Local food and drink purveyors and producers will be selling samples at Progressive Auto Sales Arena in December.
Tourism Sarnia-Lambton says the Dec. 17 Festival of Cheers will feature craft beer, wine and cider from local producers.
Updated Cheers to the Coast maps detailing 16 local breweries, wineries, cider and mead locations are also going to be available at the event, Tourism Sarnia-Lambton executive director Mark Perrin said.
“We just went to print, so we’ll have them at the show,” he said.
The tour and local producers have been garnering widespread attention, including as destinations for gourmands from the Greater Toronto Area, he said.
“We’re one of the hotbed regions for drink producers in Ontario now,” he said. “It’s something we should be showcasing and really proud of.”
Food from 10 local establishments will also be available for sampling at the festival, he said.
Patrons can enjoy free entry to the festival from 12 pm to 4 pm From 6 pm to 11 pm, entry to the festival is $30 since the event pivots to also include a concert from Toronto cover band Dwayne Gretzky, alongside local combo Rumblefish.
Drink and food sample tokens are available for sale throughout and in the leadup at the Tourism Sarnia-Lambton office in Point Edward and the arena box office, Perrin said.
Both time slots will also feature backyard games, as well as “light entertainment,” including a local pianist during who will perform during the earlier four hours, Perrin said.
The festival is the second of two back-to-back entertainment events slated at the arena that Tourism Sarnia-Lambton is using municipal accommodation tax revenue to secure, Perrin said.
A Holiday Dreams Circus Show was recently announced for Dec. 16.
The four per cent tax implemented in mid-2020 in Sarnia on stays of 30 days or fewer is split evenly between the municipality and the tourism agency and earmarked for tourism initiatives and infrastructure.
To date, Tourism Sarnia-Lambton has received about $100,000 via the tax from Sarnia and $200,000 from an identical tax in Point Edward, Perrin said.
Plans are for more municipalities in Lambton to follow suit to help spur more regional tourism, he said.
“It’s that kind of funding that’s allowing us to secure these events and put them together, and really showcase the region,” he said, adding the events “really offer something for tourists to come down before the holiday season and enjoy themselves.”
For more information, visit cheerstothecoast.com.