Skip the line at the Vine: Geneva's Festival of the Vine offers online ticket purchases

Food and drink are the stars of the show at Geneva's Festival of the Vine, an autumn harvest celebration taking place Friday, Sept. 10 through Sunday, Sept. 12.

New this year, you can avoid the lines and purchase your tickets online at genevachamber.com.

Initially a celebration of anything grown on a vine, the festival now revolves around food and wine. The main event takes place at Fourth and State streets. Additional events can be found around Geneva. Times vary for individual events and food and wine purchase.

For more than 40 years, restaurants have set up under one huge Flavor Fare tent offering three of their favorite signature items. Visitors purchase tickets ($1 each) and buy a “taste” at one of the featured restaurants in the tent. To accompany your food, wines from around the world will be available for purchase. Food and wine tent hours are 4-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday and noon-4:30 p.m. Sunday. Most food items cost 2 to 12 tickets. Wines cost 6-16 tickets per glass.

Enjoy versatile local and Chicago area musical and dance entertainers on the stage and on the lawn throughout the weekend. Friday's main stage lineup includes the Dennis O'Brien Band at 5 p.m. and The Noize at 7 p.m.; Saturday features Paul and Jay at 1 p.m., Drew Clausen at 3:30 p.m., The Prissillas at 5:30 p.m. and Planet Groove at 7:30 p.m.; on Sunday, catch Jim Duncan Music at noon and The Shades at 2:30 p.m.

Other events during the festival include an arts and crafts show (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Third and Campbell streets), merchant wine events, business booths, activities for the kids, complimentary trolley and horse drawn carriage rides plus shopping in Geneva's historic downtown.

A complete schedule of events and hours can be found at www.genevachamber.com/festivals-events/festival-of-the-vine. For details, call (630) 232-6060.