2020 Grand Rapids International Wine, Beer & Food Festival Postponed Due to Planning Challenges During COVID-19
(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich) — The 13th Annual Grand Rapids International Wine, Beer & Food Festival, originally slated for November 19-21, has been postponed for one year due to the organizer’s inability – during this challenging pandemic time – to confirm commitments from the large number of volunteers and industry specialists necessary to execute this world-class event.
For more than a decade, downtown Grand Rapids and DeVos Place has come alive mid-November with an unprecedented display of food, beverage and culinary entertainment presented by the area’s finest chefs, restaurants and purveyors of libations from around the globe in what Forbes.com named one of a dozen “Fall Wine Festivals In North America You Don’t Want to Miss” in 2019.
“As producers of this event, our primary concern is always to maintain the highest standards of excellence for our partners, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers and guests,” says Henri Boucher, Festival Producer. “We rely on thousands of volunteers and product specialists like pourers, servers, inventory managers, presenters and others, and it takes months to coordinate with these individuals and institutions to operate the event.”
ShowSpan and Festival Co-Producer, the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority, look forward to presenting the 13th Annual Grand Rapids International Wine, Beer & Food Festival next year, November 18-20, 2021, with an opportunity to showcase the full palate of food and beverage education and entertainment that West Michigan has come to expect.
“We thank and appreciate all of the ongoing support from our sponsors, distributors, exhibitors, industry leaders, volunteers and guests as we worked through this tough yet necessary decision,” says Dawn Baker, Festival Manager. “We guarantee this event will be back in the future, as an unparalleled tasting experience and culinary celebration.”
“The Wine, Beer & Food Festival has become an annual tradition in Grand Rapids,” says Steve Heacock, Chairman of the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority. “We look forward to continuing that tradition next year when we are able to host the event at the level that the West Michigan community has come to enjoy year after year.”
For continued updates and to stay informed about this event, and for morsels of news and information about the Festival’s previous exhibitors, presenters and sponsors, please follow along on social media (@GRWineFestival) or visit GRWineFestival.com.