Wine In The Woods

Wine in the Woods is an annual food and wine festival held each May in Columbia, Maryland — now in its 32nd year, it draws approximately 30,000 attendees over 2 days at Symphony Woods, adjacent to Merriweather Post Pavilion. The 2026 edition runs Saturday, May 16 from 11am to 6pm and Sunday, May 17 from 11am to 5pm, at 10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy. Ticket prices had not been announced at the time of publication. The festival is produced by Howard County's Department of Recreation and Parks, which has organized it since its founding in 1991.

Wine in the Woods features more than 35 Maryland wineries, with all poured wines required by the festival's founding legislation to be Maryland-grown. Two performance stages, artisan vendors, food vendors, and wine education seminars round out the program. Maryland craft breweries are also represented, with beer available for purchase rather than as part of the tasting ticket. The festival has been voted Best Outdoor Event by Columbia Magazine in 1997 and 1998, and has received the Best Annual Festival award from Howard Magazine for multiple years. Attendance grew from roughly 7,500 people per day in 1997 to 20,000 per day by 2007, reflecting the event's expansion over three decades.

A standard Taster Ticket includes festival entry, a wine glass, and unlimited wine sampling from participating Maryland wineries. The Premium Pass upgrades that experience with access to a private area featuring a curated selection of Maryland-grown wines, a larger glass, beer samples, free food samples from Texas Roadhouse, dedicated seating, music, and separate restrooms. Advance ticket holders may enter as early as 10:30am, though wine sampling begins at 11am. Tickets are non-refundable and valid only for the purchased day; re-entry is permitted with a wristband. The festival runs rain or shine, and rain ponchos are sold on-site. Pets are not permitted except service animals, and the event is geared toward guests 21 and older.

Columbia sits between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and Symphony Woods provides a green, wooded setting that contrasts with both urban centers. Maryland's wine industry, centered in part around the Catoctin AVA in the state's northern piedmont, is known for cold-hardy varieties and hybrid grapes suited to the Mid-Atlantic climate. Wine in the Woods is one of the few large-scale festivals dedicated exclusively to Maryland producers, making it a concentrated showcase of the state's wine output in a single weekend.