Per Matt
Last year was a rough one for everyone, especially to live-event producers. As 2021 slowly opens up with warm weather to encourage more group gatherings, the inaugural Bourbon & Bubbles Fest welcomes attendees to enjoy, well, bourbon, sparkling wines, spirits, craft beer and more on Saturday, May 22nd.

Taking place at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm from 5 to 9 pm, this all-inclusive beverage tasting event offers something for everyone. Tickets for Bourbon & Bubbles Fest include admission into the event, a souvenir cup, all beverage samples and a portion to benefit a local not-for-profit organization. All visitors must be 21 and older to enter and show a valid ID (no children or babies are allowed). Food will be available for purchase. And its proceeds will benefit Friends of Franklin Parks, which is a group that was formed to bridge the gap between the services and amenities offered by government funding and those that are allowed to take full advantage of the incredible natural and historic resources of our community.

For more details, I contacted Regional Event Director Candace Price of iHeartMedia.

As the first-annual event, I was curious what the inspiration was for bringing this fest to life:

    • “Due to COVID, we couldn’t host our Wine in the Winter event that normally happens inside the Hilton Downtown, so we created a new event to replace that one for this year. We knew that we needed to be in a big, outdoor open space and Williamson County had different restrictions than Davidson County, so we decided to host the event there, in Franklin, at the Park at Harlinsdale Farm. Bourbon, in general, seems to be very popular right now and Bubbles is always popular. We will have a lot of other products outside of Bourbon and Bubbles, though, including wine, beer and lots of different types of spirits.”

In terms of COVID-19, I was curious what kind of safety precautions were in place. Attendance has been capped at 2,000 people (other events in the area typically include 3,000 to 4,000 people). While social distancing is encouraged, she says there will be lots of hand sanitizers available for everyone to use. She also notes that masks are welcome and encouraged if you are not eating or drinking, but current state guidelines do not require them to be worn outdoors.

As this seems to be one of the first Nashville-area festivals opening to the public, this is an important measuring stick for future events in 2021.

    • “Obviously, our event business was devastated due to COVID, so we are thrilled to be able to start doing events again! We have the Music City Brewer’s Fest coming up on 7/31/21 and Wine on the River is 9/11 at Riverfront Park, so we will definitely pay attention to how this event plays out and note anything we need to address, moving forward.”

As a craft beer aficionado, I’m always curious about which breweries will be in attendance. For this event, Hap N Harrys, Sierra Nevada and Weed Cellars will be the main providers. For a complete beverage list, click here.

Attendees can also expect plenty of photo opportunities on site. And the ticket proceeds will go toward renovations that are already planned at the park, including the refurbishing of some of the buildings on the property.

When asked what Candace is personally looking forward to at this festival, there was no hesitation, “I’m just so excited to see people at an event again!”

Her final bit of advice to attendees: “Since many people are tired of being at home in PJ’s, we are encouraging people to have fun with it and break out their festive attire, including hats, sundresses, etc. but plan accordingly for shoes, since we are on the grass.”

For more details about the Bourbon & Bubbles Fest, please visit the event’s webpage.