February is definitely the worst month in Ontario, but in true PEC style, we not only make the best of it—we also make it the absolute best. 

From friendly hockey rivalries at the breweries, players in winter beards and layers of local beer gear, big pots of chilli or stone soup cooking over a fire in the snow, wine geeks and food nerds warming up in the cozy tasting bar with a glass of Pinot in one hand and a hot meat pie in the other. Artists and art-lovers creating together, while knitted-up, down-filled families tote around County kids—decked out from snowsuits to skates. We are a vision of modern Canadiana and we really like to party—so when winter comes, we get right into it in the coolest way possible. 

In this spirit, we’ve rounded up some of the great reasons we should all “County Up” and make Prince Edward County the best place to be in February.

FEB 8th | Big Lake Arts, Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow

BIG LAKE ARTS at The Drake Dev

WHEN: 5:30-7:30PM

WHERE: Drake Devonshire (Pavilion Room), Wellington

WHAT: At 18 years old, in his first job and still just beginning life as a composer, Johann Sebastian Bach got into such trouble that the only thing he could do was to walk away. This concert takes you along on that trip: a 400 km odyssey to a glittering northern port city with street fights, big business, the father figure he didn’t know he needed and, quite possibly, love.

Join CBC Radio personality and host Tom Allen, together with all-star cast of singers and instrumentalists, and enjoy an enchanting evening of storytelling, music history, and classical music. Come and bring a troubled young Master Bach in from the cold!

BOOK HERE 

*SOLD OUT* Check out BIG LAKE ARTS upcoming winter concerts here… 

FEB 11th | Midtown Brewing’s Superbowl Sunday

WHEN: 6:30PM for Kickoff!

WHERE: Midtown Brewing Co, 266 Main St, Wellington

WHAT: Between football and hockey,  February is the month for sports and the people are all into it! 

“Okay, kids. We heard yous” said Midtown in response to the clamour. “And we’re doing it: Superbowl Sunday is a GO!”

Reserved seating available beginning at 6:30pm for kickoff. Kitchen until 8, Pizza oven firing until 9pm for late night eats, Drinks until last call.

Have a night, Wellington.

BOOK HERE

FEB 14th  | Stella’s Eatery, Love is a Dinner Party 

A girl in a bucket hat behind the bar at Stella's holds out a glass of wine to the viewer

WHEN: 6:00 – 10:00PM

WHERE: 2470 County Rd 8, Waupoos

WHAT: Everything Stella’s does is cool and thoughtful. This event is no exception and it’s one that people truly love because it celebrates all of the beautiful relationships we have in our lives.

True to our Valentine’s Day theme of years past, our “love is” event is all about chosen family, lovers, friends & anyone that gives you the feels.

 We’ll feature a pretty little a-la-carte sharing menu & open some sexy bottles of wine.

Annelise Noronha will croon us with a select setlist of love-songs that will also break your heart while DJ Kirby’s Dreamlands spins tunes that will recalibrate your heartbeat.

Sit, eat, drink, sing, dance, cry, laugh, share & fall in love with your-self in great company!

EMAIL:  [email protected]

FEB 9-17th  | Merrill House, Valentine’s Week Pop-Up

Merrill House dinner

WHEN: A week-long dinner service.

WHERE: Merrill House, Picton

WHAT: This one is a PSA for you all—The restaurant at Merrill House is one of our favourites in the County and they’re supposed to reopen for 2024 in March, but guess what—from February 9th to 17th, MH will open their restaurant for an extended Valentine’s Week!

Take all the chances to woo, thank, celebrate and romance up to seven of the ones you love and receive a complimentary glass of French wine with your dinner.

BOOK HERE

FEB 17th  | Bar Pochette Pop-Up in Picton 

Bar Pochette Popup

WHEN: 7:00-10:00PM

WHERE: The Bean Counter, 172 Picton Main Street

WHAT: We loved Pochette when it lived in Bloomfield and sold their beautiful rotating “pocket” foods (and curated Asian pantry!) So when Pochette started popping up in in Picton with wine and cocktails and small plates—we were massively excited.

Picton’s secret wine bar returns Family Day weekend. Bar Pochette is the after hours alter ego of The Bean Counter Café, serving dim sum plates and street food fare, paired with an ever-evolving selection of local wines. Walk-ins only.

MORE INFO HERE

FEB 17th & 18th  | Annual Élevage Winter Wine Festival

Pouring and tasting wines at Elevage

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday are 12-5:00PM for the Élevage Passport, the Grand Tasting is Sunday from 3-6:00PM. 

