Wellington Keeps A Full Schedule Of Special Events For Residents To Enjoy
Wellington is not a community accustomed to idleness, and many events are organized and led by the village itself. According to Assistant Parks & Recreation Director Michelle Garvey, the community is currently at its peak in terms of things to do and places to go — and you won’t want to miss a thing.
Garvey has worked for the Village of Wellington for 15 years and handles all village-run special events. One such event that is currently occupying her time is the Wellington Classic Brew Fest, one of the few age-limited festivals that Wellington stages each year.
The second annual event is scheduled to take place Saturday, Feb. 8 on the Great Lawn at Wellington’s Town Center area near the Wellington Community Center. Craft beer lovers can choose their taste of brews from 40 different breweries.
“The idea for this was actually generated by our assistant village manager. He’s always looking for new and innovative ideas, and this is his baby,” Garvey said. “I think it’s a great addition to our listing of events. It’s something that sets us apart.”
Garvey is expecting 1,500 people to attend the Wellington Classic Brew Fest and encourages them to buy tickets early, as last year, the event was sold out at 1,200 tickets. General admission is $45 prior to the event and $50 at the gate.
Brew tasters are also invited to enjoy limited and specialized samples, hors d’oeuvres and even massages with the purchase of a VIP ticket, guaranteeing early, exclusive admission at 2 p.m. General admission begins at 3 p.m. VIP tickets are $65 in advance and $70 at the gate.
Visitors looking to attend the event but not consume alcohol can buy a $10 ticket, excluding them from drinking but guaranteeing unlimited soda, water and a commemorative pint glass. While this form of admission is dubbed the “Designated Driver Ticket,” all eventgoers are encouraged to drink responsibly.
“During the event, to slow people down and make sure no one’s over-consuming, there are tasting glasses, which are smaller than a pint glass — and the brewers can only fill up to a certain line — so they really just get a taste of the beers,” Garvey said. “And we also encourage them to have a taste of this and then move on to the next brewer, so they can sample their special brews.”
Another event coming up is Marchtoberfest, set for March 6 and 7, also on the Great Lawn. Marchtoberfest is family friendly, and admission is free.
Partnering with the American German Club, the village welcomes visitors to watch German dance and band performances, as well as enjoy traditional German food. Grammy-nominated accordion musician Alex Meixner is also scheduled to perform.
“They can sit down and enjoy a bratwurst,” Garvey said. “The kids can play in the bounce houses or play lawn games and just enjoy the beauty of our little piece of paradise here in Wellington.”
Unlike the tradition of holding these types of gatherings in October, Garvey said this event landed in March after they were contacted by Hofbrau, the event’s official beer sponsor.
“Marchtoberfest came about where everything kind of fell together,” Garvey said. “We had the Hofbrau representative contacting us, and we were able to say, ‘OK, we’re going to make it a German theme.’ Then we got together with the American German Club, and it all just fell into place.”
Only a couple weeks later, Wellington will play host to the popular Bacon & Bourbon Fest, a family-friendly event complete with vendors and bourbon pairings. Wellington was actually featured on the Cooking Channel’s “Carnival Eats” for hosting this unique event.
While this is an event for all ages, guests over 21 years old are invited to participate in pairing events inside the Wellington Community Center where experts teach them which type of bourbon pairs well with which food.
According to Garvey, Bacon & Bourbon Fest debuted in Delray Beach, but event organizers reached out to Wellington and later moved the event here.
The event, set for March 21-22, will be held at the Wellington Amphitheater and the Wellington Community Center, and while it is free to the public, multiple VIP packages are available for sale. Learn more at www.baconbourbonfest.com.
Garvey explained that when new event ideas come up, it is discussed among village staff to determine if it would be something good to offer the community.
“If everybody decides yes, this is something that’s going to bring something positive to the community, then we try it out,” she explained. “Sometimes things work, sometimes they don’t. We’ve been very fortunate. [Bacon & Bourbon] was a great event, and the community really comes out for it.”
There are a number of other events Wellington is set to offer in 2020, including the continuation of regular food truck events, movie nights and live performances at the Wellington Amphitheater. Over two weekends this month, the popular Tribute Music & Food Truck Festival will return to the amphitheater stage. To find out more information about this or other village events, visit www.wellingtonfl.gov/calendar.
“Wellington residents should feel proud of their community,” Garvey said. “We just hope to keep facilitating that and keep producing more events and opportunities for Wellington.”
E-mail Michelle Garvey at mgarvey@wellingtonfl.gov if you have ideas for future events.
