As of early this week, there were still tickets remaining for the sixth Wine & Beer Stroll in downtown Hollister, but organizers were nearing the limit.
The increasingly popular event put on by the Hollister Downtown Association has a 750-ticket limit, and there had been about 600 tickets sold as of Monday, said Teri Escamilla, event manager for the HDA. The organization plans to sell tickets on the day of the event if it’s not sold out by then.
The event is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. This year, it includes 21 stops to go with 21 wineries or breweries that are pouring along San Benito Street and even off the main drag at venues like Paine’s Restaurant on East Street.
Typically, a winery or brewer is paired with a business or organization, such as San Benito Tire Pros, Irma’s Fashions or St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Some stops like Aroma Cellars or Epicenter Wine Room, however, will pour their own beverages, Escamilla said.
Attendees to the event are typically from all over, as locals often invite friends and family to the happening.
“We have a demographic of people that come from all over,” Escamilla said, mentioning places such as Fresno, San Jose or even Paso Robles for outsider attendees.
Escamilla said it’s especially nice this year with a lot of new businesses opening up and taking part, such as GardenShoppe and Ohana Shave Ice, which is being paired with Kona Brewing Co.
“It’s fun to have some new businesses show off their locations,” she said.
It can be a boon to some businesses, such as Irma’s Fashions, which experienced an extraordinary uptick in business that day.
“They have never seen that kind of traffic in their door,” Escamilla said. “That’s the whole purpose of the event is the promote what we have downtown.”
Other Details for Wine & Beer Stroll:
- Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at the HDA office or at downtownhollister.org.
- Locations will pour 1 ounce of wine or 2 ounces of beer.
- Tickets purchased after Friday, April 27 will be held at Will Call.
- The last day to buy online tickets is Thursday at 5 p.m.
- DJ Rory will provide music at the Veterans Memorial Building check-in spot.
- Security personnel will help people cross the streets as they walk around downtown, and there will be additional four-way stops at the intersections.
