Celebrity Cruises has announced industry’s first-ever wine and food festival. The Celebrity Cruises Great Wine Festival takes place May 31, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Great Park in Irvine, Calif.
Proceeds from the festival will benefit LegalAid of Orange County, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides free and low-cost legal services to individuals of Southern California who might otherwise be denied access to justice. Since its founding in 1958, LASOC has assisted over 500,000 people.
Early bird tickets are $75 per person if purchased by April 30, 2014, then go up to $100 per person. Celebrity Cruises’ Captain’s Club members are eligible for a 20% discount on tickets ($60) if purchased by April 30, 2014. Discounted tickets are also available for government and non-profit workers, as well as sitting judges. Tickets can be purchased online at Celebrity Cruises Great Wine Festival.
Key sponsors include Coast Magazine, Fiji Water, Air New Zealand, Tourism New Zealand featuring the wines of New Zealand as well as the Orange County Restaurant Association/Golden Foodie Awards. The event will feature more than 40 premium wineries, craft breweries, spirits companies, and award-winning restaurants.
A sampling of food and beverage participants slated to delight attendees include the following; updates can be found here Celebrity Cruises Great Wine Festival:
Wineries/Breweries: Cakebread, Jordan, JUSTIN, Grgich Hills, Freemark Abbey, St. Francis, Louis-Jadot, Zaca Mesa, Kendall Jackson, Round Pond, Mazzocco, Wente, Benziger, Malibu Rocky Oaks, Alaskan Brewing Company, Pyramid Brewing, Samuel Adams, BJ’s Brewhouse, and more.
Restaurants: Slapfish, Zimzala, Clay Oven (recipient of the 2013 Golden Foodie Awards for Best Indian Restaurant in Orange County), Maro Wood Grill, Bluewater Grill, Riptide, James Republic (Chef Dean James Max) and more.
Celebrity’s Sommelier Chanelle Duarte and its VP of F&B operations / Executive Chef John Suley, will be in attendance at Celebrity Cruises’ booth, where tastes of Celebrity’s cuisine will be presented.
Scott Clifton, director of sales, states, “Celebrity’s love affair with the culinary arts continues to flourish. We saw this opportunity to introduce food and wine aficionados to culinary experiences they can enjoy while on a Celebrity ship, as well as restaurants and beverages they have yet to try.”
