Niagara Food Festival announces exciting plans
for the "Peninsula’s Tastiest Party" October 1-3, 2010

Welland - The Niagara Food Festival celebrates its 17th anniversary on the weekend of October 1, 2, and 3 in historic downtown Welland. The annual showcase of all things food and drink in Niagara brings together growers, producers, restaurateurs, chefs, and entertainers with foodies of all ages to celebrate the best the Niagara region has to offer.

The three-day event is expected to draw upwards of 100,000 visitors from throughout Niagara and surrounding areas, including Hamilton, the GTA, and Western New York, to taste a variety of sensational samples offered by over 40 food and drink vendors.

A community volunteer board, chaired by John Clark, will be building on the momentum of a very successful Niagara Food Festival in 2009 to ensure the annual festival remains one of Niagara’s premiere family events. The 2010 Niagara Food Festival will continue its focus on local and regional food and restaurants, and will appeal to people of all ages, particularly families.

An exciting change for 2010 is a move from the City Hall/Courthouse area of downtown Welland to the King and Division Street area, including the Division Street Bridge. The goal is to refresh the Festival layout and incorporate the iconic images of Welland, such as the Recreational Waterway and the East Main Street Bridge, and the new amphitheatre.

This new downtown location should prove to be very popular among festival attendees, and provides enhanced space for vendors, as well as more room for cooking demonstrations, entertainment, and parking. And while the sun usually shines on festival weekend, the new downtown site is accessible and visitor-friendly in any weather.

Back for 2010 is the “Experience Niagara Market”, a major showcase area highlighting local food products. This is an important opportunity for local food producers and farmers to show and sell the high quality and large variety of local foods being grown and produced in Niagara and neighbouring areas.

The Festival has continued its partnership with Niagara College for 2010 with participation by the College’s renowned Culinary Institute and the unique Niagara College Teaching Winery.

Musical entertainment will again be a highlight, with top-calibre acts taking the stage all weekend. A strong line-up of local entertainment acts will be featured throughout the weekend on the main Festival Stage, and a Children’s area will entertain young families.

Other Festival highlights include:
- Celebrity Cooking Demos from the State-of-the Art Mobile Culinary Theatre
- The Apple Pie Baking Contest
- A new Cabbage Roll cooking contest
- Firefighters Chili Cook Off
- Molson’s Beer Garden
- Roaming Buskers

Niagara Food Festival information for vendors, sponsors, festival-goers, and the media will be updated on the website: www.niagarafoodfestival.com

Contact:
Jane Thompson
Niagara Food Festival
905-735-1700 Ext. 2133
jane@niagarafoodfestival.com

Gord Hunchak
Niagara Food Festival
905-650-7820
ghunchak@hotmail.com