Grape harvest festivals are beautiful celebrations of wine traditions. You’ll find many of them organized on different dates in local vineyards—you just need to launch YouMap and take a look at your local maps to find such festivities. In this article, we’ll look into their principles and origins more closely. We invite you to read on!

When Is Grape Harvest?

Before we get to the grape harvest festival and what it looks like, we need to tell you when to expect such festivities. Typically, such festivities take place during the grape harvest season, but when is grape harvest, you may ask? It all depends on the region.

When Are Grapes Picked in the Northern Hemisphere?

Here, you’ll usually find them harvested between August and October.

When Are Grapes Picked in the Southern Hemisphere?

In this case, the harvests take place between February and April.

Remember that the exact harvest time depends strongly on the variety of grapes and the wine style. As such, it’s quite possible that grapes are harvested each month only in different regions and vineyards!

when is grape harvest?

The Grape Harvest Festival(s)

What is a grape harvest festival? It’s a holiday of wine organized during the grape harvesting season. It’s one of the best food festival types (or rather drink festivals) around the world.

Unlike beer festivals, where Oktoberfest is undoubtedly the king, grape harvest festivals don’t have a clear winner or a representative. Instead, there are many small events of this type.

What does a grape harvest festival look like? Typically, it’s a regional celebration of culture. Therefore, apart from the wine, it includes singing, dancing, and tasting local delicacies. Naturally, the customs will depend on the exact location of the festival, so it might be a good idea to do some exploring and attend a few different festivals all around the world!

Main Grape Harvest Festivals in France

When France, a country with a strong wine tradition, is concerned, there is one main grape harvest festival that you need to see: Fête Des Vendanges, also known as Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival.

This year’s edition of Fête Des Vendanges will take place in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between October 9 and October 13, 2024. The festival itself is almost a hundred years old—this is going to be its 91st edition! What will the celebrations include?

  • the taste trail,
  • children’s choir,
  • vineyard tours,
  • grand parade,
  • Décibels Vendanges concerts,
  • a ball.

There’s a lot going on during this festival, so if you’re a true wine lover, be sure to book your tickets to Paris and get ready for the celebrations!

How to Find Local Grape Harvest Festivals?

You don’t have to be a grape harvester to know everything about local festivals; all you have to do is download our social mapping app!

When you already have YouMap on your phone, you just need to find local maps prepared by fellow wine lovers and see what festivals they added to them. What if there is no such map for your area? Then it’s a great opportunity—you can become a pioneer and create the map yourself, inviting other users to help you in the collaborative mode. So, all you need to do realistically is create a map and share it with your wine-loving friends.

🗺️Download YouMap for iOS🗺️

The Takeaway

Grape harvesting is a true art, one that we all should admire. This is why we recommend visiting a local grape harvest festival, even if you’re not particularly passionate about wine. After all, you probably drink it from time to time anyways, and it’s a great opportunity not only to celebrate the hard work of grape growers and harvesters but also to pick up some knowledge about this beverage!

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