Charleston Wine + Food amps up

Culinary Village Offerings: More Food + More Wine + More Music + More Fun

Riverfront Park will once again become the most popular village in town, as the Charleston Wine + Food Festival takes up residence March 8, 9 and 10 . General Admission and VIP tickets are still available for the ultimate food + wine experience. General Admission tickets admit guests from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Village days, and are priced at $169. Sunday local tickets are available with proof of residency for $129; media partner, The Post and Courier, supports Sunday. “CV Pass” VIP tickets admit guests from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Village days and include numerous upgrades for $295.

For three days, thousands of guests will explore four pop-up “neighborhoods” inspired by favorite Festival events: Shucktown, Street Eats, Grillin’ and Chillin’ and Farm Fresh. Within each, guests will find dozens of Snack Shack samples, larger portions from local caterers including Duvall Catering, Peculiar Pig, Verde, and Hamby Catering, food trucks offering for-purchase dishes, and pop-up samples from Festival partners.

Just like downtown Charleston, the Festival’s “Gardens” promise to be a big draw. The Beer Garden will feature more than a dozen local, regional and national breweries; the Rosé Garden presented by Chateau de Escalans invites fans to dive into more than a dozen samples; the first-ever Zero Proof Garden is a dedicated space to sample the growing assortment of non-alcoholic beverages trending everywhere.

Organizers are amping up the education, too. Programming on the Main Demo Stage will include mash-ups of local legends and nationally known talents: Mike Lata throws down with Amanda Freitag; Carrie Morey (Callie’s Biscuits) mixes it up with Joy Wilson (Joy the Baker), and more.

Musical programming throughout the weekend includes the return of the Silent Disco, powered by Quiet Kingz. The musical stage will host DJs, an Outkast tribute band, Midnight City Band, and some of the most popular groups in town.

Avid shoppers will have plenty to peruse, thanks to the Artisan Market presented by Garden & Gun, where regional crafts people will sell their wares. Also for purchase: CHSWF branded merchandise, bespoke Farm Fresh goods and culinary books (some signed on site by their authors).

CHSWF also is the first sensory inclusive certified food and wine festival to partner with KultureCity, which will be on site to help guests with sensory needs to manage their experience.

More details are available at the Culinary Village page, where updates are made weekly: https://charlestonwineandfood.com/culinary-village-2/