260,000 people descend on this small Texas town each year to stomp grapes and drink wine

GrapeFest’s Growth from 900 to 260,000 Visitors

Grapevine got its name from wild mustang grapes that early settlers turned into wine.

The town’s wine story took off in 1897 when French immigrant Anthelm Bidault planted the first vineyard on Grape Vine Prairie. Fast forward to 1986, and GrapeFest began as a tiny one-day event with just 900 folks.

Now it draws over 260,000 visitors each year. In 1995, Texas made it official when the Wine and Grape Growers Association moved its HQ to Grapevine’s Historic Downtown.

The festival has grown into the Southwest’s largest wine bash, where you can join America’s biggest consumer-judged wine contest right in the heart of Texas wine country.

900 People Showed Up at the First GrapeFest in 1986

GrapeFest started small in 1986 as a one-day event in Grapevine’s Historic Downtown. Only 900 people came, mostly folks from Texas wine businesses.

The festival honored Grapevine’s wine roots that began in 1897 when French immigrant Anthelm Bidault planted the first vineyard on Grape Vine Prairie.

He often hosted French officers from nearby Camp Bowie during World War I.

The town got its name from wild mustang grapes that grew everywhere, which early settlers used to make homemade wine.

Texas Winemakers Started Fresh in the 1970s

Texas wine came back to life in the 1970s when new wineries like Llano Estacado opened in 1976. Experts at Texas Tech and Texas A&M found that Texas soil matched southern Europe’s, great for growing grapes.

The government created official wine regions in Texas: Bell Mountain (1986), Fredericksburg (1989), and Texas Hill Country (1991).

By the 1980s, grape types from famous regions like Bordeaux and Burgundy filled Texas vineyards.

Wine Growers Group Moved to Grapevine in 1995

The Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association moved to Grapevine’s Historic Downtown in 1995. This move secured Grapevine’s place as the urban center of Texas wine.

The city sat perfectly between Dallas and Fort Worth near DFW Airport, making it easy for wine fans to visit.

More wineries opened tasting rooms downtown, turning Main Street into a place where visitors could try Texas wines without driving to far-off vineyards.

One-Day Festival Grew into Four-Day Event

GrapeFest grew from one day to four days by the late 1990s.

The festival added live bands on multiple stages, bringing in national music acts that pulled in bigger crowds. Carnival rides, midway games, and craft markets joined the wine tastings, making it fun for families too.

Downtown restaurants and Main Street shops stayed open during the festival, turning the whole downtown into a big party that lasted nearly a week.

Regular Folks Became Wine Judges at People’s Choice Tasting

The People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic became the biggest consumer-judged wine contest in America.

Regular people got to taste wines from dozens of Texas wineries across 10 different types during 90-minute tasting sessions. Each person got a wine guide and ballot to vote for their favorites.

The winners were announced on the last day after thousands of visitors voted, giving Texas wineries bragging rights based on real customer likes.

Ten Years Brought World Wines to Texas in 1997

The 10th birthday in 1997 marked a turning point with record crowds coming to Grapevine. The festival added international wine areas that showed wines from around the world next to Texas bottles.

People started coming from across the Southwest and beyond, not just nearby towns.

The event grew beyond Texas wine to include global picks, putting Grapevine on the map for wine lovers who wanted to taste both local and world wines in one place.

Silver Birthday Showed Texas Wine’s Big Growth

GrapeFest’s 25th birthday in 2011 had more bands, more wines, and more people than ever before.

The festival added classes about grape growing and winemaking for visitors who wanted to learn the science behind their favorite drinks. Texas had climbed to fifth place in US wine making, up from 48th place in 1980.

The party highlighted how Texas wine grew from almost nothing to a major player nationally.

Crowds Packed Downtown in 2012

The 26th festival in 2012 brought 262,000 visitors to Historic Downtown Grapevine, 8 percent more than the year before.

Combined with spring Main Street Days, it set the highest festival attendance record in city history. Visitors came from all over North Texas, the Southwest, across the nation, and even other countries.

The small town turned into a major spot as people filled hotels and restaurants throughout the weekend.

Thirty Years Saw Crowd Grow 292 Times Bigger

The 2016 festival marked 30 years of GrapeFest with 263,000 people attending over four days. The event featured 40 different vendors and multiple stages with musicians playing everything from country to rock.

Compared to the 900 people at the first festival, this meant 292 times more visitors.

Even California wine folks traveled to Grapevine because of the festival’s growing fame as a must-attend event for pros wanting to see what Texas made.

USA TODAY Ranked GrapeFest Among America’s Best Wine Festivals

GrapeFest earned the #7 spot in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards as one of the top wine festivals in the United States.

This national recognition put Grapevine on the map alongside famous wine regions like Napa and Sonoma. Texas wine tourism brought 2.6 million visitors annually to wineries across the state.

The industry pumped over $24 billion into the Texas economy, creating jobs and tax revenue while preserving agricultural land for grape growing.

Almost Four Decades of Wine Celebration Continued in 2025

The 39th Annual Festival in 2025 showcased more than 120 wines from dozens of Texas wineries.

Visitors joined grape stomping competitions, tried their luck at the champagne cork shoot-off, and explored the international wine pavilion.

Texas held firm as the fifth-largest wine producer after California, Washington, New York, and Oregon.

The festival blended Texas wine heritage with international selections, creating a global wine experience in the heart of the Lone Star State that drew visitors from across the country.

Visiting Downtown Grapevine, Texas

GrapeFest happens every mid-September on Historic Main Street in downtown Grapevine. General admission costs $12 for adults, $6 for seniors and kids 6-12, but it’s free Thursday and Friday before 5pm.

You can buy a $25 weekend pass for all four days. The People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic costs $28-$32 per session.

Walk to nine winery tasting rooms along Main Street, watch live music on four stages, and join the GrapeStomp competition.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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