On Saturday, Feb. 7, the Estes Park Event Center will again fill with the familiar scents of cocoa and cabernet. But the 2026 Wine and Chocolate Festival looks noticeably different from years past.
For the first time since its debut in 2017, the event is open to all ages. Breweries will pour alongside wineries. Nearly 20 sweets and food vendors will line the floor. And instead of a live band, visitors may find themselves watching stilt walkers and contortionists as they sample chocolates and sip wine.
“We decided to open it up to be a little bit more available for more people who like things besides wine and chocolate,” said Kayleigh Schissel, special events coordinator at the Events Center. “We also wanted to include more local breweries, so we’ve got Avant Garde and Lumpy Ridge. Those breweries will be at the Wine & Chocolate Festival this year, so people who don’t drink a lot of wine will have something to enjoy.”
The changes come as the town works to rebuild the festival’s pre-pandemic momentum and strengthen its role as a winter tourism driver.
According to the 2025 Wine and Chocolate Festival economic survey, nearly 90 percent of attendees traveled to Estes Park specifically for the event. More than 60 percent stayed overnight, and of those visitors, 98 percent paid for commercial lodging. That overnight impact matters in February, typically one of the town’s quieter tourism months.
“This really brings people back up to the town,” Schissel said. “They come for the weekend, they stay up here, they eat at our restaurants, they shop at the shops downtown while they’re up here, and they kind of make a weekend out of it.”
Last year, the festival drew just over 400 attendees. This year, Schissel expects to sell out at 800. Ticket sales, she said, have been increasing by 40 to 50 per day.
Survey data suggests those visitors do more than attend the event. Approximately 37% of respondents reported spending around $50 per person per day on food, shopping, and entertainment, while more than 40% reported spending about $100 per person per day in addition to lodging costs, and the remaining percentage all spent more than $150. Most visitors traveled in pairs, with nearly two-thirds reporting a party of two.
Those numbers helped Schissel make the case for expanding the vendor pool this year.
“Last year I did see a lower amount of chocolatiers or treats and sweets vendors,” she said. “So I did some digging, and I went to Denver and went to actually some other chocolate festivals, and I went and talked to the owners and was like, hey, what can I change to get you guys up to our festival?”
This year, the event will feature nearly 20 sweets and food vendors, roughly double the number from 2025, supported by stipends to help cover sampling costs. Alongside approximately 17 wineries, visitors will also find two breweries, Avant Garde Aleworks and Lumpy Ridge Brewing Company, offering options for guests who prefer beer.
Returning and new vendors range from Bookcliff Vineyards and Manitou Winery to The Stanley Chocolate Factory, MouCo Cheese Company, NOCO Chocolates, Pebbledash Bake Shoppe, Audacious Truffles and What the Fudge Co.
“I try to keep it as local as possible so that people can try a lot of our local vendors,” Schissel said.
The family-friendly shift came directly from attendee feedback. “A lot of people wanted to bring their families, and so it was originally a 21 and up event,” Schissel said. “So we also opened that, so that kind of opens another demographic.”
Children will find bounce houses and interactive play areas, while adults sample pours and chocolates. Designated driver tickets allow guests to participate in tastings without alcohol.
Entertainment has also been rethought. After vendors reported difficulty hearing customers over live music in the cavernous hall last year, Schissel opted for a house sound system and roaming visual performers instead.
“I really wanted it to be very visual and interactive entertainment,” she said. “They’re kind of more of the background, rather than constant noise.”
For out-of-town visitors, the town is again partnering with the Quality Inn, which offers discounted room rates. A shuttle will run from the hotel and the Estes Park Visitor Center to the Event Center to encourage safe travel.
Schissel hopes that attendees “have so much fun,” she said. “I hope that they’re like, ‘Wow, that was a really cool way that we could interact with a lot of local businesses.’”
Based on survey results, most past attendees already felt that way. Nearly 94 percent of respondents rated the festival as “very good” or “excellent.”
Now, with more vendors, more space, and more types of visitors, the town is betting that the Wine and Chocolate Festival can once again become one of Estes Park’s signature winter weekends. Early entry tickets are $50 and include extra chocolate samples. General admission is $40. Children 15 and under are $5. The event runs from noon to 6 p.m.
And for Schissel, planning for next year has already begun.
“Planning kind of starts when it ends,” she said. “I really go off of my vendor feedback and my attendee feedback. We’ll see how this goes, and we’ll make it even better.”
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