Grapevine, Texas - Key Annual Events

January 2012

Annual Chocolate Festival
The Travelers Aid "Traveler" dressed in chocolate and his blue artist's smock and holding his paintbrush is the official representative of the Chocolate Fest DFW Chocolate and Art Festival.

Chocolate Fest DFW is an annual fund raising event benefiting Travelers Aid Dallas/Fort Worth.  The Festival features two different events bringing together the best in chocolate, art and wine.  The 2010 Chocolate Fest will be held March 11-12, 2011 in Historic Downtown Grapevine, Texas. Adult or child, if you love chocolate, this is your event!

Chocolate Fest Features and Events:
On March 9-10, 2012 chocolate lovers will gather in Grapevine, Texas to celebrate the
love of chocolate, wine and local art while raising funds for the programs of Travelers Aid
Dallas/Fort Worth.  The 7th Annual ChocolateFest will take place in two exciting venues.

Friday evening, March 9, 2012 from 7-10 p.m. The festival will get underway with An
Evening of Chocolate and Wine.  Guests will enjoy samples of fine chocolates, hors
d'oeuvres, great local wines, live music, a silent action and a souvenir wine glass in the
relaxing and beautiful setting of La Buena Vida Vineyards in Grapevine.  Tickets will be
available online only for this event, and attendance is limited.

Saturday, March 10, 2012 from 10:30  a.m. - 3:30 p.m. The festival continues with A Day
of Chocolate and Art.  Guests will enjoy samples of a variety of chocolate items, while
enjoying live music and art displays and sales from local artisans.  The Day of
Chocolate and Art will be held in the Palace Arts Center on Main Street in historic
downtown Grapevine.  Guests will be admitted in one hour sessions.  Souvenir plastic
chocolate containers will be available for purchase.  Tickets for this event will be
available online or at the door.

Prior to each event, a panel of celebrity judges will sample each vendor's chocolates in a
blind taste test, and choose best sample winners.  People's choice contests will also be
held.

Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Nash Farm - 2012
March 31, 9:30 am -12 pm

Begin your day with...
Breakfast with the Easter Bunny (including a Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunt)
Saturday, March 31, 7:30-9:00 am
Kids, kick-start your Easter celebration with the city's annual Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the Community Activities Center, 1175 Municipal Way.  In addition to our normal indoor egg hunt, we will be hosting a glow-in-the-dark egg hunt for the older kids or kids who want an extra challenge.  Enjoy Easter crafts and a bounce house.  Don't forget to bring your camera to capture those special moments with Mr. and Mrs. Bunny.  This event is open to all ages. Fee is $7 per person/children under 9 months are free. Registration Deadline: March 26, www.playgrapevine.com.
 
Then move right along to...
The 37th Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Historic Nash Farm-FREE
Saturday, March 31, 9:30-12:30 pm
Take a trip to the farm this Spring for our annual Easter Egg Hunt.  Mr. and Mrs. Bunny will be hiding thousands of eggs at Nash Farm for a hopping good time.  Special prize eggs will be hidden in each age divisionn.  Face painters, bounce houses, petting zoo, hay rides, and more!  For more information, please visit www.playgrapevine.com.

Parking: Available at the Botanical Gardens and Cannon Elementary School

11th Annual Spring Into Nash Farm 
April 2, 2012, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

FREE Family Fun! (Donations support all activities and events at Nash Farm)
Play Heritage Games * Pony rides * Meet Farm Animals * Milk a Goat * Weaving * Tractor Rides * Plant the Kitchen Garden * Horseshoe * Sack Races * Wood Orchard * Home made Ice Cream * Treadle Lathe * Milk a Cow * Pin wheel making * Leather Stamping * Rope Making

Learn about life on the farm!  Have old-fashioned fun! 
11 a.m. Dedication of the Nash Farm's placement on the National Register of Historic Places.

Hot dog lunch and beverages available from Grapevine AMBUCS.

Nash Farm, 626 Ball Street • Near Historic Downtown Grapevine
Additional parking is across the street at Cannon Elementary and at the Botanic Garden.
For more information call: 817 410-3185

Annual New Vintage Wine & Gallery Trail with the Blessing of the Vines
Friday and Saturday, April 13 & 14, 2012

Downtown Grapevine, Includes Blessing of the Vines, New Vintage Wine & Gallery Show.

The New Vintage Wine Trail begins Friday, April 13th at 11 a.m. and will run through 5 p.m., offering a memorable journey to experience first-hand the many unique winery tasting rooms of Grapevine. Complimentary shuttle service is available to all of Grapevine’s winery tasting rooms, which include: Cross Timbers Winery and Tasting Room, Delaney Vineyards and Winery, La Bodega Winery & Tasting Room, Farina’s Winery, D’Vine Wine and Tasting Room, Homestead Winery & Tasting Room, La Buena Vida Vineyards, and Su Vino Winery and Tasting Room. Each winery features live musical entertainment, delicious food offerings and interaction with the winemakers and proprietors who make it all happen.

