Community Spirit
The Niagara Grape and Wine Festival began with the goal of promoting and raising awareness of the region's grape and wine industry, but it has become so much more. It is an expression of community spirit and a celebration of thanksgiving, as noted in the Festival's 40th Anniversary program:
"The festival's history is not a simple story of grapes, or wines, or bountiful harvests. It is a story of people who come together every year to celebrate the richness in their lives. As our community grew, so too did our festival. The character of both the community and the festival became marked by the diversity of the people who contributed to it. The festival became a meeting of distinct cultures appreciating the fine wines and the cultivation of grapes. Remembrances of the old world mixed with the down-home pride of generations of grape growers. The Niagara Grape & Wine Festival is for each of us a personal thanksgiving; truly a celebration of individual meaning".
