Autumn has a way of bringing us all closer together. Hayrides make a reappearance, gourds become our centerpieces once more, and local pumpkin patches open their fields to the many, some of which that are wishing to find the best, roundest pumpkin to carve an exaggerated face into. Roasting marshmallows by the fire while camping on a crispy fall evening sounds about perfect at the moment to me, along with all else mentioned.
Newfields, formally known as the Indianapolis Museum of Art, hosted its very first Harvest Festival in early October of 2019. The event sold out three of its four days, pushing the museum to consider adding more days for festival time 2020. A little bird told me (its Anthony, and he works there) that they plan on doing Thursday through Sunday the first week of October, and also adding every weekend following. Hell yeah, more time for pumpkins and food demonstrations and local beer and wine and whiskey and pumpkins and live music and petting zoos and trees and pumpkins and more food and beer and pumpkins! Sounds like a dream to me.
Newfields, formally known as the Indianapolis Museum of Art, hosted its very first Harvest Festival in early October of 2019. The event sold out three of its four days, pushing the museum to consider adding more days for festival time 2020. A little bird told me (its Anthony, and he works there) that they plan on doing Thursday through Sunday the first week of October, and also adding every weekend following. Hell yeah, more time for pumpkins and food demonstrations and local beer and wine and whiskey and pumpkins and live music and petting zoos and trees and pumpkins and more food and beer and pumpkins! Sounds like a dream to me.
As soon as Anthony and I got into the festival, we somehow managed to find the Oliver Winery tent (coincidence I swear). They were giving out three free samples and selling glasses of wine to enjoy while walking around. We chit-chatted with the vendors, sampled our wine, and got our worlds rocked by this small taste: Apple Pie wine. That was basically it for us tasting wise. We immediately ordered a glass each, thanked the Oliver representative, and went about our way.
We ended up stumbling upon (not like that, we’re only on our first FULL glass of wine each) the food demonstration tent. The next two shows that were to happen involved bourbon, wine, and cheese, so it was an unwavering “yes” from the both of us. We were introduced to a new Indianapolis distillery, West Fork Whiskey. Multiple savory and sweet bourbons and ryes are crafted by this brand, and all bring a lot to the table. After the paired cooking demonstration and bourbon tasting was completed, I went to grab mixed drinks from their booth while Anthony held the table for us. Two refreshing apple cider mixed drinks later (and three more free samples for me!), I was back at the front-row table and ready for the next presentation: local cheese. Tulip Tree, located on the northwest side of Indianapolis, educated us on the farm and animals their products come from, the process, and let us sample some amazing cheeses. As if tasting fresh, locally made cheese wasn’t good enough, each tasting was paired with a local wine from (you already know) Oliver Winery. The whole experience during these presentations and tastings was *chef’s kiss* unforgettable.
We ended up stumbling upon (not like that, we’re only on our first FULL glass of wine each) the food demonstration tent. The next two shows that were to happen involved bourbon, wine, and cheese, so it was an unwavering “yes” from the both of us. We were introduced to a new Indianapolis distillery, West Fork Whiskey. Multiple savory and sweet bourbons and ryes are crafted by this brand, and all bring a lot to the table. After the paired cooking demonstration and bourbon tasting was completed, I went to grab mixed drinks from their booth while Anthony held the table for us. Two refreshing apple cider mixed drinks later (and three more free samples for me!), I was back at the front-row table and ready for the next presentation: local cheese. Tulip Tree, located on the northwest side of Indianapolis, educated us on the farm and animals their products come from, the process, and let us sample some amazing cheeses. As if tasting fresh, locally made cheese wasn’t good enough, each tasting was paired with a local wine from (you already know) Oliver Winery. The whole experience during these presentations and tastings was *chef’s kiss* unforgettable.
Before you start to question, yes, Harvest Festival offers more activities than just the ones mentioned so far; it also features a large selection of locally brewed beer, ciders, and meads! The Brewers of Indiana Guild, offered a “passport” and a four-ounce sample glass for $15, which included a free sample of all Oktoberfest and Marzen beers present. Anthony and I did not end up doing this, but we made a note to do it next year. Some of the breweries at the festival were Metazoa, Big Lug, Sun King Brewery, and Four Day Ray. Some of the breweries were selling snack food as well, such as nachos and hot dogs. While in line for the restroom, a nice woman and her daughter gave me an extra coupon for a free jumbo pretzel, so when I returned to Anthony, that was our pairing with our beers.
Throughout the gardens and grounds of Newfields, many hidden treasures were awaiting to be found. The petting zoo was adorable, with miniature horses, goats, piggies, geese and ducks. Along with the cuteness of the animals, the grounds were home to over 5,000 pumpkins and gourds. Photo opportunities were basically endless, and the beauty of the autumnal vegetation was beyond compare. The Kusama gallery, also known as “All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins” by Yayoi Kusama, was the art feature for not only the festival, but also for the season. Guests two at a time were allowed to enter the room for a mere 45 seconds, surrounded by mirrors and lit up pumpkins. Tagged as one of the most “instagrammable” galleries of the year, I do regret not making it back to the museum in time to enjoy the piece.
If pre-sale tickets were guaranteed, I would have bought mine already for Harvest Festival 2020. Obviously, even though it was their guinea pig year with this event, Newfields had it going on, and I cannot wait to see what artists, beer, musicians, and more they bring to us all in just a few short months for the 2020 Harvest Festival.
If pre-sale tickets were guaranteed, I would have bought mine already for Harvest Festival 2020. Obviously, even though it was their guinea pig year with this event, Newfields had it going on, and I cannot wait to see what artists, beer, musicians, and more they bring to us all in just a few short months for the 2020 Harvest Festival.