Fly-in wine festival to be held in Yarmouth
YAS! Wine not? gearing up to offer wine, spirits and small bites at Yarmouth Airport
It was in the summer of 2022 when Richard Piotrowski, publisher, producer and Canada bureau chief at Brewers Journal Canada came to Yarmouth for a conference. He immediately developed a fondness for the area because of its beauty and seclusion.
“I was trying to see if there were any sort of festivals in Yarmouth that focused on the craft beverage scene. I found that there weren't any beer festivals happening, but Nova Scotia has so much to offer when it comes to craft beverages,” says Piotrowski.
So, he saw an opportunity to do an event at the Yarmouth airport, which was a unique idea.
“I never thought that it would even be possible to do such an event. I spoke with the authorities and people managing the airport. I learned about its history. It was built during World War II for military purposes and then after the war it was used for commercial purposes,” says Piotrowski.
The airport had flights going to and from Halifax,
St. John's, New Brunswick, Boston and Toronto but it stopped operation on commercial flights in 2002. It's now used as an airport for charter planes, as well as medical flights, search and rescue during emergencies and training, and more.
He says they came with the idea of using the airport as the site for a Drinks Fest. "It would promote Nova Scotia … in terms of craft beverages,” says Piotrowski.
He launched the first fest last year in September called the 'YAS! Drinks Fest,' focusing on craft beverages, including beers, ciders and others.
“YAS stands for Yarmouth and Acadian shores. The accessibility of the venue is great. We had over 22 vendors and the fest was broken down into two sessions," says Piotrowski. "We wanted to have smaller sessions of about two to three hours duration. People get tokens to sample different craft beverages. We also had DJ entertainment."
The theme of the event is '70s because of the feel of the airport having orange vinyl seats and brown carpets.
Last year's event was a great success with 350 participants. Following the success of the first festival, Piotrowski is gearing up for the next one on March 23. Called 'YAS! Wine not?' the event will focus on wine and spirits. It will be held from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
“We basically cemented it as an annual event and decided that instead of waiting a whole year, why not do something during winter when lots of events are not happening? We decided to organize it in March to give adults a break from family time. This fest will focus on wine and spirits because those are the drinks enjoyed by people during winters,” Piotrowski says.
According to him, the event will promote the wine industry in Nova Scotia.
“In September, it's hard for us to get wine vendors because it's harvest season. So, we decided to support the industry and promote their products in March,” notes Piotrowski.
An extensive array of wine, spirits, and ready-to-drink beverages from renowned local and national brands will be served at the festival. Vendors include Still Fired Distillery, Maison Meuse et Fils Winery, Island Folk Cider House, Nova Scotia Spirit Co, Boatskeg Distillery and others.
The proceeds from the event will go to The Shanty Café, a popular Yarmouth café that has a mandate of providing meaningful employment to those facing barriers to employment as a result of mental illness, disabilities, age, language, literacy, etc.
For people who want to full airport experience, the event has them covered.
“There's no cost involved for people to fly into the airport and have some fun at an event that also has nonalcoholic options. So, if you're a pilot and you can't drink for obvious reasons, the nonalcoholic options are great as well. We'll have a mocktail bar at this event," says Piotrowski.
"We'll serve some cider and a small bite sampling portion. This is unique because we didn't have this for last year's fest."
Attendees can complement their drink selections with small bytes of local cheeses from Nova Scotia, Charcuterie meat, smoked meat and other culinary selections. Another attraction will be the live musical instrumental performances throughout the event by the band All Mother. Participants can choose their access to the event. General admission provides entry to the event, while VIP admission offers additional tokens and early access.
People can also enjoy a staycation at Rodd Grand Hotel near the event. The package includes one night accommodation, VIP tickets to the event, a welcome basket featuring local beverage and snack surprises, and complimentary shuttle to the event and back to the hotel. There are also packages with Comfort Inn and Tru by Hilton available on discounted rates for the participants.
The event also has a tie-up with Y-Town Cab for dropping people safely to their homes from the festival.
Tickets can be booked at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/yaswinenot/1161762.
General admission tickets cost $55 and VIP admission tickets are $70.