Several key culinary events – both new and newly revamped – are coming to downtown Traverse City this summer. The Ticker takes a look at the latest developments on the food and beverage festival scene.

Fête d’Éte – May 14
Wine dinners have become a popular staple on the local culinary scene. But Adam Mahler of Ohio-based wine sales and marketing firm Ampelography hopes to offer “a twist” on the concept May 14 in Traverse City. In partnership with Oregon winery Anne Amie Vineyards, Mahler will host a “progressive bicycle winemaker dinner” featuring five different courses at five local restaurants, with attendees traveling to each stop by bike.

“We will work our way from the Little Fleet in downtown up the coast along the lake to Tuscan Bistro,” says Mahler. “From there, we’ll double back down to Slabtown and Trattoria Stella before returning downtown for a course each at The Towne Plaza and The Franklin.”

The dinner is $88 all-inclusive and comes with an event t-shirt. Past events in Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo have all sold out, says Mahler, which prompted him to expand the concept to Detroit and Traverse City this year. “This event has been embraced by each of the restaurant communities, and everyone worked together to bring a youth and energy to a format that can often seem stuffy or intimidating,” he says.

Tours are limited to 45 participants. To purchase tickets, click here.

TC Wine & Art Festival – June 20
This year’s TC Wine & Art Festival at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons will feature a combination of returning highlights – wine education by Wine Counselor Michael Schafer, 30 wineries serving over 200 wines and original art on display from local artists – with new offerings. Artist Stephanie Schlatter will host a ticketed Arts Meets Wine Experience event, during which attendees will sample wine pours and create three paintings to take home. A new Bubbly Bar will exclusively focus on sparkling wines, while a VIP lounge and Art Garden music stages and bars expand the festival experience. A national music lineup including Guster and The Verve Pipe, meanwhile, will perform on the main stage.

“There are a lot of elements to this year’s event,” says Marketing Coordinator Raelene Boylan. “There will be a lot of opportunities for people to experience the wine in different ways.” Tickets are on sale now.

TC Microbrew & Music Festival – August 21-22
In addition to recently announced headliners The Avett Brothers and a reconfigured layout at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, this year’s TC Microbrew & Music Festival will feature another festival first: Brew Camp.

Festival guests can buy a camping-ticket package that includes a camping site at Eagles Meadow on M-72. Organizer Sam Porter says the campground will be a “mini festival itself,” offering Michigan-themed breakfasts, shuttles to and from the festival, and special late-night camp performances by festival acts. “The hotels are selling out, so this gives us another hospitality option that also lets people experience northern Michigan in a new way,” he says.

Tickets go on sale beginning today (Tuesday).

Taste of Traverse City – September 18-20
After the city’s revamped Open Space events policy forced a date and location change for Taste of Traverse City last year, the epicurean festival will return to the Open Space in 2015 on September 18-20.

“We’ve signed a three-year commitment to be in the Open Space, which is great,” says organizer Carol Lewis. “That spot seems to be the right fit for us, and we have the dates locked in.” The festival will kick off with its popular Downtown Grub Crawl September 18, offering a strolling “sip, sample and shop” tour of downtown merchants.

New to the event this year is the two-day Great Lakes Foodie Fest September 19-20 in the Open Space. Lewis says the fest will highlight “the best and brightest” of Great Lakes region restaurants, wineries, breweries and distilleries through a combination of demos, samples and interactive chef stations. “We wanted to offer more diversity for locals who may already know the local companies,” says Lewis of bringing in out-of-town vendors. 

Area businesses will still be a key focus of the weekend. Saturday will feature a Burger Battle between restaurants, while Sunday will include a competitive Bloody Mary Throwdown. On Saturday night, Sample the City – a new offering this year – will serve up one-of-a-kind events at different locations throughout the area. “They will be more personalized, intimate and hands-on experiences…designed to get people into local establishments,” says Lewis. 

Lewis says more festival specifics will be released in May. 

[Speaking of events, don't forget Mixology on May 15 at The Parlor in TC. Northern Express -- The Ticker's sister publication -- is bringing celebrity bartenders and mixologists together for a night of cocktails, live music, and fantastic food. Tickets here.]