Cheers to Another Year of Beer and Wine Festival

Oct 21

photos / Ashley Baron

When the leaves have all changed to their fall colors and there is an undeniable crispness to the air, you know that the annual Holiday Valley Beer and Wine Festival will soon be upon us! The 22nd edition of the fest will take place Saturday, November 7 from 3:00-7:00pm at the Main Lodge at Holiday Valley. Open to anyone 21 and over with ticketed admission, the festival is sure to be a good time - if the last twenty-one were any indication! For an early-bird experience, revelers can join the “Crawl Outta Fall” kick-off event and pub crawl the night before on Friday, November 6 starting at Edna’s at the Tamarack Club. EllicottvilleNOW caught up with Dash Hegeman, the resort’s Director of Marketing, for comments.

“The Beer and Wine Festival was started as a way to have a fun event that would close out the summer and act as a bit of a kickoff for the ski and snowboard season,” Hegeman explained. “The event is a fantastic partnership between Holiday Valley, Ellicottville Brewing Co., and Southern Tier Brewing. It is always an exciting time of year because it not only means that winter is right around the corner, so there is a lot of energy that comes with that, but the event always brings a lot of enthusiastic people to the resort who are looking to sample some of this region’s best specialty drinks and have a good time. After the event ends, many of those people then continue the party downtown, which means that it’s a benefit to the bars and restaurants in the village as well.”

This year’s Beer and Wine Festival will no doubt be the largest one yet. “There is a great lineup of vendors this year,” Hegeman said. “As of this moment, there are roughly 50 vendors that will be serving up craft beer, wine, and other specialty drinks. The list can be found on our Beer and Wine Festival events page at holidayvalley.com.”

The vendor list of breweries, cideries, seltzer offerings, distilleries, and wineries is long and varied, and includes local and regional favorites like Ellicottville Brewing Company, Southern Tier Brewing Co., and 42 North Brewing Company. Wineries and distilleries include the Winery of Ellicottville, Ellicottville Distillery, and Southern Tier Distilling Co., to name a few.

As for entertainment, the festival is sure to be high-energy with live bands playing on every level at the venue, according to Hegeman. “Every floor of the Main Chalet will be treated to a great musical performance. Darkwater Duo, Nerds Gone Wild, and Second Hand News will be keeping the vibes at a high for the entire event.”

For the ultimate experience, the VIP ticket includes early access to the event (VIP doors open at 2:00pm), a dedicated VIP area on the top floor of the Main Chalet, exclusive beer releases in the VIP area, a special VIP lanyard, and a souvenir gift. “It’s the second year that we’re offering this, and it’s awesome to see that they have been well received,” Hegeman said.

To immerse yourself in the full Beer and Wine Festival experience, the Crawl Outta Fall kick-off party and pub crawl on Friday, November 6 is a must-do.

“For just $15, guests will get a passport card that shows the list of bars and restaurants that are offering specialty drinks that evening,” Hegeman explained. “There will be a shuttle service that takes people from the resort to the village, and once there, they can go to the bars on the passport, order that drink, and get their passport stamped. Those that turn in their passport at Beer & Wine with at least 4 stamps will be entered to win a Dine, Stay & Play package from Holiday Valley.”

Take advantage of the final days of fall and help usher in the new season with this year’s Beer & Wine Festival and Crawl Outta Fall. For ticket pricing, exclusive weekend lodging packages, and other details about this year’s festivities, contact the resort at 716-699-2345 or visit holidayvalley.com.