What it is:
Just as its name indicates, the Food & Drink Fest brings you a fantastic selection of yummy eats , treats and beverages from the Hamilton and Golden Horseshoe area. Hundreds of local restaurants and wineries set up in booths at Hamilton's Careport Expo centre to give you a true taste of their businesses! This is a fantastic way to really experience the talents behind these popular restaurants, cafes, wineries and the like. In addition to local food and drink, you can also expand your horizons with a variety of international wine, craft beer and spirits. This is a day to come with many different taste buds!
How it works:
I attended Hamilton's Food & Drink Fest for the first time last year and had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that there was going to be food, which completely excited me! There was so much more than just food at this event and it was a great way to spend an afternoon. All of the businesses are set up in their individual booths around the perimeter of the Careport Centre.
The festival runs in way that allows you to sample items from the vendors. Now, this isn't a free for all sampling session in which you can visit every single booth and receive an item to try! I'm afraid that would be an impossible feat and you would likely end up a very sick person. You have to be very strategic with the sampling as you will be given a number of tickets to redeem (number of tickets is dependant on which admission package you purchase). Each item at a particular booth is worth a certain number of tickets. For example a more substantial dish may be worth 6 tickets while a small glass of wine is worth 3 tickets. I recommend doing a full lap around the centre and scoping out the booths to gauge the places you would like to redeem your tickets at.
Each business usually serves one or two of their signature items as it is too much for them to supply all of their products. There is a lot of variety in things to try at the festival ranging from baked goods, snacks, breakfast items and more savoury dishes. You really will get the best of all worlds here! Beyond consuming all yummy things, there is live music set up in the centre stage to enjoy and cooking demonstrations to take in.
Important Details:
When: March 21, 22, 23, 2014
Where: Careport Expo Centre (270 Longwood Road South, Hamilton)
Price: $15 for daily admission (additional costs for food & drink sample tickets)
* Note: you will get the most bang for your buck if you purchase the General
Admission Package Day Pass for $33 (includes 25 food & drink sample tickets)
Check out the Food and Drink Fest site for more information!