WHERE: At 16 Wineries Across Hillier, Prince Edward County

WHAT: PEC Wine celebrates the 2nd annual Élevage Winter Wine Festival during the Family Day Weekend.

Key highlights of the Élevage Winter Wine Festival:

* Élevage Passport: Choose from 17 winery venues, sampling wine and cider from a variety of producers to create a winter wine route that allows guests to visit up to 19 producers in a single weekend. 
* Enjoy culinary delights that highlight our rich history of supporting local
* Grand Tasting: A gathering of a number of wineries and local producers on Sunday, February 18th at Huff Estates Winery
* Indulge in the best of both worlds with the Ultimate Élevage Experience package. This exclusive offering grants you access to the all-weekend Élevage Passport as well as the Grand Tasting event at Huff Estates on Sunday, February 18th to complete your weekend.
* Host wineries include the Grange of Prince Edward Winery hosting Stock+Row, Karlo Estates hosting Gravel Hill Vineyards, and Rosehall Run hosting Morandin Wines,
* Independent wineries are Broken Stone Winery, Closson Chase Vineyards, Harwood Estates Winery, Huff Estates Winery, Lacey Estates Winery, Last House Vineyards, Lighthall Vineyards, Loch Mór Cider Co, Norman Hardie Winery, Sandbanks Winery, Stanner’s Vineyard, Sugarbush Vineyards & Winery, Trail Estate Winery and Waupoos Estate Winery.

BOOK HERE

> Use the promo code PECwineLover for a 20% discount. 

FEB 17th  | 2 x Apres Ski Disco Ski Bunny Ski Do Dance Parties  

Ski and snow suit dance parties

When there are two snowsuit/skisuit/ski do  suit dance parties happening at two wineries, one after the other—you go to both!

First is Trail Estates Winery’s Apres Ski Disco Party—

WHEN:
11am — Red, White, Sparkling wine, bonfire, fun photo-ops⁠
1pm — DJ Jams and La Condesa ⁠
4pm — Best Dressed Winner Announcement⁠
6pm — Wrap⁠

WHERE: Trail Estate Winery, Hillier

WHAT: Come and join us on February 17th for an exciting Aprés-Ski Disco event! Make sure to dress up in your most stylish ski attire for a chance to win a special prize. Throughout the day, you can groove to the beats of the talented @deejayjams while enjoying delicious treats from @lacondesa and fabulous wines!⁠

⁠Get ready to experience the authentic, nostalgic vibes of retro European skiing and “apré-ing”⁠

⁠>> Please help us in supporting this years @pecperiodparty by bringing a menstrual product donation!⁠

Next is the annual Ski Bunny Ski Do Dance Party at Karlo Estates. This is a blast—

WHEN: 6-8P

WHERE: Karlo Estates Winery, Hillier

WHAT: Get out your best snowsuit or ski bunny outfit and come dance at Karlo’s annual Ski-Doo Suit Ski Bunny Dance Party as we spin tunes to get you moving and provide delicious vegan bites and wines that last year earned Karlo 23 gold medal scores.

There will be a prize for the best Ski-doo suit and best Ski-Bunny outfit.

Get your Canadian on and come help heat up our 1805 post and beam barn by dancing. This is a FREE, family-friendly event. You can also warm up in our cozy Speakeasy.

FEB 22nd  | Merrill House X LIFE AU LAIT, “Proof: This Place Is Dead” Bottle Party 

This Place is Dead Party at MH co-hosted by LIFE AU LAIT

WHEN: 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

WHERE: Merrill House, Picton

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Roaming Fête at Merrill House
* 50% Off Over 300 Different Bottles
* Free Pizza at 8:00PM

DEETS: LIFE AU LAIT loves a serious party and even though there are some serious parties already happening in February this year, we needed to throw one more to really blow the roof off on how dead Prince Edward County is in deep, dark winter. 

So we teamed up with our best friends at Merrill House to bring you the “Proof: This Place is Dead” party. We’ll turn the lights down low and the music up, and, for extra evidence about how horrid February really is, 300+ bottles from right here and across the globe in their serious, accolade-laden cellar will be 50% off, so we can get deep into the winter vibe. And oh yeah, a tonne of pizzas will be delivered at 8pm, on the house for our party guests. Come on, let’s dance together, explore the space, hang out with new and old friends and party the evening away.

Reserve your spot for $5, with bottles to order on location and no pre-ordering allowed! We do have an entry cap though, so make sure you get your name on our list here, stat.

