Jiangxi’s annual wine-and-folk festival draws lively crowds and lifts local vendors

Festival in eastern Jiangxi fills streets with music, tastings and vendors

A wine-themed folk culture festival staged in eastern Jiangxi province this week turned a quiet town into a lively market and stage. The event packed streets with stalls, tasting rooms and performances over several days, drawing residents and visitors who came for local rice wines, folk songs and food. Organizers described the crowd as steady and enthusiastic, and vendors reported brisk sales as festivalgoers moved between tasting booths and craft demonstrations.

Keeping local wine traditions and stories alive

The festival put local wine-making and old customs at its center. Small producers showed how they make rice wine and other local brews, while elders demonstrated traditional brewing tools and told stories behind village recipes. Folk dance and song troupes performed pieces tied to harvests and seasonal rites, giving the audience a window into customs that are rarely seen outside rural communities.

Organizers said the event is as much about cultural memory as it is about commerce. “We want young people to see these skills and know the stories behind our wine,” a festival organizer told PRNewswire, noting that the displays are meant to pass techniques from older makers to a new generation. For many attendees, the festival is a chance to reconnect with local roots and to taste products they remember from family gatherings.

Small but tangible boost for shops, producers and guides

Local restaurants, guesthouses and craft shops appeared busier than usual during the festival. Small winemakers who usually sell in nearby markets said they moved more bottles than on a typical weekend, and food vendors reported long lines around mealtimes. Street stalls offering handicrafts and preserved foods also saw steady interest from visitors looking for gifts or souvenirs.

Municipal officials and organizers framed the festival as a tool for regional promotion. PRNewswire noted that local authorities helped with event permits and logistics, and organizers aimed to raise the profile of village products beyond the county. While the festival is not a major tourism driver on its own, it provides a dependable bump to income for small businesses when it runs.

Tastings, performances and interactive craft stations on the program

The program mixed tasting sessions with live shows and hands-on experiences. Visitors could sample a range of local wines at supervised booths, watch demonstrations of pottery and basket weaving, and listen to musicians performing on temporary stages. Competition events — such as best-brew or best-tasting awards — offered spectacle and a reason for makers to showcase their best batches.

Children’s activities and food stalls made the festival family-friendly. Several booths invited visitors to try simple brewing steps or to help prepare a traditional snack, turning passive observation into a short, memorable lesson in local food culture.

Voices from the ground

“People come back year after year to see the shows and buy the wine they remember,” a local shop owner told PRNewswire, describing a steady flow of familiar faces and new customers. An elderly performer said the event keeps old songs alive by putting them in front of young listeners. Organizers reported steady attendance across the days and expressed hope that the festival’s profile will grow gradually.

When and how to plan a visit

The festival is an annual event held in mid-December; this edition took place in a county town in eastern Jiangxi province. Ticketing tends to be simple: some events and tastings are free or sold on site, while certain workshops or formal tasting sessions carry small fees. Travelers can reach the area by regional bus and car from larger cities in Jiangxi, and guesthouses in nearby towns usually add extra rooms for festival weekends.

Where the festival fits in and what might come next

Local leaders see the festival as a steady piece of a bigger plan to promote rural products and culture. It is recurring and may expand gradually, with hopes to invite more producers from neighboring counties and to add themed markets in future years. For now, the event remains a modest but meaningful tradition: a place where wine, song and local trade come together to celebrate a region’s taste and history.

Sources

• prnewswire.com