Who: Downtown Northport 

What: The West Alabama Food & Wine Festival 

When: Sunday, April 30, 4:30 p.m. general admission 

Where: Downtown Northport’s Main Avenue 

Why: 

On Sunday, April 30, Historic Downtown Northport will host the tenth annual West Alabama Food & Wine Festival. The event is focused on recognizing the past traditions of the festival while still progressing the festivities for a new generation.  

One of the new additions is the location. For the first time in five years, the event will make the jump from the Tuscaloosa Rivermarket to Downtown Northport’s Main Avenue.  

“We are very excited about moving the festival to downtown Northport this year,” said Amy Martin, the co-chair of the West Alabama Food & Wine Festival board of directors. 

Martin also said there will be more new things introduced to the festival this year, such as food trucks to accompany the 40 West Alabamian vendors that will be participating.  

Guests at the festival can enjoy cuisine from local restaurants, including Champions Catering, Urban Bar and Kitchen and Central Mesa.  

Beer, wine, main course meals and desserts will be available for guests to enjoy, as well as live music from local bands like the Druid City Rockers and Tarred and Feathered. 

“We are looking forward to bringing a festival like this to Northport,” Martin said.  

Doors open for the Wine & Food Festival at 4:30 p.m. for general admission and at 3:30 p.m. for VIP ticket holders. The ticket prices are listed on their website and range from $85 to $100.  

All proceeds, including that of ticket sales, will benefit the West Alabama Food Bank, which provides food to nine counties across the state of Alabama. The goal of the West Alabama Food Bank is to “alleviate hunger in the state.”  

This partnership is something that is not likely to change amidst the new changes brought to the festival.  

“We are so excited to partner with the West Alabama Food Bank for the second year,” said Debbie Sanford Metz, a co-chair of the West Alabama Food & Wine Festival board of directors. “It is very important to our organization to keep our proceeds local.”  

Sanford Metz also explained how the partnership between the festival and the food bank are “unique” and that it “extends to the entire West Alabama area, in so many ways beyond just food distribution.” 

To buy tickets in advance or for more information, visit the festival’s website here.