The Bardolino Grape and Wine Festival is about to begin. Five days of traditional dishes, markets, live music, and DJ sets, with the event’s undeniable protagonist: the Bardolino wine, which will be present with 23 labels and will accompany the 27 gastronomic proposals. Every day from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. from September 28 to October 2, there will be open stands and events throughout the town.
The 2023 edition returns with high expectations. Music at lunch, tribute concerts to Italian music, Info Point with the “Go Safe” breathalyzer test, and, last but not least, the blue crab that will come to Bardolino to accompany the iconic bigoli are among this year’s novelties. Lunch and dinner will be offered at Cornicello Lakefront, Mirabello Lakefront, and Carrara Bottagisio Park, which will also have ramps, paved roads, and bathrooms provided to people with disabilities. More than 3,000 seats will be available for the occasion. Dishes will include Cotechino with pearà, as well as outstanding classics like risotto with sparkling wine, risotto and stew with Bardolino wine, ravioli with lavaret, and even pennette alla pompiera.
All initiatives will be free of charge, and tastings, with tokens costing 2 euros, will be served only in the festival’s official glass cup. The Bardolinese event, in fact, has been plastic-free for years and uses compostable plates and utensils that are thus totally recyclable.
This year’s entertainment events include a fireworks display in the water on October 1 and Ben Peretti’s three-dimensional projections on the Villa Terzi front. An institutional moment with the Bardolino Wine Confraternity is also on the program, as is the Pollinici footrace on October 1 at 3 p.m.
Bardolino is preparing to welcome wine lovers with free ATV rides, shuttle buses, and cab points.
The now-famous Bardolino Grape and Wine Festival, organized by the Bardolino Top Foundation and the Bardolino Town Council, is expected to draw wine enthusiasts from all across Italy, Germany, Austria, Holland, and England. The popular goblet pockets will return this year, as will the special free ATV bus ride from Garda to Peschiera (and vice versa), as well as the Bardolino Municipality’s shuttle bus throughout the area and Taxi Points in Piazzale Aldo Moro.
“The entire Bardolino community is mobilized and ready to welcome visitors and tourists who are fond of this historic event,” says Mayor Lauro Sabaini, who continues. “The Grape and Wine Festival has become an important event for the entire Lake Garda area and neighboring territories, thanks to the excellent work done by our winemakers throughout the year and the great organizational effort of the Bardolino associations, which we thank for their commitment. We are confident that the lake-view tastings will be successful and an opportunity to learn new aspects of our region as the summer season winds down. This year, the Municipality of Bardolino will also provide an evening shuttle bus service along the route to the airport to facilitate participation. We look forward to seeing you.”
Ivan de Beni, president of Bardolino Top, was also present this morning: “This is, in fact, the last event that fills hotel and non-hotel facilities.” From its humble beginnings as a way to commemorate the grape harvest, the Grape and Wine Festival has evolved into a vital event for the town’s tourist economy as well as the coffers of the various voluntary associations that rely on menu sales to fund their charitable activities. This has resulted in an ever-increasing effort in the quest for variety and quality of dishes, as well as, as far as the organization is concerned, facilitating the comfort of all visitors to the highest level possible.”
The program of the Bardolino Grape and Wine Festival
It all kicks off on Thursday, September 28, with food and craft markets on the Mirabello lakeside beginning early in the morning. The official inauguration will take place on the Cornicello lakeside at 6 p.m., following the inaugural folk parade through the streets of downtown. After that, there will be live music by the OI&B Zucchero Celebration Band, as well as a DJ set by Angel till late at night. On Friday, 29th, there will be live music with the Venetum Brass street band, preceding a musical proposal at 9 p.m. on the center stage with Joe Dibrutto and in the Sala Disciplina in Borgo Garibaldi with the Italian Opera Concert (entry fee). On Saturday, Effetti Collaterale will perform 80s pop rock at the Port of Bardolino from 7 to 9 p.m., following the Al-B Band on the center stage in Parco Carrara Bottagisio and DJ sets by Denni.
On Sunday, October 1, there will be a concert at 1 p.m. with Adriano Celentano covers; at 3 p.m., the Pollinici footrace with kids aged 2 to 14 years old; and from 3 to 6 p.m., the Old Pepper Jass street band in the center streets. The parade of the brotherhoods, accompanied by the Bardolino Philharmonic, will take place in Piazza Matteotti, followed by the awarding of Doc and Docg wine productions as part of the Municipality of Bardolino’s 13th wine competition, the best vineyards of the Consorzio di Tutela Chiaretto and Bardolino competition, and the investiture of the new brothers of the Confraternita del Vino Bardolino.
The Port of Vintage People Jazz & Swing will perform starting at 7 p.m., and at 9 p.m., there will be a double musical event with Malumida’s disco music at Parco Carrara Bottagisio and a vocal and instrumental concert by the Bardolino Philharmonic in Piazza Matteotti. At 11 p.m., fireworks will be blasted off on the waterfront in front of the port to cap off the day, and a DJ set will follow. On Monday, October 2, the last day, Devill will perform a DJ set.
