It’s Festival Season This Summer at the 2016 San Diego County Fair
Purchase Tickets Now to The Toast of the Coast Wine Festival, San Diego International Beer Festival and Distilled: Spirit & Cocktail Competition and Festival
Tickets available online or in person at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Box Office
Del Mar CA— Tickets are on sale online and at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Box Office for three Fairtime Festivals. The 2016 San Diego County Fair, presented by Albertsons|Vons, presents “The Toast of the Coast Wine Festival” in the Paul Ecke Jr. Flower and Garden Show, presented by Think Blue on Saturday, June 11, the “San Diego International Beer Festival” in the Del Mar Arena from Friday, June 17 through Sunday, June 19, and “Distilled: San Diego Spirit & Cocktail Festival” in the Paddock and surrounding areas on Saturday, June 25.
At the 5th Annual The Toast of the Coast Wine Festival, almost 100 award winning wines will be served in as many one-oz. pours as you wish to try during each three-hour session. Wineries from across the United States and Mexico will be represented. There will be vendors selling wine-inspired trinkets, and this year Cypress Grove Chevre will be providing complimentary cheese to ticket holders. Enjoy one of five opportunities to “Meet the Winemaker” and sample their wine with a specially paired cheese, chocolate or beef, sponsored by So Rich Chocolates, Venissimo Cheese and Brandt Beef. The Paul Ecke Jr. Flower & Garden Show plays host to the event, offering a serene setting, beautifully designed by master gardeners and landscape architects giving every festival-goer plenty of ideas for their own home garden.
Wine Festival Dates/Times:
- SESSION 1: Saturday, June 11 (noon – 3 p.m.)
- SESSION 2: Saturday, June 11 (4 – 7 p.m.)
Ticket Type | Cost | Includes |
VIP Winemakers’ Tasting | $94 | Festival and Fair admission + early VIP lounge entry, reception, and 5 tasting plates paired with double gold award winning wine. |
General Admission | $61 | Festival and Fair admission |
Wine Festival Tickets are available at http://www.thetoastofthecoast.com and at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Box Office.
The 10th Annual San Diego International Beer Festival has become one of the top beer festivals and competitions in the U.S. Last year, more than 10,000 beer lovers joined in on one of our five tasting sessions, sipping their way through their choice of hundreds of varieties of ale, cider, porter, stout, mead and more! General Admission prices include Fair and Festival admission and a one-oz. souvenir tasting glass with unlimited samplings of hundreds of beers from around the world. All festival-goers are invited to the new game pavilion featuring fun contests like “Best Beerd,” “Best Beer Belly” and “Best Pretzel Necklace.” Echo Athletics will provide free giant-sized games and Cypress Grove will offer beer and cheese pairings. The Educational Beer Stage will feature three seminars (with samples) per session hosted by breweries, educators, food purveyors and more! For an exclusive opportunity, the VIP Lounge includes Fair and Festival admission, early festival entry, VIP Lounge seating, food and beer pairings, unlimited grazing for the first two hours of the session and a six-oz. souvenir glass.
Beer Festival Dates/Times:
- SESSION 1: Friday, June 17 (noon – 4 p.m.)
- SESSION 2: Friday, June 17 (5 – 9 p.m.)
- SESSION 3: Saturday, June 18 (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.)
- SESSION 4: Saturday, June 18 (4 – 8 p.m.)
- SESSION 5: Sunday, June 19 (noon – 4 p.m.)
Ticket Type | Cost | Includes |
VIP Lounge | $110 | Festival and Fair admission + early VIP lounge entry, VIP seating, food and beer pairings, unlimited grazing for the first two hours of the session and six-oz. souvenir glass |
General Admission | $61 | Festival and Fair admission and one-oz. souvenir glass |
Beer Festival Tickets are available at http://sandiegobeerfestival.com and at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Box Office.
The 2nd Annual Distilled: Spirit & Cocktail Festival is the newest Fairtime festival featuring ¼ ounce samples of more than 75 competition spirits and one-oz. samples of feature cocktails created in collaboration with the San Diego United States Bartenders Guild (SDUSBG). Distilleries from across the globe will be at the festival to share their creations with festival attendees. With San Diego quickly becoming an epicenter of personally crafted distilled spirits, we raise a glass at the Distilled Festival to honor the best distillers and mixologists throughout San Diego and beyond! Learn who is serving it up neat, and who is shaking it up in our cocktail competition.
Presented by the San Diego County Fair and SDUSBG, the Distilled: Spirit & Cocktail Competition is open to all bartenders in San Diego County and designed so that competitors vie for honors in front of a live audience during the Distilled Festival. Online registration is open until April 29, at distilledsandiego.com. Between six and 10 participants from the registrations received will be invited to compete in the live competition, and at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, an awards ceremony will announce the winner and the “2016 Distilled Best Bartender.”
One signature cocktail will also be offered to taste every hour of the festival in 17 Hands Restaurant.
A series of educational and entertaining seminars are planned to teach spirit lovers about their favorites. Throughout the afternoon, Paddock Tavern plays host to fairgoers who want to learn more about spirits and food and how they complement each other. “Get the Dirt on Whiskey” with Ed “Dirt” Adams; learn the difference in flavors between the types of whiskey, what foods pair best with each type, and how the type of grain or distillation process can impact the flavor. “Beefy Spirits” with Kill Devil Spirit Co. and Sausage & Meat is a session that will awaken your spirit as the “rebellious geeks” from Kill Devil Spirit Co. team up with San Diego’s Sausage & Meat to create delicious, mini Bloody Mary’s paired with mouth-watering bacon and meats.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to create the spirits you love? “RUMmy in Your Tummy” with Malahat Spirits will fill your curiosity. Experience brilliant spirit-infused desserts at the “Liberty Never Tasted Sweeter” session, with Liberty Call Distilling and Brandy’s Sweet Temptations. Learn current cultural practices on the farm, how to recycle, save energy and water, and preserve resources during the distilling process. Sweet Potato Spirits bonds five generations of sweet potato, rye and almond farmers together with a mission to become a diversified and fully sustainable “Farm to Bottle” operation.
Music will also fill the air. From western swing to soul, by way of Americana folk, the songs and crooning voice of ZB Savoy will delight. Leftover Cuties and their smoky sultry vocals fused with an inventive blend of catchy and accessible original tunes. Native Californian, Kenny Eng, will offer a unique mix of vocals and instrumentals.
For an exclusive opportunity, the VIP Lounge includes a souvenir glass with unlimited samplings of spirits and signature cocktails, access to two VIP patios on the festival floor featuring dueling food stations with unlimited grazing throughout the entire festival. General Admission prices include Fair and Festival admission, a 10-tab wristband (each tab is for 1/4-oz pours on distilled spirits and one-oz. pours on mixed cocktails).
Spirit Festival Date/Time:
Saturday, June 25: (1 – 5 p.m.)
Ticket Type | Cost | Includes |
VIP Lounge | $125 | Festival and Fair admission , access to VIP patios, dueling food stations with unlimited grazing, unlimited samplings of spirits and signature cocktails |
General Admission | $38 | Festival and Fair admission |
Spirit Festival Tickets are available at distilledsandiego.com and at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Box Office.