In 2025, Traverse City Tourism launched an annual celebration of all things local, flavorful, and distinctly northern Michigan. The inaugural Traverse City Food & Wine festival brought together wineries and culinary talent for a five-day showcase that blended agriculture, craft, and community.
Beyond wine tastings and pairing events, the festival wove together elevated dining experiences, aquatic excursions, and celebrity chef appearances — offering guests the chance to connect with personalities like Antoni Porowski of Queer Eye and Food Network’s Tyler Florence. The festivities culminated with the Grand Tasting at the Open Space park.
According to Whitney Waara, chief operating officer of Traverse City Tourism, the essence of the event is community.
“Our weeklong experience is rooted in what’s locally grown, locally made, and thoughtfully curated; we’re just really lucky and have access to so much that is in season at that time of year,” Waara says. “But also [key is] the access to over 50 wineries and distillers using local grapes and grains and folks that are really very thoughtful and intentional about including what is available here as a part of what they are putting forth to the world.”
Planning the inaugural festival was a labor of love, Waara says, but the reward was crafting an experience that united local businesses while inviting visitors to feel like participants — not just spectators.
2025’s offerings included a range of activities and programs:
Wine Experiences
Wine anchored the festival, with events ranging from curated pairing dinners and vineyard barbecues to immersive educational experiences. At Dune Bird Winery, guests joined the resident “ducks on duty,” who serve as pest-control “allies,” to walk vineyard rows while learning about regenerative farming practices and sustainable viticulture. The program served as a reminder that wine growing is as much about stewardship of the land as it is about what ends up in the glass.
Bay Cruises
Traverse City’s relationship with water took center stage during sailboat excursions on Grand Traverse Bay. Guests who secured passage on these cruises enjoyed sweeping views of the peninsulas while sampling Michigan wines and thoughtfully paired cuisine. The experiences highlighted the influence of terroir — and especially the Great Lakes — on the region’s wines.
Celebrity Chef Programming
Chefs including Food Network’s Tyler Florence, Top Chef winner Mei Lin, and James Beard Award winner Celina Tio hosted demonstrations, dinners, and discussions that offered attendees both inspiration and insight, pairing national culinary talent with the region’s bounty.
The Grand Tasting
The festival’s crescendo unfolded at the Open Space park, where wineries, breweries, restaurants, and other establishments gathered to pre-sent their signature offerings. Attendees enjoyed live cooking demonstrations along with chef interviews on the main stage, hosted by national celebrities Carter Oosterhouse and Amy Smart Oosterhouse, co-owners of Bonobo Winery on the Old Mission Peninsula.
Festival organizers promise upgrades for the 2026 event, taking place Aug. 19-23. Waara shares that this year’s programming will increase budget-friendly offerings, highlight farmers market producers, and expand chef demonstrations at Open Space.
“I think you’ll see a lot of the partners coming back that were involved in 2025 with a couple of new ones and lots of new content,” she says. “We’re going to have people’s stories be at the center of this. Storytelling is such a key component.”
For Michigan’s wine community, this festival represents more than a celebratory weekend. It is a platform to educate visitors and residents about the region’s vineyards, winemakers, and agricultural partners. And it’s an opportunity for wine lovers to raise a glass to the lands and lakes that make it all possible.
To learn more about 2026’s Traverse City Food & Wine festival, visit traversecity.com/food-wine.
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