Park City Food and Wine Classic 2026: Family-Friendly Sessions and Kid Activities

The Park City Wine Weekend - Real Talk for Moms

Let me start with the truth - the Park City Wine Festival (formerly known as the Park City Food and Wine Classic) is an adults' weekend. The grand tastings, the paired dinners, the lifestyle events - all of them are 21+, all of them assume you are there to drink wine for three hours, none of them are designed with a stroller in mind.

That said, this is one of the most fun weekends to be in Park City as a parent. The town fills up with food and wine people. The restaurants pull out their best menus. The sponsor activities at Canyons and Old Town spill into family-friendly spaces. And with a babysitter for one or two of the headliner sessions, you can absolutely build a weekend trip around it.

This is the playbook I have refined over the last several years of treating the Wine Festival weekend as a family vacation. It works.

The 2026 Schedule

The Park City Wine Festival now runs twice a year:

• Spring Edition: April 9-11, 2026 - shoulder-season prices on lodging, the slopes are still open for late-season skiing, the festival itself is more intimate.
• Fall Edition: October 1-3, 2026 - peak fall color in the aspens, comfortable hiking weather, the bigger of the two festivals with 50+ wineries.

Both editions feature a Grand Tasting (the marquee event - 200+ wines, spirits, beers, and food samples), winemaker dinners at Park City restaurants, and lifestyle events around the resort villages. Tickets typically run $125 to $200 per person for the Grand Tasting; dinners are separately ticketed at $150 to $400.

What Works for Families

The Grand Tasting - 21+ Only

This is not a kid event. Get a babysitter or trade off with another parent. Most lodges in Park City have a babysitting service, or use Care.com to book ahead.

Restaurant Specials All Weekend

This is where families win. During the festival weekend, almost every Park City restaurant runs a special wine pairing menu, often with the visiting winemaker stopping by tables. Many of them are family-friendly. Our family wine festival ritual is to do a casual lunch at a participating restaurant, let the kids order from the kid menu, and have one really nice glass of wine paired with our adult plates while the winemaker tells us about their Napa hillside.

The Sponsor Villages

The festival sets up sponsor villages at Canyons Village and sometimes at Park City Mountain Village. These often include kid-friendly elements - face painting, a corn-hole tournament, live acoustic music, food trucks. Wander through with the kids in the morning before the adult sessions ramp up.

Resort Activities Stay Open

Park City Mountain's summer activities (alpine slide, mountain coaster, lift rides) and Deer Valley's mountain biking are all running during the fall festival. Spring festival is technically still ski season - the slopes are open for late-season skiing. Either way, the kids have plenty to do while one parent does a tasting and the other holds down the day.

The Build a Family Weekend Around It Plan

Friday Afternoon - Arrive and Settle

Drive in by 4 PM. Check into a vacation rental with a kitchen so you can do breakfast at home. Walk Main Street, let the kids ride the alpine slide if it is open, dinner at a casual restaurant participating in the festival.

Saturday Morning - Family Time

Hike, bike, or ride lifts at Park City Mountain or Deer Valley. The fall festival weekend has the best leaf colors of the year. Pack a picnic blanket and a couple of Hydro Flask water bottles, and lunch on a meadow somewhere.

Saturday Afternoon - Grand Tasting (Adults)

Babysitter at the rental from 1 to 5 PM. Both parents go to the Grand Tasting. Pace yourselves - 200 wines is a marathon, not a sprint. Eat the food samples. Drink water between every pour. Take a picture with the winemaker you geek out about.

Saturday Night - Family Dinner

Head back to the rental, decompress, then a low-key family dinner at a participating restaurant. Kids order pasta and ice cream. You order the wine pairing menu. The kids see you having a real adult evening and learn that grown-ups have their own grown-up things, which is a good lesson.

Sunday Morning - Recovery and a Hike

Big breakfast. A short family hike (Round Valley loops are perfect - flat, dog-friendly, kid-friendly). Drive home around 2 PM.

What to Pack for the Weekend

Sun Protection at Altitude

Park City is at 7,000 feet. Even in spring or fall, the sun is intense. Wallaroo wide-brim sun hats for the adults at outdoor tasting events; Sun Bum mineral SPF 50 for the whole family.

Hydration - Critical for Tasting Days

You will be drinking wine at 7,000 feet of elevation. The recipe for a brutal hangover is exactly that. Pack a Hydro Flask 32 oz for each adult and refill it constantly. Drink at least 32 oz of water before your first tasting and 32 oz between tastings. This is the difference between a great Sunday and a brutal one.

Layers

Spring and fall in Park City swing 30+ degrees from morning to evening. Pack a hoodie, a light jacket, and a real fleece for night outdoor events.

Comfortable Shoes for Standing

Grand Tastings have you on your feet for 3 hours. Wear closed-toe shoes you can stand in. Heels are a mistake. Trust me.

Restaurants Worth Reserving

If you are in town for the festival, reserve early at the participating restaurants. Some that consistently put on memorable wine pairing menus:

• Riverhorse on Main - the classic Park City fine-dining wine experience. Adults only for the multi-course pairing dinner.
• The Mariposa at Deer Valley - in season for the fall festival, this is one of Utah's best restaurants. Adults only.
• Tupelo - Southern-influenced menu, kid-friendly atmosphere on the early side, smart wine list.
• Ghidotti's - Italian, very family-friendly, the lasagna is what your kids will remember.
• High West Saloon - whiskey-focused but the wine list is solid, kid-friendly atmosphere, the porch is the play.

Babysitter Logistics

Book a babysitter weeks in advance. Park City sitters get scooped up fast on festival weekends. Two reliable approaches:

• Hotel concierge - if you are staying at the St. Regis, Stein Eriksen, Montage, or another full-service property, they have a vetted sitter list.
• Care.com or local agencies - look into Sittercity, UrbanSitter, or local Park City childcare agencies. Book at least 2 weeks ahead.

Plan for $25 to $40 per hour, with a 4-hour minimum.

Why the Wine Festival Is Worth Including in Your Park City Year

The honest answer - going to a wine festival as a family is not about giving the kids a great time. It is about giving yourselves a great time and including the kids around the edges. And that is okay. They get a Park City weekend with adventure activities; you get a real adult event in the middle of it. Everyone wins.

If the Park City Wine Festival is on your radar but you have been hesitating because you have kids, this is the green light. Book the spring or fall edition. Get a sitter for the Grand Tasting. Build the rest of the weekend around hiking, lift rides, and family dinners. You will leave with a great weekend, a couple of bottles for your cellar, and the satisfaction of knowing your family vacation actually included something for you.