FAMU Grape Harvest Festival Returns Aug. 22 With Family Fun, Fresh Flavors and Vineyard Favorites
Annual celebration invites the community to stomp, pick, taste and discover at FAMU’s research vineyard
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Get ready to pick, stomp and celebrate at Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) 2026 Grape Harvest Festival. The annual community tradition returns Saturday, Aug. 22, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the FAMU Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research, 6361 Mahan Drive.
Hosted by the Center and the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences (CAFS), the festival blends family fun, food, fitness and agricultural discovery while showcasing FAMU’s nationally recognized work in viticulture and muscadine grape research.
“The Grape Harvest Festival gives families a joyful, hands-on way to experience the science growing in their own backyard,” said Violeta Tsolova, Ph.D., director of the Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research. “Whether guests are tasting a muscadine grape, touring the vineyard or stepping into a barrel for the grape stomp, we want them to leave with wonderful memories and a greater appreciation for Florida agriculture and FAMU’s research.”
Folks sampling the variety of grapes at FAMU's annual Grape Harvest Festival.
Festivalgoers can take guided trailer rides through the vineyard, sample fresh grape varieties, join the U-Pick Grape Gift Bag Experience and cheer on teams during the crowd-favorite grape-stomping competition. The day also features a grape-throwing contest, hula-hoop competition, fitness demonstrations, winemaking workshops, a health fair, exhibits and interactive agricultural presentations.
Special presentations will include smart-farming computer simulations from the Biological Systems Engineering program, insect demonstrations from the USDA Agricultural Research Service and FAMU Center for Biological Control, a food and nutrition interactive experience, and CAFS Extension displays and workshops.
CAFS Dean G. Dale Wesson, Ph.D., making sure families are all smiles at the Grape
Harvest Festival. (Photo by Glenn Beil/FAMU)
“This festival is one of the most spirited ways we welcome the community into the work of the College,” said G. Dale Wesson, Ph.D., P.E., CAFS dean and director of Land-Grant Programs. “It brings research, education and outreach to life while giving people of all ages a chance to connect with our faculty, students and programs. We invite everyone to come ready to learn, laugh and enjoy the harvest.”
Festival registration begins at 8 a.m. and is required for all activities. The U-Pick Grape Gift Bag Experience runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the wine-and-cheese tasting experience, which requires additional registration, will be offered from noon to 1:30 PM.
Muscadine grapes, on or off the vine, will again be on display for people to taste
the flavor of a FAMU Grape Harvest Festival. (Photo by Glenn Beil/FAMU)
Free parking will be available beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Tallahassee Automobile Museum, 6800 Mahan Drive. Complimentary shuttles will transport guests to the festival grounds every 10 to 15 minutes.
General admission is $10. Children younger than 12 and FAMU students with valid identification are admitted free. Students from other institutions with valid identification pay $5, and admission for guests age 65 and older is $8. The registration for the wine-and-cheese tasting experience is $15.
For additional information, call the Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research at 850-599-3996 or visit the FAMU Grape Harvest Festival webpage.
About the FAMU Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research
Established by the Florida Legislature in 1978, the FAMU Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research advances Florida’s viticulture industry through research, education and outreach. It is internationally recognized for warm-climate grape research, maintains the world’s most extensive muscadine grape germplasm collection and serves as one of five National Clean Plant Centers for Grapes.
Media Contact
Rachel James-Terry
Senior Director of Strategic Communications
rachel.jamesterry@famu.edu
