Traverse City Bourbon Fest
The inaugural Traverse City Bourbon Fest is on Saturday February 18, 2023. Saturday’s Session one is from 4pm to 7pm and Session two from 8pm to 11pm.
Traverse City Bourbon Fest is an indoor bourbon festival hosted at Visions Weddings & Banquets (12935 S W Bay Shore Dr, Traverse City, MI 49684). This festival will feature 100+ whiskeys and bourbons, store picks, classic cocktails and high-end bottle section. Most of the list is bourbon but there will be a few non-bourbon options such as beer, wine & non-alcoholic options. In addition to the great beverage selection, we will have food trucks, live music, vendors and more!
Food Vendors
Live Music
Beer Sponsor
Wine Sponsor
Ticket Info:
Every festival ticket includes entry to the Festival, Souvenir Tasting Glass and tasting tickets. Each liquor pour is 1/2 oz, Beer pours are 3 oz, and wine pours are 1.5 oz. Most pours are one tasting ticket, but more expensive alcohols are multiple tastings tickets. See the Bourbon List page for a breakdown of how tasting tickets are priced. Additional tasting tickets will be available for purchase at the festival; GA Ticket for $2 & VIP Ticket for $4.
General Admission (GA) Tickets: $40 until February 4 / $50 online / $60 at the gate.
Session 1: 4:00pm to 7:00pm or Session 2: 8pm to 11pm
- Entry & Access to Main Festival with 200+ whiskeys
- Souvenir Glass
- 10 GA Tasting Tickets
VIP Tickets: $100 (Limited number per session)
Session 1: 4pm to 7pm or Session 2: 8pm to 11pm
- Entry & Access to Main Festival with 200+ whiskeys
- Access to VIP Section
- All Whiskeys in Main Festival Are One Ticket for VIP Ticket Holders
- Dated Bourbon Glass
- 20 VIP Tasting Tickets
Designated Driver Ticket: $10
- Entry Into Festival: This is a Non-Drinking Ticket & includes coffee and water.
All sales are final, and tickets are not refundable.
Proceeds Benefit Friends of The River

The Friends of the River is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit that works to improve water quality, access, and awareness on the Rivers in Michigan. We implement these goals in a number of ways. A few examples would be by getting our hands dirty and hosting regular river clean ups. Or when we work with communities to help provide docking for recreational boats of all sizes from kayaks to larger power boats. We also host and attend events regarding the rivers in order to help keep communities aware of just how important our rivers and water resources are.