People from all over London and outside the city have come down to the Agriplex at the Western Fair District to enjoy a variety of foods, drinks and fun. This year marks the 17th annual wine and food show in London. After the event took a 4-year hiatus due to the pandemic, it is now back for the second year in a row.
Sadie from West Lorne is experiencing her first time at the event. “It’s phenomenal, I’ve run into more people than I thought I knew, so this has actually just been a great experience,” says Sadie. Her favourite drink among the vast options is a pickle shot.
The wine and food show running from January 10th to January 11th of 2025 attracts people from all over the province and even all over the world. Nancy from England has come down to Canada’s London to indulge in some beverages and meals. When asked what she has enjoyed most about the event she said, “The atmosphere and how (much) fun people are having, it’s just a Friday night to do something so it’s really good.” Nancy’s favourite drink of the event is a non-alcoholic Caesar with an extreme bean in it.
The Englishwomen also had a suggestion for next year’s event. “Perhaps next year they can add a lot of vegetarian options, there’s not a lot of vegetarian options or for people that don’t drink alcohol and enjoy the food, so probably have virgin cocktails that will be quite good. Just a suggestion,” says Nancy.
The wine and food show starts at 6 p.m. and runs until 11 p.m. on Friday January 10th and Saturday January 11th. Source: XFM/Daniel Hernandez
However not all the attendees of the event are experiencing it for the first time. Karine has gone to the event for ten years which is almost half of the event’s lifetime.
“It’s such a great atmosphere, the food is amazing, I love the lobster, the amazing wines, it’s just a such a good event I always see so many people I know, I love it,” explains Karine as to why she always comes back to the event.
The reason this event has been able to run for so long is because of their team of organizers. Rob Lumsden is the Director of Operations for Western Fair Association. He was also the show manager for the event in previous years and has been involved with the growth of the event since 2004.
“This is what we like to call in London the kickoff to the new calendar… We’re really the first large event coming out into the new year,” says Lumsden.
He explains a few of the new things that the wine and food show has to offer this year.
“This year we have a karaoke lounge to sing for your sample, if you want to go ahead and sing your favourite hit, all kinds of great jazz bands. We have a culinary corner…,” says Lumsden.
“A new Lounge this year called beer vs wine or caps vs cork. The fun part about that is we’re going to have a cicerone and a sommelier who are going to have a food item and they’re each going to tell you why they think it pairs better with either a beer or a wine that they’ve selected,” added Lumsden.
Lumsden credits the event’s growth and success over the years to its variety of exhibitors. “We’ve really seen a rise in the amount of food that we have in the show, the amount of tourism and entertainment we have in the show, and the biggest change we’ve seen lately and it’s in the marketplace as a whole and it’s in the non-alcoholic drinks,” says Lumsden.
Lumsden adds that another contributor to the success of the event is the layout changes and the ability to accommodate more people. Lumsden concludes that 5 hours is enough time for the event to run to allow people to have fun without risking the safety or security of the attendees and the event.
At the end of the day it seems the atmosphere and social aspect of the 2 day event accompanied with its variety of offerings is what hooks people and brings them back every year.
