Third Annual Traverse City Winter Microbrew & Music Festival

Porterhouse Productions will host a “winter wonderland” celebration of craft beer, live music and local food at the third annual Traverse City Winter Microbrew & Music Festival on Saturday, February 11 at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons. The weekend of festivities will kick off with a special concert featuring Blues Traveler at the City Opera House in downtown Traverse City the night before the festival on Friday, February 10.
 
The festival will take place on February 11 from 4-10 p.m. on the Historic Front Lawn of the Village in multiple heated tents on-site. In addition to the three main heated music and microbrewery tents, the festival will feature a silent disco tent with a full roster of local and state DJs, a snow fort-building competition among local businesses, and, for the first time, a polka-themed tent hosted by local comedian Marti Johnson featuring popular polka bands including Squeezebox and The Kielbasa Kings, dancing, authentic food and special activities celebrating the polka culture. The tent will be a promotional partnership with the Cedar Polka Festival held in the region each summer.

Acclaimed musical and entertainment acts including Funktion, beatbox champion Heatbox, The Crane Wives, Whitey Morgan and the 78’s, Dragon Wagon, Rootstand, Laith Al-Saadi, DJ DomiNate, DJ Wulf Pak (and his popular laser show), non-profit Grand Traverse Pipes & Drums and local fire dancers will headline the festival stage. Over 50 microbreweries, wineries, meaderies and cideries from across the state and country will be on hand sampling their flavors at the event, including rare and limited-edition brews. The festival will offer free shuttle service to attendees between the Village, Old Town Parking Deck, downtown Traverse City and participating hotel partners, as well as on-site valet service for Trattoria Stella guests and Mercado shoppers.

The night before the festival, Porterhouse Productions will host Grammy-winning band Blues Traveler live in concert at the City Opera House in downtown Traverse City. Renowned for their high-energy live shows, Blues Traveler is behind such massive pop hits as “Run-Around,” “Hook” and “You, Me and Everything.” Their album “Four” reached triple-platinum status, and “Run-Around” was the longest-charting single in Billboard history. The February 10 concert marks the band’s second return to Traverse City after their sold-out appearance at Porterhouse’s Paella in the Park festival in August 2010.

“Since we relocated the festival out of downtown to the Village this year, it was important we find a way to support downtown merchants and connect them with this weekend of events,” said Porterhouse Productions owner Sam Porter. “Our hope is that we’ll have a great sold-out show with Blues Traveler the night before the festival, with concertgoers eating, drinking and shopping downtown before and after the concert.”

Porter added that after-parties at downtown establishments including Union Street Station and Loading Dock were planned for both nights of the weekend to further connect festival attendees with the downtown district.

General admission tickets for the Traverse City Winter Microbrew & Music Festival on February 11 are $30 in advance or $35 at the door and include all festival entertainment, musical acts, shuttle service and five (5) 7-oz pours. Additional pours will be available for purchase on-site for $1 each. Tickets can be purchased online at www.porterhouseproductions.com or at Oryana, Blue Tractor and Left Foot Charley in Traverse City. Attendees are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance, as the festival has sold out in past years. Ticket buyers must be at least 21 years old. Attendees are encouraged to carpool, use the shuttle service or walk, sled or snowshoe to the event.

Reserved seating tickets for the Blues Traveler concert at the City Opera House on February 10 range from $29-$45 and go on sale on Monday, January 16. Tickets can be purchased at the City Opera House box office, by phone at 231-941-8082 or online at www.cityoperahouse.org.

The Traverse City Winter Microbrew & Music Festival is presented by Porterhouse Productions, The Village at Grand Traverse Commons and Bay Area Recycling for Charities, with additional support from Michigan brewers, Village and downtown merchants and community volunteers. Proceeds from the festival will benefit Bay Area Recycling for Charities, a Traverse City-based non-profit organization providing comprehensive recycling services to the region and contributing an annual portion of its revenues to local charities and summer festivals. Porterhouse Productions is dedicated to supporting local businesses and creating year-round events that promote and sustain local food, beer, wine, arts, youth and merchants.

For more information, visit www.porterhouseproductions.com or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/porterhouse.mi or Twitter at www.twitter.com/porterhouseprod. 
PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: Beth Milligan, (231) 342-0611, beth.milligan@gmail.com or Sam Porter, (231) 499-4968, sam@porterhouseproductions.com