The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival on Track for Biggest Event Yet!
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (June 20, 2017): The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival takes place this weekend, June 24th & 25th at Charles R Wood Festival Commons in Lake George Village.
“This festival celebrates the bounty of amazing craft beverages and locally made foods that New York has to offer and we’re excited to report that we will have more vendors and variety than ever before,” said Owner Sasha Pardy, who is also co-owner and president of the Festival’s presenting sponsor, Adirondack Winery of Lake George.
The final vendor list for the 2017 Adirondack Wine & Food Festival includes 24 wineries, 9 distilleries, 5 breweries, 6 cideries, 27 artisan food vendors, 6 specialty vendors, 9 food trucks, 1 local restaurant and a weekend full of culinary demonstrations provided by the SUNY Adirondack Culinary Students. “We have vendors coming from all over New York State… from the Finger Lakes to Lake Ontario to New York City and vendors from our own backyard,” said Event Organizer, Stephanie Howard. “Where else can you discover your new favorite locally made wine, beer, vodka, cider, cheese, salsa, olive oil, garlic sauce, hot pepper jelly, kettle corn or ice cream all in one place? Attendees also love that our food trucks offer a variety of cuisine from classic barbecue and gourmet burgers to empanadas and gyros,” added Pardy. The full list of vendors, click here>>
Festival Tasting Ticket holders receive a souvenir Festival Logo wine glass at entry to use to sample from the hundreds of craft beverages and artisan foods vendors will be offering. Attendees also receive a complementary welcome bag and Festival Program and Tasting Guide to navigate their way through the festival and take notes on the products they’ve sampled. Designated Driver and Underage Ticket holders may enjoy free samples from the artisan food producers. Food Trucks are also present offering small to large plate options start at $4 and up.
The Festival is a farmers’ market style (rain or shine) event where wineries, craft beverage and artisan food vendors set up tents, serve samples and sell their fine products, giving festival-goers the perfect opportunity to “try before they buy”. To encourage support of these local producers, the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival offers a “Purchase Drop-Off & Pick-Up Tent”, where attendees can drop off the purchases they make throughout the day for storage. The packages can then be picked up as they leave the festival. “SUNY Adirondack does an amazing job running our drop-off / pick-up service. Past attendees have loved the convenience of this, while vendors report it helps to boost their sales,” said Stephanie Howard, Festival Coordinator.
“So far, this year, we have already sold more than 3,300 tickets and we are ahead of the same time last year. I’m confident we will hit our 6,000 attendee goal,” said Pardy. “Last year’s festival drew 5,200 attendees (3,600 Saturday / 1,600 Sunday). There is a chance that Saturday tickets may not be available at the gate, so at this point, we are encouraging people to take advantage of our discounted pre-sale ticket price and consider attending on Sunday as well,” added Pardy.
“While nearly all attendees reported in our 2016 post-fest survey they would attend again, we’re always looking at ways to improve attendees’ experience,” said Howard. “This year we have added about 20 more craft beverage and food vendors, which not only adds diversity to the products attendees may sample and buy, but it will also help cut down on tasting lines. Also new this year, by customer demand, we have added a 2-day value pack ticket that allows entry into the festival both days for a discounted rate, and also includes a special wine tote bag, local coupon booklet, wine glass holder necklace and water bottle on admission,” added Howard. Other changes include a dedicated tent for kids to take a break with their parents and enjoy some fun activities and games, Adirondack Chair seating sprinkled around the event and more “Take a Break” covered tent space.
Adirondack Festivals has also addressed parking to ensure that parking availability is plentiful for festival attendees. The “Best Bet” is the Lake George Rec Center on Transfer Road, which is charging $10 per day to park and providing door to door trolley service to and from the festival every half hour. Other lots include the Factory Outlets of Lake George where its recommended to take the Trolley into the Village; Million Dollar Beach, Beach Road, Lake George Steamboat Company, Lake George Forum, Caffe Verro & more.
The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival has been recognized by many local officials as the most successful new event to take place in Lake George since its launch in 2015. The public recently showed it agreed, as the Festival recently earned the title of “Best Annual Event” for LakeGeorge.com’s annual “Best Of” survey.
“Festival Commons is the perfect spot for an event like ours. It has ample green space, nearby parking, new restroom facilities, a family friendly playground and skateboard park just outside the gates, and it’s in walking distance to a variety of hotels, restaurants, attractions and shops for our attendees to enjoy before and after the festival,” said Howard, adding that the promotion of Lake George as a destination is an important part of their marketing for the event.
The SUNY Adirondack Foundation is the official beneficiary of the Festival, receiving a portion of ticket sales from the event and they provide volunteers throughout the Festival weekend. “SUNY Adirondack Founation is great to work with and the perfect fit, with the College’s growing Culinary Arts Program,” said Howard. The Culinary Arts Program Faculty and Students will be present at the festival showcasing their skills with Cooking Demonstrations under a special tent throughout the festival, and this year they’re even doing an alumni “Mystery Box Challenge” as one of their demos. The Foundation will also be raising money by selling water bottles, baked goods, food and conducting a raffle at the event.
Visit www.ADKWINEFEST.com to purchase tickets. Find more information, images, videos, logos, and more on our media page: www.adirondackwineandfoodfestival.com/news/media/
ABOUT ADIRONDACK FESTIVALS LLC: www.AdkWineFest.com
Founded in 2014, Adirondack Festivals LLC is based out of Queensbury, New York and owned by Sasha Pardy, who is also co-owner and president of Adirondack Winery; the Presenting Sponsor of the Adirondack Wine and Food Festival. The festival is held annually, the last weekend of June, at the Charles R Wood Festival Commons in Lake George, New York. Organizers expect 6,000 attendees and over 80 vendors will celebrate the best New York has to offer in Wine, Craft Beverage, locally-produced food & products & more at the 2017 event. The designated beneficiary of the Adirondack Wine and Food Festival is the SUNY Adirondack Foundation, working closely with the SUNY Adirondack Culinary Arts Program.
ABOUT SUNY ADIRONDACK FOUNDATION: WEBSITE>>
The SUNY Adirondack Foundation is a 501(c) 3 charitable corporation established in 1983. The Foundation’s primary function is to provide financial support to the college and its students. Funds are raised and distributed as student scholarships, faculty/staff professional development grants and to support College related special projects.
ABOUT SUNY ADIRONDACK CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM: WEBSITE>>
SUNY Adirondack offers a two-year Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in Culinary Arts with a focus on the scientific and artistic elements behind food and drink. Since culinary minds are constantly exploring and evolving the industry, students will find a wealth of career choices for trained chefs upon graduation.