Blessing of the Vines and Wine Tasting Reception
April 14th from 11:00 AM-Noon, complimentary

On Saturday, April 14th, start the day at Delaney Vineyards as hundreds of wine enthusiasts gather to take part in the Blessing of the Vines and New Vintage Wines, a centuries-old European ceremony to ensure robust vines and savory grapes. The ceremony begins with a colorful procession through the largest vineyard in North Texas, comprised of Grapevine dignitaries, the Knights of Columbus, Mariachis, and the general public. A complimentary wine tasting with live entertainment will follow.

Gallery Art Show
April 14th
10 AM - 5 PM

On Saturday, April 14th, the Lancaster Gallery Art Show in the Palace Arts Center, 300 S. Main Street, will feature many local, very talented artists displaying and selling their original art works, including oils, watercolors, and photographs, as well as, hand-blown glass, woven baskets, pottery and jewelry. Come to meet, chat with and support your Grapevine community of artists.

Jazz Wine Train
April 13th and 14th
6:30 PM

Jump onboard the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, with the popular Jazz Wine Train, which will run on two evenings – April 13th and 14th – from Grapevine’s historic Cotton Belt Depot, 705 S. Main Street. This excursion features several Texas wines, various delectable foods and live jazz entertainment in each passenger car. The Jazz Wine Train departs both evenings at 6:30 p.m. and returns at 9:30 p.m.

For event tickets or passports, contact: www.grapevinetexasusa.com

Annual Main Street Days Festival
May 18 - 20, 2012

This annual Main Street Days, a fun-filled outdoor adventure, in Historic Downtown Grapevine, highlights the city as the ideal place to enjoy an active lifestyle and the great outdoors. Festivities include an outdoor exhibition featuring demonstrations, education and interactive activities. Festival guests will have the opportunity to watch and/or participate in scuba diving, BMX stunts, rock climbing, quad bungee jumping, kayaking, a fishing tank, 10K walk/run, and much more.

Main Street adventures will delight you throughout the weekend, showcasing gunfighters of the Old West, non-stop entertainment on five stages featuring a variety of music from Rock and R&B to Bluegrass and Country. Festival foods include funnel cakes, corn dogs and a special grilling contest hosted by Central Market. Main Street Outdoor Adventure will also feature two wine pavilions that will be spotlighting Grapevine and other Texas wines.

So come on down to Grapevine for Fun, Food, Wine, Live Entertainment, along with arts and crafts, exhilarating carnival rides, and a mini-excursion on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad!

Special Festival Events:
- Sky Riders Trampoline Show
- Carnival and Midway
- Featured Wine Areas
- KidZone Stage
- Non-stop live entertainment on five stages
- Winery Tours
- BMX Bike Show
- Kayak Tank
- Quad Bungee Jump
- SCUBA Tank
and Much, Much More!

Don't miss the Grapevine Opry, indoors at the Palace Theatre, as they perform abbreviated versions of their weekly show. Admission is FREE so come on in, take a seat and enjoy the show!
Saturday, May 19, from 2:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Every hour on-the-hour.
Sunday, May 20, from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Every hour on-the-hour.

Grapevine Winery Tours
Complimentary shuttles will take you to the Grapevine wineries/tasting rooms. Pick-up and drop-off for all winery shuttles are outside the North gate. The last winery will be open until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Shuttles will run until 6:00 pm to ensure that all guests have transportation back to the festival.
Saturday, May 119, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday, May 20, Noon - 5:00 pm

Festival Hours:
Friday, May 18 - 10:00am - 5:00pm, FREE ADMISSION; Saturday, May 19 - 10:00am - 11:30pm; Sunday, May 20 - 11:00am - 6:00pm

Annual Flag Day Celebration 
June 14, at 2:00 PM

Officials in Grapevine will hold the city’s annual Flag Day Celebration. The event will take place at Grapevine’s Gazebo, located in the 300 block of Main Street in Historic Downtown Grapevine. Flag Day is officially celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which occurred that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

We invite you to join us as we commemorate this significant day in America’s history. The event is free and open to the general public, with cookies and lemonade to be served upon conclusion of the program.

Annual 4th of July Fireworks Extravaganza  

9:30 p.m. – Grapevine Lake

On July 4 at 9:30 p.m., find your spot and stake a claim near Lake Grapevine. Be prepared to be astonished by the fireworks spectacular, which can be viewed from any lakeside location as well as several other spots throughout Grapevine. Admission is free.

