Food and Wine Fest

In the late 80’s there was one winery and vineyard in Gillespie County, owned by Bob Oberhellman (Bell Mountain Winery). Bob thought it would be a good idea to host an annual event promoting only Texas wine. This is how the Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest came about. He approached the City of Fredericksburg. At that time Market Square Redevelopment Commission was underway which in turn adopted the concept as an annual fund-raiser for improvements to Market Square. Our mission was and still is to only showcase Texas wine, Texas food products, Texas music and in 2011, we added Texas Craft Beer. The sole purpose of the Fest is to promote everything Texas. Our first Fest was held in 1991.

• Bring area residents together to get involved, participate and volunteer
• Establish, develop, and actively maintain a website, media promotions and social media
• Create three special events and engage wineries to host the Thursday and Friday night events
• Expose and introduce all attendees to everything Texas
• Bring new visitors to the area to enjoy the Fest and explore Fredericksburg
• Stimulate the area’s economy with shopping experiences and dining
• Increase the number of festival attendees from year to year
• Work to gain partnerships, create goals and a committee
• Maintain a positive relationship with sponsors
• Foster a relationship with local entities such the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau

• Design and deliver an event that reflects the fest mission
• Showcase Texas wineries, Texas Craft Beer. Texas Specialty Booths, Texas music
• Maintain event operations to enhance the festival attendees’ experience and those who are participating as a part of the Fest

• Contributed to many Market Square Redevelopment Commission projects
• Generated funds to continue the beautification of hardscape and landscape on Market Square or “Marktplatz”
• Built pavilions, arbors, and preserved the History Walk to tell the story of Fredericksburg
• Added Festzimmer (Fest building) and Die Küche (catering support kitchen)
• In 2022 a $100,000 pledge was made out of Fest reserves to Market Square Redevelopment Commission for the improvement of the northwest corner of Market Square

• Grow the Fest and to market the 100% Texas aspect of the Fest
• Create new areas to add in the future

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