Want to go?
WHAT: Fleurs de Fete at Carillon Park wine, beer and food festival
WHERE: Carillon Park, 1000 Carillon Blvd., Dayton
HOURS: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 15
TICKETS: $70 in advance, $75 day of the event, advance tickets available at Carillon Historical Park, both Arrow Wine locations, and online at www.daytonhistory.org
INFO: 937-293-2841, Ext. 127
The Fleurs de Fete, Dayton’s largest wine-and-food festival, is celebrating its 25th year by returning to its roots: Carillon Park.
And it has its old name back, too.
Founded as “Fleurs de Fete” but known as “Fleurs et Vin” in recent years, the wine festival this year will become “Fleurs de Fete at Carillon Park,” to be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 15.
The outdoor wine-and-food event was founded in 1990 by Heidelberg Distributing Co. and Arrow Wine & Spirits as a benefit for local charities. It was held at Carillon Park for a few years following its inception, spent several years at Lincoln Park Commons in Kettering, and returned to Carillon in 2001, where it was held through 2014. The festival has proved to be a popular one, attracting more than 1,500 attendees during its peak years.
In 2015, the event moved to Welcome Park near UD Arena and Welcome Stadium in Dayton for one year, but returns to Carillon, where it just might find a permanent home.
The Fleurs de Fete name was changed to Fleurs et Vin in 2009 after a separation between its organizers and what was then its benefiting charity. But the original festival name became available again, and Dayton History snagged it.
This year’s event will benefit Dayton History, the non-profit organization that operates Carillon Historic Park. Dayton History will make gifts to the Special Wish Foundation and to a Sinclair Community College Culinary Arts Program scholarship fund.
Tickets for this year’s event will cost $70 in advance, and $75 at the door. The price includes wine samples and food samples.
Participating restaurants include Brock Masterson’s Catering, Carillon Brewing Co., Carver’s Steaks & Chops, Central Perc European Cafe, Christopher’s Restaurant & Catering, Coco’s Bistro, Dayton Racquet Club, elé Cake Co. Bistro & Wine Bar, Hawthorn Grill, Jay’s Restaurant, Kohler Catering, Madame Delluc Artisan Chocolatier, Oakwood Club, Salar Restaurant, Scratch Event Catering, Thai 9, and The Deli and Top of the Market.
Representatives of several wineries will be there pouring their wines, including Meranda-Nixon, the Winery at Versailles, Veleta, and Baker-Bird Winery.
This year’s event will focus a bit more on beer. The Fleurs de Fete will take over the taps at Carillon Brewing Co. to create the Stella Artois Belgian Beer Garden for a day. Beer selections will include Carillon Coriander Ale, Goose Island Green Line, Hoegaarden, Leffe Brune, Sam Adams Summer Ale, Stella Artois and Stella Artois Cidre.
For the first time, attendees will be able to walk around the 65-acre Carillon Park campus with drink in hand, Dayton History officials said.
The festival also includes a silent auction, which runs from 1 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. and will include items such as a Dayton Brewery Tour Gift Basket (a 3.5 hour tour of Dayton breweries, with glasses and accessories); a bottle of Effen Vodka signed by 50 Cent; and a Dayton Dragons Gift Basket with four game tickets and team swag.
The live auction at 4 p.m. will include a 2017 Fleurs de Fete VIP Package: admission for 10 with reserved seating and transportation to and from the event.
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