Summer Nights
Every Friday night in July, 2012

Friday Nights...on Main Street in Historic Downtown Grapevine, sponsored by the Historic Downtown Grapevine Association (HDGA).

Free Entertainment • Family Fun & Refreshments • Shop Late • Sidewalk Sales • Gift Basket Drawings 

 Annual GrapeFest               

Check back for dates in 2012

Voted a 2010 ABA Top 100 Event in North America! In Historic Downtown Grapevine you can join wine novices and connoisseurs at the largest wine festival in the Southwest. Walk down historic Main Street and sample the best that the Texas wine industry has to offer. Four fantastic days of fun including a Carnival and Midway for kids, food, wine and beer for you, all wrapped around sensational live music. Enjoy the tasty food and wine affairs at the Culinary Pavillion and cool off in the Champagne Terrace.
Sample award winning wines at this annual event! Enjoy a carnival for the kids, live music, attend a sophisticated food & wine affair, including:

October 2012

Nash Farm - Fall Round-Up
Check back for dates in 2012
10 am - 2 pm

It’s free fun at the farm for the entire family!
Activities will include stick pony barrel racing, stick pony buckin’ broncs, hayrides, petting zoo, pony rides, blacksmith demonstrations, arts & crafts, historic plowing demonstrations and hot dogs and hamburgers for sale from Grapevine AMBUCS.
Call 817-410-3585 for more information or visit www.nashfarm.org
Nash Farm, 626 Ball Street • Near Historic Downtown Grapevine
Additional parking is across the street at Cannon Elementary.

Annuual Butterfly Flutterby

Check back for dates in 2012, 9:30 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.
Cotton Belt Railroad Depot, 701 S. Main Street

Calling All Kids! Come to Grapevine to celebrate the migration of the Monarch Butterfly - Grapevine is on their path! This fun-for-the-whole-family event includes releases of butterflies and a Gossamer Parade. Join the fun at the Historic Cotton Belt Railroad Depot, 701 South Main Street, you'll enjoy butterfly exhibits, gardening seminars and all sorts of interactive butterfly arts, crafts and entertainment.

Schedule:
In the parking lot at the intersection of Wall St. and Jenkins St.
 8:45 a.m. - Parade Registration
 9:30 a.m. - Parade Line-up
10:00 a.m. - Parade starts toward the Cotton Belt Depot
10:45 a.m. - First Live Butterfly Release
11:15 a.m. - Costume Contest Awards
11:45 a.m. - Second Live Butterfly Release
12:30 p.m. - Final Butterfly Release

Enjoy butterfly exhibits, entertainment, interactive butterfly arts and crafts, and $1 popcorn!

817 410-3533

Grapevine's 5th Annual Candelight Tour of Homes
November, 2012
4 - 7:00 pm

Come to Explore Grapevine's Unique Residential Historic Township As you stroll through historic downtown, be sure to visit the beautiful homes which will be open to the public for touring.

The tour begins at Homestead Winery and moves on to township homes and Main.
Homestead Winery
211 E. Worth St.

This event is sponsored by Grapevine Heritage Foundation. There is a $10 fee, per person.

For more information please call 817 410-3585

November 2011 - January 1, 2012

Gaylord Texan’s annual holiday events are back and better than ever! The awe-inspiring ICE!™ attraction — carved from 2 million pounds of ice — will for the first time showcase DreamWorks’ Shrek the Halls! Additionally, Lone Star Christmas at Gaylord Texan will provide a winter wonderland including 1.5 million holiday lights, a 52-foot rotating Christmas tree, a life-sized Gingerbread House, 12,000 ornaments, and Santa Claus himself, just to name a few. We invite you to enjoy a magical holiday experience your family won’t soon forget!

And now you can animate your holiday getaway with The DreamWorks Experience! Vacation with the beloved characters from such films as Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar through interactive experiences including:

•ICE! featuring DreamWorks’ Shrek the Halls
•Kung Fu Panda Awesome Snow Tubing
•ShrekFeast Interactive Character Meal
•“Character Passport” Meet & Greets
•Gingy's Gingerbread Decorating
•DreamWorks 3D Theater Experience
•DreamWorks Themed Scavenger Hunt
•DreamWorks Welcome Amenity with Package Check-In
•and even Special Wake-Up Calls by DreamWorks Characters!
It’s a holiday getaway sure to fulfill your Christmas dreams

Happenings at Lone Star Christmas

ICE! featuring DreamWorks’ Shrek the Halls
Gaylord Texan’s popular ICE! winter holiday attraction returns with an all-new, hilarious theme: ICE! featuring DreamWorks’ Shrek the Halls.  From Nov. 11 to Jan. 1, the DreamWorks animated holiday TV special will be brought to life in an interactive world of colorful ice sculptures carved entirely from TWO-MILLION pounds of ice.  Relive the heartwarming story as you stroll through this amazing attraction featuring your favorite characters: Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Gingy and Puss in Boots as they celebrate Christmas in their own special way. When Shrek tries to plan the “perfect Christmas” for Fiona and the kids, his plans are disrupted by chaos and commotion.  But, in the end, Shrek learns the true meaning of the holiday and realizes it’s OK when Christmas never goes quite as planned.

