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Rural Alberta food festival lets you Savor Vermilion and beyond
Vermilion, AB — There's only one place where you can sip a drink that will make you feel like a Vermilionaire. And that's just a teaser of what's to come when you head to Vermilion for the town's annual fall food festival, Savor Vermilion.
From the outside, Vermilion might look like any other prairie town in Alberta. But as I've learned over several visits in the past few years, it's anything but. Vermilion fuses "old prairie" and "new school" into an experience that just has to be tasted.
WATCH > a taste of the good life coming to Savor Vermilion
For a small town of just 4000 people, Vermilion enjoys an out-sized food scene. Cheesemakers, distillers, bakers and artisans all make a home here. And with produce sourced from outlying farmlands, they create fresh, tasty and unique experiences.
It would take days to sample them all. Enter Savor Vermilion—a festive evening of food and entertainment.
Let's set the stage: the harvest is finished and crops are bedded down for the winter. Perhaps some preserves have been set aside, ready to adorn a charcuterie plate.
A fresh charcuterie plate from Vermilion's Old School Cheesery.
We're in that sweet spot between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and in Vermilion local spirits will be high (pun intended).
And for one night, on November 15, 2024, makers and entertainers from across the region all converge for an evening of what can only be described as "the good life."
Cocktails have a special flair at Copper Cork Distillery.
Vermilion rolls out red carpet
The annual event has been popular with locals for several years now. But locals are keen to welcome visitors and showcase what they have to offer.
It's just part of the special sauce that flavours everything the community does.
Experience true local flavour at Savor Vermilion, get tickets now!
Locals in Vermilion "have nothing but heart and passion for the community," says Paige Jaremco, from Vermilion's Good Life Institute (GLI).
As the event organizer for Savor Vermilion, and marketing director for the GLI, which builds community around the special attractions and character of the community, she would know.
What's on tap for Savour Vermilion
Expect a full night! You can find the full event details via this FestivalSeekers listing. But to get a feel for the event, here are some insider tips from Jaremco.
You'll find a friendly local welcome from Mi Casa, Vermilion's newest restaurant.
First off, she suggests: "Come with a group of friends or family. It's a great way to start the season off right and have a pre-Christmas outing that is kind of relaxed."
A packed evening of entertainment
While you might come for the food and drink, Jaremco is confident you'll stay for the entertainemnt, featuring dueling pianos providing accompaniment for a talented local artist who's proved her pipes as a backup singer for George Canyon, Lisa Brokop, and even KD Lang!
"It will be a full, amazing show," she enthuses.
Beer, wine & spirit tasting
Another big draw for the night is the opportunity to sample the bounty of regional craft spirits. "In Alberta, we have hundreds of distilleries and breweries," Jaremco says.
"These are all local people trying to make this a go and we really need to support them."
To get that eastern Alberta flavour into the mix, there are makers coming from Elk Island, LLoydminster, Wainwright and Camrose, among others.
Todd Ree, co-founder of Copper Cork Distillery, mixes up a local invention.
And yes, there is actually a drink called the Vermilionaire.
It's one of several unique cocktails served up by local Copper Cork Distillery. Started just over five years ago, with stills named after the founders' grandmothers, spirits made from local family-donated raspberries, it's the kind of joint that perfectly distills (again yes, pun intended) Vermilion's creative flair.
As co-founder Todd Ree puts it, "The best way to expose people to our product is to get it on their lips."
Pre-Christmas shopping in downtown Vermilion
"We've been compared to downtown Canmore or Banff. You can park, walk and enjoy two blocks of unique shopping, cafes and bakeries," says Jaremco.
"So many people come here because of our downtown," she continues. "People rave about our downtown shopping and our friendly people."
When you come for Savor Vermilion, Jaremco says, "It's almost like you're coming into our houses. We're all so happy to show you the town, bring you in and experience our community. It's a warm, warm community."
That's the Vermilion effect, and it will be on full display (and plated up to perfection) at Savor Vermilion. Head there for the festival and you're sure to feel like a Vermilionaire too.
When you go
Invite a friend and make a night or a weekend of it!
Tickets get your tickets via the Good Life Institute here.
More event info can be found on our festival listing.
More to do beyond Savor Vermilion and the downtown experience with its shops, restaurants and art galleries, Vermilion is home to a provincial park that nestles into the back of town.
Bring your own or rent cross-country skis or fat bikes at Burnt Rock Adventure Co. to explore Vermilion Provincial Park and make room for another helping.
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