Complete with food, music and wine tasting, the sixth annual Festival of the Sun will be taking place on Saturday in Lansing.
The festival is a fundraiser to help improve the area of Lansing known as Old Town, Marketing Coordinator Lesly Burgamy said.
"This is an opportunity to celebrate the start of the summer," Burgamy said. "People can come see what is going on downtown."
This is a one-day festival that runs all day on Saturday, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. The price is $10 if patrons buy tickets beforehand and $15 at the door. This price gets you into the festival, but trying wines and foods will cost extra.
The night before the festival, Burchard Park will hold One Night Stand, a block party featuring live music and beer. Admission is $5.
The various wines for tasting at the festival will be supplied by Classic Wines Ltd. of Lansing. They are offering wines from all over the world, said Kermit Douse, sales manager of Classic Wines.
"We will have three or four tables of Michigan wine along with wine from France, Spain, Australia and even New Zealand," Douse said.
For some wines, the cost of each tasting will be $1 after the first free taste. Some imported wines will be available for $2 per taste.
Restaurants will supply various types of food. Among the vendors will be Greenhouse Bistro, House of Kabobs, Cadillac Club and Carmelo's Italiano Ristorante, which are all located in Lansing.
Carmelo's, which is a fairly new restaurant, will be serving various types of sausages and Italian sandwiches, restaurant owner and manager Laura Mullins said.
"We hope to meet many people and increase the awareness of our restaurant," Mullins said.
There will also be many different bands at the festival.
Organnissmo, an organ trio, will be kicking off the musical festivities starting at 2:45 p.m. The next band, Automatic Blues Band, has over 100 years combined experience. The band Root Doctor will bring rhythm and blues into the mix, and performing last is Ritmo, a Cuban band.
The festival is aimed at all ages, Burgamy said.
"We generally bring in people from their 20s to early 40s and 50s," she said. "The wine tastings appeal to the older audiences and the entertainment to the younger."
The event has grown every year, Burgamy said. Last year there were 2,600 people, and that number is expected to go up this year.
"Attendance was great last year, and this year we are hoping to bring in over 3,000 people," Douse said.
The big crowds help out the vendors that are present, he said.
"When you are at these types of events, people remember," Douse said. "It helps out for all sales."
