souvenir wine glass. If you really love a wine, you can use some of your tokens to purchase a bottle.
Check out some of the gourmet options from many local vendors and restaurants, including some samples from Niagara’s hot food truck scene.
Live Music Schedule
The venue is fueled by energetic live music that takes place at Centre Stage with a variety of local DJs and bands who are committed towards keeping the crowd entertained. They are the lifelines of the grape and wine festival, uplifting moods of the visitors by their rocking performances. The bands provide a perfect combination to dance your way into harmony.
2017 Entertainment Line Up:
- Friday, September 15
- 6:45pm – 7:45pm Back in the Daze
- 8:15pm – 10:30pm The Caverners
- Saturday, September 16
- 1:00pm – 2:45pm Groovy Food
- 3:15pm – 5:00pm The Associates
- 5:30pm – 7:15pm Theatre Crisp
- 7:45pm – 10:30pm Vinyl Flux
- Sunday September 17
- 1:00pm – 2:00pm Groove Positive
- 2:30pm – 4:15pm Evermile
- 4:00pm – 5:00pm Choir Nation
- 5:00pm – 5:30pm Adele Tribute
- 5:45pm – 6:30pm Abbamania
- 6:45pm – 8:00pm Bee Gees
- Friday, September 22
- 6:30pm – 7:30pm Hammer Bros.
- 8:00pm – 10:30pm Desire – U2 Tribute
- Saturday, September 23
- 1:00pm – 2:45pm Liteyears
- 3:15pm – 5:00pm Random Task
- 5:30pm – 7:15pm James Blonde
- 7:45pm – 10:30pm Jonesy
- Sunday, September 24
- 1:30pm – 3:15pm HopYards
- 3:30pm – 4:15pm Jason Maxwell
- 4:45pm – 6:15pm Buck Twenty
- 6:45pm – 8:00pm JJ Shiplett
Directions to Montebello Park
From Toronto: Take the QEW to Niagara and get off at the Ontario Street exit. Turn right at the lights and head south on Ontario Street. Follow Ontario Street and you will reach Montebello Park on the left.
From Niagara Falls: Take the QEW Toronto and exit at the Ontario Street off-ramp in St. Catharines. Turn right onto Ontario Street and head south until you see Montebello Park on the left.
Parking is available downtown St. Catharines at the public lots or the leveled parking garages. Some street parking is also available, but these spots are limited.
