Photo by Matteo Mazza on Pexels
12 wine festivals, harvest celebrations, and food-and-wine events — with dates, tickets, and travel tips.
Festivals worth planning a trip around.
Photo: Kelowna09 · CC BY 2.0Western Canada's largest wine celebration transforms the Okanagan Valley into a 10-day tasting extravaganza. Over 170 events across 100+ wineries include vineyard dinners, grape stomps, barrel tastings, and the famous Burrowing Owl concert. The harvest-season timing means freshly crushed juice is flowing alongside finished wines.
View festival details
Photo: Kay Röllig · CC BY 3.0Canada's most organic wine valley — 80% of Similkameen producers farm organically or biodynamically — celebrates its harvest with an autumn cellar door weekend. Small family-owned wineries like Clos du Soleil, Orofino, and Eau Vivre open their doors to visitors who want a less commercial alternative to the Okanagan. The dramatic canyon landscape of the Similkameen River adds a rugged character.
View festival details
Photo: Deb Nystrom · CC BY 2.0The Niagara Peninsula's black-tie celebration of Canadian wine excellence, held at the White Oaks Conference Resort. Over 30 VQA wineries present their flagship wines alongside dishes from the region's top chefs. Proceeds support Brock University's Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, making it both prestigious and purposeful.
View festival details
Photo: Larry Koester · CC BY 2.0The Niagara Grape & Wine Festival's winter series: an Icewine Discovery Pass of food and icewine pairings at wineries across Niagara, plus the Icewine Village in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
View festival details
Photo: Rachel ClaireOne of the largest and most prestigious wine festivals in North America, running since 1979. Over 160 wineries from 15+ countries pour at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The week-long programme includes themed tastings, winemaker dinners, and educational seminars. Each year features a different spotlight region from around the world.
View festival detailsPlanning a festival trip? These guides cover the best towns, vineyard stays, and hotels across Canada's wine regions.
All 12 festivals organised by month.
Photo by Busenur Demirkan on Pexels
Kelowna, Canada
The Okanagan's quietest and most intimate wine festival combines winter sports with wine culture across the valley's ski resorts and city restaurants. Events include fondue and wine pairings at Big White Ski Resort, winemaker dinners in Kelowna, and icewine tastings at wineries dusted in snow. A peaceful contrast to the summer and harvest crowds.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near KelownaWe may earn a commission
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada
The Niagara Grape & Wine Festival's winter series: an Icewine Discovery Pass of food and icewine pairings at wineries across Niagara, plus the Icewine Village in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near Niagara-on-the-LakeWe may earn a commission
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada
The Niagara Peninsula's black-tie celebration of Canadian wine excellence, held at the White Oaks Conference Resort. Over 30 VQA wineries present their flagship wines alongside dishes from the region's top chefs. Proceeds support Brock University's Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, making it both prestigious and purposeful.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near Niagara-on-the-LakeWe may earn a commission
Vancouver, Canada
One of the largest and most prestigious wine festivals in North America, running since 1979. Over 160 wineries from 15+ countries pour at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The week-long programme includes themed tastings, winemaker dinners, and educational seminars. Each year features a different spotlight region from around the world.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near VancouverWe may earn a commission
Kelowna, Canada
The spring counterpart to the famous fall festival, celebrating the new vintage releases across the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Over 160 events at 100+ wineries include barrel tastings, progressive dinners, and vineyard picnics against the backdrop of the valley's lakes and mountains. One of Canada's oldest and largest wine festivals.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near KelownaWe may earn a commission
Photo: RedBellePepper · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Pelee Island, Canada