FEB 24th  | Drake Devoshire, Barn Burner Pt I: The Hockey Game

Barn Burner Hockey Match

The Barn Burner is Back

WHEN: 
3:00PM: Skills Competition
3:30PM: All-Star Chef Hockey Game

WHERE: Lehigh Arena (Wellington, 111 Belleville Street)

WHAT: It’s a Toronto vs. Montreal showdown for all ages at Drake Devonshire. As we celebrate 20 years, Barn Burner, our beloved all-star hospitality hockey game, and epic culinary after-party returns on Feb 24 with special guests.

 The event kicks off with a skills competition between the Chefs and Wellington’s own Duke’s followed by the Toronto Grinders + Montreal Mashers facing off in the ultimate chef vs. chef hockey game showdown.

Tickets include entrance, the skills competition and access to the big hockey match, as well as snacks throughout the game from our series of Drake + special guest chef-pop-up, stands featured around the arena from Albert Ponzo (The Royal), Hidde Zomer (Flame and Smith), Jordan Malka (Beacon Bike + Brew), Samantha Valdaviva (La Condesa), Jamie Kennedy (Jamie Kennedy Farm), Nicole Hynes (Sand and Pearl), Stuart Cameron (Bocado), Myles Harrison (Theia), Kristyn Mayers (Bean Counter), Charlotte Langely (Scout)

Ticket sales to support The Storehouse Wellington District Foodbank + PUC Food Bank.

BOOK HERE: $20 

FEB 24th  | Drake Devoshire, Barn Burner Pt II: The After Party

POST GAME STROLLING DINNER PARTY

This unforgettable, post-game celebration features a complete transformation of Drake Devonshire’s dining rooms into a series of Drake + special guest chef tasting stations for you to taste + explore. 

This strolling style dinner party gives you unlimited access to every culinary station’s menu from Ted Corrado (Scale Hospitality),Afrim + Fatos Pristine (Cheese Boutique), Geoff Dillon + Adam D-Intino (Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers), Hayden Johnston + Will Kresky (Richmond Station), John Horne (Canoe), Leandro Baldassarre (Famiglia Baldassarre), Anthony Di Lorio (Pizza Gemma), Danny Smiles (Doubles Late Night), Derek Damann (Maison Publique), Dan Vosburgh, James Hung (Wolf & Workman), Alida Soloman (Tutti Matti), Nick Chen Yin, Miriam Echeverria (Dimensions), Theo Lerikos (Tuck Shop), Jojo Flores (Junior), Kevin Demers (Cold Room), Bertrand Alepee (Rosegrove), Nick Liu (DaiLo), Corey Vitello (Chase Group + Flock), Amanda Feswick (Fawn Over Market), Taylor McMeekin (The Drake Hotel), Amanda Ray (Drake Devonshire), Russ Coughlin + Rob Laine (The Russ and Co)

Plus, we’ll have a DJ Mike Don’t spinning to take the party into late night…

BOOK HERE: $125

FEB 29th  | Decanter’s Leap Year Unique Wine Tastings

Decanter wine lineup

WHEN: 6-8:00PM

WHERE: Decanter PEC- 260 Main St., Wellington 

WHAT: You’ve been given one more day to drink wine this year. Take a leap with us and try something different!

Have you ever tried refreshing Ribolla Gialla from Italy? Or floral Loureiro from Portugal? How about Chile’s luscious Carménère or Spain’s rustic Monastrell? This is your chance!

Join Angie & MJ, The Cellar Sisters as they celebrate “leap day” through a selection of unique, international wines in a casual, sit-down tasting event at Decanter PEC.

While you taste these gems and more, you’ll discuss interesting grape varieties and their origins along with each wine’s distinct qualities. Then you’ll be set up with a list of new wines you can hunt down at the LCBO for less than $25. It’s the perfect way to maximize your ‘extra wine day’ this year!

BOOK HERE

FEB | 29th  | The Royal Hotel, Secret Beach Concert & Dinner

Dinner and Secret Beach Show at the Royal

WHEN:
5:30PM: Doors Open
7:00PM: Concert Begins

WHERE: The Royal Hotel, Picton

WHAT: Secret Beach, live in concert at The Royal. Three-Course dinner and live show. The newly formed Secret Beach, an allstar band comprising of County music royalty, from Annelise Noronha to Justin Rutledge will play a live Leap Year show to complement Chef Albert Ponzo’s curated Three Course Prix-Fixe menu.

 TICKETS: $75 

*Ticket does not include tax or gratuity.

Reserve your spot for an unforgettable night!

EMAIL:  [email protected]

>> Use code LEAPYEAR for 29% off your room rate. 

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