While the beloved bands and floats of the Niagara Grape & Wine Festival Grande Annual Parade and Pied Piper events won’t be making their usual promenade through the streets of downtown St. Catharines this September, there are other plans in the works to ensure the 69th year of the event still goes down in the history books.
The Niagara Grape and Wine Festival, working closely with title sponsor, Meridian, Ontario’s largest and Canada’s second-largest credit union, will host the 2020 Meridian Porch Parade and Meridian Community Spirit awards, a new physically distanced version of the event that continues to showcase Niagara’s unmatched sense of community pride and connection.
“Community is what the Niagara Grape & Wine Festival is all about,” says Dorian Anderson, Executive Director of the Niagara Grape & Wine Festival. “Meridian immediately jumped on board again this year to help find new ways to celebrate the Niagara community during this unprecedented time. We’re thrilled to be working with Meridian to help Niagara have a little fun, give back to those in need and celebrate some of the amazing individuals and businesses that are working to keep our community strong.”
“We are delighted to support the celebration of the festival a little differently than in previous years,” says Shelley Dix, District Vice President, Niagara Region, Meridian. “The Niagara Grape & Wine Festival is such a terrific event, and, while it will have a new twist this year due to COVID, as always it will bring the community together and give us a chance to connect with neighbors, friends and our own Members.”
Details of the 2020 Meridian Porch Parade and Community Spirit awards follow.
Meridian Porch Parade | September 26 | Livestream broadcast starting at 1:00PM
Individuals, families, neighbourhoods and businesses across Niagara are invited to show off their 2020 Grape and Wine spirit by decorating their homes, porches, storefronts and patios. The sky’s the limit in creating a unique entry.
Register before September 18th and, for a chance to be featured on the September 26 livestream broadcast, share photos on social media of entry progress and the final product using #MeridianPorchParade and @niagarawinefestival. Porch parade entrants will also be eligible to win a variety of great prizes including a $250 Grape & Wine prize pack with 10 VIP Harvest Lounge passes for 2021, the chance to score a mini parade down their street on September 26, or their very own float in the 2021 Grande Parade.
To help bubble buddies create their own Grape & Wine vibe at home, a fresh crop of Grape & Wine merchandise and all-new Niagara Winery Grape & Wine Party Packs will be available for order from www.niagarawinefestival.com. With convenient curbside pickup, festival fans across Niagara can bring the fun of parade day to their own porch or backyard.
In keeping with tradition during the Festival, Niagara residents are encouraged to contribute food bank items. During the month of September, food bank donations can be dropped off at participating wineries or any Meridian branch in Niagara. Financial donations to area food banks will also be accepted.
Complete registration, contest, merchandise and food bank donation details are available at www.niagarawinefestival.com. Watch the Festival’s social media channels for additional updates.
Meridian Community Spirit Awards
The impressive array of Porch Parade displays from individuals, neighbourhoods and businesses won’t be the only thing fueling Niagara’s community pride on September 26. Meridian will also announce the winners of its newly launched Meridian Community Spirit Awards during the livestream broadcast of the parade. From September 1 through September 13, Niagara residents are encouraged to nominate any Niagara-based individual or business that they feel has demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation or selflessness for their community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An online entry form is available at www.meridiancu.ca/niagaracsa. Meridian will announce the five individual and five business award winners during the parade.
About Niagara Grape & Wine Festival
While the 2020 Niagara Grape and Wine Festival looks a little different this year, Canada’s oldest and largest wine festival will still provide Niagara residents and Ontario wine lovers with creative ways to safely experience the Festival’s most popular events and activities. From the Meridian Porch Parade to new initiatives that will bring the festivities of Montebello Park to backyards across the province and creative new ways to enjoy and explore Niagara’s wineries, the 2020 vintage of the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival will be one to remember. For complete details visit www.niagarawinefestival.com.
