Like a good wine, most things are better with time.
The same is true with the Savannah Food & Wine Festival. We’re gearing up for our third year, and we’ve learned a lot in the first two. Some exciting things are on the horizon for this year’s festival.
If you’re a local and you don’t know about Savannah Food & Wine Festival, we invite you to join us in November for an epicurean celebration of taste, smell, sight and sound.
From extravagant to casual, the festivities offer something for everyone, and tickets go on sale Monday at www.SavannahFoodandWineFestival.com.
Last year we had overwhelming success with 15,000 people coming to various events. In fact, most of the people who came were visiting from out of town and planned their trip around the festival — staying in hotel rooms, eating at restaurants, spending money at our shops.
It poured $5.1 million worth of spending into our local economy.
We particularly learned a lot from last year’s signature
event, Taste of Savannah.
The event was set in Ellis Square and Johnson Square and the streets in between. We sold 5,000 tickets, but because the event was wide open in the squares, we estimated that several thousand more people came to see what all of the excitement was about.
As you can imagine, all of the extra people made it a challenge for ticket holders to work through the outdoor festival.
This is why we’ve recently announced that we’re moving venues for the Taste of Savannah to the Georgia State Railroad Museum on Saturday, Nov. 14.
It offers unlimited potential for an improved guest experience with its expansive indoor and outdoor facilities.
The historic location offers controlled access for express and limited guest admissions, acres of historic grounds (dating back to the 1850s) and opportunities for our attendees and exhibitors to have a new and exciting experience for 2015.
It also allows us to provide beautiful souvenir wine glasses this year — new, rimless and lead-free crystal tasting stemware that we hope will become a festival collector’s item.
Details — and there are a lot of details to work through — are currently being finalized. We do know that we want to partner with Georgia Grown and create the World’s Largest Lowcountry Boil. We also have some of the other crowd-favorite events coming back such as the River Street Stroll and cooking classes.
In addition, we need local culinary talent. If you have a favorite chef in town, encourage him or her to contact me at michael@savannahfoodandwinefest.com.
This festival is all about celebrating our rich heritage of culinary tradition paired with some of the most delicious wines from around the world.
If you want the local, insider view of one of the biggest Savannah festivals, you’ll want to get your tickets early. Set your calendar for Monday, June 1, and peruse the events at www.SavannahFoodandWineFestival.com.
You’ll find early bird deals and events that haven’t sold out. Join us for our third year of Savannah Food & Wine Festival where things are getting better with each new year of this festival.
Michael Owens is president/CEO of the Tourism Leadership Council and co-founder of the Savannah Food & Wine Festival (www.SavannahFood
andWineFestival.com) Feel free to email him at michael@savannahfoodandwinefest.com or by calling 912-232-1223.
By Michael Owens