New Buffalo Harvest & Wine Fest

New Buffalo Harvest & Wine Fest is an annual harvest wine festival held each October in New Buffalo, Michigan — in its 14th year as of 2019, the one-day event runs from noon to 9 p.m. at Lions Beachfront Park in downtown New Buffalo. Admission is $5 per adult, and children under 12 enter free. The festival is organized and managed by the New Buffalo Business Association alongside local businesses and volunteers, and is planned in conjunction with the broader Harbor Country Harvest Days, serving as a focal point for Columbus Day Weekend activities in Southwest Michigan.

New Buffalo Harvest & Wine Fest centers on award-winning wines from regional Southwest Michigan vineyards, poured alongside craft beers and hard ciders, all under a tent that keeps the event running rain or shine. Wine by the glass and tastings are available from participating regional wineries and breweries. Beyond the pours, the festival hosts a substantial vendor market featuring handcrafted goods — jewelry, blown glass, leather goods, clothing, photography, and wine accessories — as well as food and produce vendors selling items like Amish cheeses, homemade honey and jams, oils and vinegars, caramel corn, and caramel apples. Live music is also part of the program, with the lineup announced in advance on the festival's Facebook page.

For families, New Buffalo Harvest & Wine Fest offers a dedicated kids' activity area that includes a bounce house, pumpkin painting, and face painting, making the event accessible to attendees with children. The tented venue at Lions Beachfront Park means weather is not a concern, and the full nine-hour window — noon to 9 p.m. — gives visitors flexibility to arrive and stay at their own pace. Nonalcoholic beverages and apple cider are also available for non-drinking guests.

New Buffalo sits in Michigan's Harbor Country, a stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline in Berrien County that is home to a concentration of small wineries producing varieties well-suited to the Great Lakes climate, including Riesling and Pinot Noir. The region's proximity to Lake Michigan moderates temperatures, extending the growing season and giving local producers a foundation for the award-winning wines featured at the festival each fall.