Canada's southernmost wine region — on an island in Lake Erie — hosts a summer festival that combines Pelee Island Winery's Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Riesling with live music in a remote island setting. Accessible only by ferry from Leamington or Kingsville, the event draws visitors who make a weekend getaway of the island's sandy beaches, cycling trails, and historic lighthouse.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near Pelee IslandWe may earn a commission
Wolfville, Canada
The Annapolis Valley's celebration of its distinctive cool-climate wines, featuring the unique Tidal Bay appellation — North America's first geographically defined wine. Winery tours, lobster and wine pairings, and live music set against the beauty of the Bay of Fundy. The festival highlights L'Acadie Blanc and other hybrids suited to the maritime climate.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near WolfvilleWe may earn a commission
Photo: Danielle Scott · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Keremeos, Canada
Canada's most organic wine valley — 80% of Similkameen producers farm organically or biodynamically — celebrates its harvest with an autumn cellar door weekend. Small family-owned wineries like Clos du Soleil, Orofino, and Eau Vivre open their doors to visitors who want a less commercial alternative to the Okanagan. The dramatic canyon landscape of the Similkameen River adds a rugged character.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near KeremeosWe may earn a commission
Picton, Canada
Prince Edward County's premier food and wine event showcases this emerging Ontario wine region's cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gamay. Winery open houses, chef collaborations, and farm-to-table dinners highlight the region's artisan food scene. The charming county's limestone terroir is increasingly compared to Burgundy.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near PictonWe may earn a commission
St. Catharines, Canada
The Niagara Grape & Wine Festival's September programme: a Discovery Pass of winery events across Niagara, the Grande Parade in St. Catharines and a four-day party in Montebello Park.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near St. CatharinesWe may earn a commission
Dunham, Canada
Québec's emerging wine region — centred on the Dunham appellation in the Eastern Townships — holds its harvest festival across the vineyards of Bromont, Stanstead, and Dunham. French-speaking Québécois winemaking culture, pumpkin-harvested farmland, and the autumn foliage of the Appalachians make it North America's most European-feeling harvest event. Marquis de Malartic, L'Orpailleur, and Vignoble de l'Orpailleur are the landmark producers.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near DunhamWe may earn a commission
Kelowna, Canada
Western Canada's largest wine celebration transforms the Okanagan Valley into a 10-day tasting extravaganza. Over 170 events across 100+ wineries include vineyard dinners, grape stomps, barrel tastings, and the famous Burrowing Owl concert. The harvest-season timing means freshly crushed juice is flowing alongside finished wines.
Festival detailsWhere to stay near KelownaWe may earn a commission
Fête des Vendanges — Eastern Townships (Québec)
L'Orpailleur near Dunham is the oldest and most established Québec winery — their Vidal blanc ice cider is a revelation, technically cidre de glace but similar to icewine. October foliage in the Townships is stunning; book accommodation in Knowlton or Sutton.
Skip the main tasting events and book barrel-tasting experiences directly with Mission Hill and Tinhorn Creek during harvest week—you'll taste pre-release 2024 wines alongside working vintners. The Burrowing Owl vineyard concert sells out weeks ahead, so book immediately upon opening.
Target the barrel-tasting events at Tantalus and Forbidden Fruit to taste unreleased vintage Chardonnay and Pinot Noir before official release; spring's cooler temperatures also make the vineyard picnics genuinely comfortable, unlike fall's tourist crush.
This is the best time to visit Okanagan wineries without crowds — many offer private barrel tasting appointments usually unavailable in summer. Big White Ski Resort events combine ski passes with winery dinners at valley prices.
Similkameen Valley Wine Festival
Clos du Soleil is one of Canada's top Bordeaux-blend producers — their Capella and Signature are hard to find outside BC. The Similkameen is a 90-minute drive from Kelowna through one of BC's most dramatic river canyon landscapes.
Arrive early to access Stratus and Peller's reserve pours before the seated dinner crowds thin the premium stations; this event's support of Brock's oenology program means direct access to research on cool-climate Riesling and Cabernet Franc optimization you won't find elsewhere in North America.
Tell us about a wine festival in Canada we don’t cover yet. We check every submission before it goes live.