Craft beer enthusiasts will be treated to an expanded Craft Beer Experience during Grapevine’s 2015 Main Street Days, which is expected draw about 150,000 attendees.
In addition to new educational sessions and on-site brewing experts, elements of the Craft Brew Experience—tasting events, a TapTalk Brewmaster discussion series, and craft beer food pairings—will return for the 31st Main Street Days on May 15-17, says Leigh Lyons, communications manager for the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“(The Craft Beer Experience) captured a lot of attention,” Lyons says. “Just as people are interested in talking with wine makers, they are interested in talking with brewmasters and learning about different craft beers.”
Plus, Grapevine is home to several award-winning wineries and winemakers. At Main Street Days, the festival offers multiple attractions for wine enthusiasts, including the Texas Wine Terrace, the Premium Wine Pavilion and the Grapevine Wine Pavilion, featuring wines from Grapevine wineries.
Main Street Days includes specialty vendors, in addition to the more than 80 locally owned shops, galleries, jewelry stores, boutiques and restaurants that will line Grapevine’s Historic Main Street during the festival. Master grillers will have the opportunity to compete in the annual Main Street Days Grillin’ Competition, and live music from a variety of artists will be featured on several stages.
With all this activity, it’s no surprise the festival is a community affair. In addition to support from community leaders and civic organizations, more than 1,800 volunteers lend a hand. Civic and service organizations also assist with festival operations and with operating parking areas to benefit various organizations.
“We are fortunate to have tremendous community involvement,” Lyons says.
Grapevine is centrally located between Dallas and Fort Worth, and is five minutes from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The city has a dedicated festival and events team that puts on a festival nearly every month of the year, Lyons says.
Grapevine welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors to the city’s festivals and special events in 2014. For its work, Grapevine has been named a World Festival & Events City by the International Festival & Events Association.
The city offers 800,000 square feet of meeting space, 20 hotels and 11,000 hotel rooms within 15 minutes of its historic downtown.
Grapevine’s combination of world-class festivals, top-notch hotel accommodations and exciting attractions year-round makes the city the “premiere destination for groups convention or leisure travel,” Lyons says. “There’s an excitement and vibrancy in Grapevine during events that folks will really enjoy. It’s a great place to connect, whether with family, the people you know through an association or just a new group of friends you met on a bus tour.”
Those new to Main Street Days will be treated to true Texas hospitality, Lyons says.
“The overall experience is true Texas hospitality; true Grapevine hospitality,” she says. “It’s very welcoming and very family friendly. It’s a great opportunity for people of all ages to come out and enjoy Grapevine.”
