Harvest Festival Weekend 2026

Harvest Festival Weekend is Nova Scotia's annual celebration of the grape harvest, when the wineries of the Annapolis and Gaspereau Valleys open their cellar doors for a province-wide autumn party. Organized by Nova Scotia Wines, the weekend turns the region's scenic vineyard country into a rolling open house: winery tours, grape stomping, harvest dinners, live music, and tastings of the just-picked vintage, all framed by peak fall foliage. In 2026 the festival lands on Saturday, October 3, with many wineries extending activities through Sunday, October 4.

Each participating winery programs its own day, so the weekend is best approached as a self-guided cellar crawl between the two valleys. Expect behind-the-scenes winery tours and tasting flights pouring the 2025 vintage alongside barrel samples of what is being pressed that very weekend, plus harvest-themed food pairings from local chefs — everything from lobster rolls to wood-oven pizzas. Gaspereau Valley favourites like Benjamin Bridge, Gaspereau Vineyards, and Luckett Vineyards sit minutes from Wolfville, while deeper into the Annapolis Valley you can hop between wineries near Kentville, Grand Pre, and Annapolis Royal. It is the same region covered in our Annapolis Valley self-drive guide, which maps the full winery circuit.

Book a tasting table or dinner at your top-pick wineries in advance — harvest weekend is one of the busiest wine dates on the Nova Scotia calendar, and the valleys' inns and B&Bs fill up fast. Logistics are easy: everything is within a 45-minute drive of Wolfville, and a designated driver or local shuttle makes the winery-to-winery route safer and more fun. For the full list of participating wineries and their individual schedules, visit the Nova Scotia Wines events calendar.

Make the most of your time in Annapolis Valley - pair Harvest Festival Weekend 2026 with our Annapolis Valley Self-Drive, culinary trails guide, and Good Cheer Trail & Wine Country guide. They're each packed with itinerary ideas, local tips, and everything you need to extend your stay.