After a record turnout last year, the annual Art, Wine and Music Festival featuring Medford Classic Car Cruise is back and better than ever to kick off summer in Medford on Sunday, June 7.
“The festival is a Medford favorite for many, and last year we set a record for attendance estimated at 6,000 to 8,000, with attendees coming from as far as New York and Pennsylvania,” David Vaughn of the Medford Business Association said.
Vibrant arts, crafts and music accompanied by the taste of fine wine, craft beer and delicious food almost always makes for a great afternoon.
“The Medford Art, Wine and Music Festival came about as a way to showcase the town of Medford and build awareness of our business community with residents in the greater area,” Vaughn said.
The festival has been through several changes over the last dozen or more years, but this will be the sixth consecutive year of the current format.
This year will feature a new start time as a result of countless requests to extend the festival. It will begin an hour earlier at 11 a.m. and run until 4 p.m.
There will also be more than 30 artists, photographers and crafters from throughout New Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania gathering to show off their treasures.
The list of wineries for this year’s festival include Cream Ridge Winery, Auburn Road Vineyards, Monroeville Vineyard & Winery, Hawk Haven Vineyard and Wagonhouse Winery. The festival will also include the Village Idiot Brewing Company, LLC.
New featured bands providing live music will include Lost in Brunswick, Branin Road, M-Town Jazz Jam, Mike Kaufman, Ted Trump and more.
More than 4,000 people are expected to attend this annual event presented by the Medford Business Association, the Medford Arts Center and Shoprite of Medford.
Shoprite makes the event possible each year by providing team members to support the event along with a group of volunteers from various schools and organizations.
“We have participants from all over the area,” Vaughn said, “including our new wine glass sponsor this year, Medford Mortgage.”
There will be countless interactive activities and food vendors occupying Main Street, making this an enjoyable experience for all ages.
“The festival is a family event. We have several activities for entertaining the kids as well as the adults,” Vaughn said. “Entire families, including the family dogs, come out each year to enjoy the day.”
This year will also have an even larger collection of prize classic autos from the Medford Lakes Corvette Club as an attempt to grow the event. A partnership with The Lakes Corvette Club, to add the Medford Classic Car Cruise to the event, leaves room to grow an even larger Medford Car Show as part of the festival in the future.
Handicapped parking for the festival will be available in the Cranberry Hall parking lot or the public lot behind the Stagecoach Stop, as well as other Village parking lots nearby.
Attending the Medford Art, Wine and Music festival will be free. Those who are looking to sample the wine and beer will be required to buy a $10 wristband.
Wristbands will be available at the information booths at the north end of Main Street and the intersection of Main and Banks streets.
The Medford Business Association values the significance of this event each year and plans on continuing this favorite traditional festival for years to come.
“For us, it is all about showcasing the town of Medford and building awareness of our business community with residents in the greater area,” Vaughn said. “We are happy that thousands of visitors come to town and are able to see what our town and business community has to offer.”
For more information on the Medford Art, Wine and Music Festival visit medfordbusiness.org/awmf.