1000 Texan Trail
817 778-2000
www.gaylordtexan.com

North Pole Express
Grapevine Depot
705 Main St.
Grapevine, TX 76051
Near the intersection of Main Street and Dallas Road

The North Pole Express schedule for 2011
November 25, 26, 27
December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Steam down the tracks aboard the North Pole Express®, complete with carols, stories, ornament making and an enchanting encounter with Santa Claus himself.  So, grab your pj's and ride the Grapevine Vintage Railroad to your Christmas dreams!

The event area opens each day one hour before the first train departs and closes one hour after the last train returns to the station.

Contacts: www.gvrr.com and 817 410-3385.

Measuring more than 1,650 square feet, the North Pole Express Skating Rink is just one more way for guests to experience the wonder of Christmas in Grapevine this season.

North Pole Express Skating Rink

November 25, 26, 27 and December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21.
Two 15-minute sessions each hour, one on the hour and one on the half hour.
$5 per person.
Located in the North Pole Express Park in the Cotton Belt Railroad District

Lace up your skates and create even more Christmas memories at the brand new North Pole Express Skating Rink opening just in time for Grapevine's 2011 Christmas Capital of Texas. Children and adults alike will delight as they glide across the rink and experience all the joy of the Christmas season. 2011 marks the first year that Grapevine has had an outdoor skating rink as part of the Christmas Capital of Texas festivities.

Christmas on Main Street
November 25, 26 & 27; December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, & 18, 2011
Fridays - 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturdays - 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m.
Sundays - 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Visit with Santa Claus, Take a wagon ride, Join Ellie the Elf, Frosty the Snowman and a Santa stilt walker for children's activities and "reindeer games". Wagon loading at the Farmers Market, behind the Gazebo, 300 S. Main Street.

Enjoy complimentary KettleKorn while enjoying Strolling entertainment in period costumes along with Rudolph, a talking Christmas tree and Frosty the Snowman.

Then include FREE fun activities for the entire family including Santa with fun Christmas characters,  exciting reindeer games and much more family fun that is guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit.

Carol of Lights
Monday, November 21, 2011 
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Holiday festivities in Historic Downtown Grapevine at the Main Street Gazebo (325 S. Main St.) are hosted by Mrs. Claus. The public is invited to this free event in which guests sing along with local choirs as the “switch is thrown,” lighting thousands of lights in historic downtown Grapevine, including the 35' community Christmas tree. The event also includes the Light Show Spectacular that involves all of the Town Square, including the gazebo, seven live oak trees, nine "mini" trees, and three arches choreographed to music. Refreshments provided.

Light Show Spectacular at the Gazebo
This light show spectacular will delight all as it plays from November 21 through January 8, nightly on the hour and half-hour, from 6:00 - 11:00 p.m. FREE!

Parade of Lights illuminates Historic Downtown Grapevine
December 1, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.


Thousands of merrymakers will witness an enchanting display of more than 100 colorfully lighted floats that will pass through Historic Downtown Grapevine. Rolling to the tune of numerous marching bands playing holiday music, the Grapevine Parade of Lights is North Texas’ largest lighted Christmas parade. The parade starts at Main St. and Hanover St. and heads north on Main St. to Wall St.
North Texas' largest lighted Christmas parade is free and open to the public.

Twinkle Light Boat Parade
Date to be announced for 2011

Starting at Dusk on Lake Grapevine (around 6:00 pm)

Lake Grapevine will twinkle with holiday cheer! The water of Lake Grapevine will glisten during the Twinkle Light Parade on Lake Grapevine at dusk. This lighted boat parade begins at Scott's Landing, and ends at Little Pete's, picking up entries at each marina as it circles the lake. The parade is visible all along the shore of Lake Grapevine.

For additional information or questions, please call Scott's Landing at 817 481-4549

Family Christmas Movies

Enjoy your favorite Family Christmas Film on the big screen at the Palace Theatre. Matinee and evening shows available. Ticket price is $5. For tickets or additional information call 817 410-3100.