Taste of Solvang 2027: Food & Wine Festival

What Taste of Solvang actually is

A compact March food-and-wine weekend — not a county-fair midway, and not the October valley-wide Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Taste of Solvang has long been the village’s spring culinary weekend: chef walks, tasting-room trails, and bakery routes that treat Copenhagen Drive like a menu. The 2027 planning dates are Friday, March 19 through Sunday, March 21. Ticketed tastings and exact stage hours lock closer to winter 2026–27; use this page as the itinerary spine — Pacific Time, walkable, and built around village lodging plus valley wine add-ons.

If you already know Danish Days (September) and Julefest (November–January), this is the third pole of the year: smaller crowds than parade Saturday, better weather than December nights, and a reason to eat your way from Olsen’s to a pinot pour without leaving the village core. Pair a Friday check-in with a Saturday tasting trail and a Sunday bakery loop, then drive Los Olivos or Buellton if you still have room.

🎟️ Culinary weekends sell lodging first. Reserve a walkable room on the Solvang hotel map now, then buy festival tickets when the official 2027 pass drops.

Full hour-by-hour schedule (always open)

No plus signs. Read the whole weekend. Times are Pacific Time and may shift when official 2027 tickets publish.

🍷 Friday, March 19 — Opening wine stroll

• 3:00 PM

  🎟️ Check-in & wristbands

  Pick up stroll maps at Solvang Park or the Visitor Center. Wristbands unlock participating tasting rooms — do not start pouring before the listed open.

• 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

  🍷 Opening Wine Stroll

  Village tasting rooms pour Santa Ynez pinot, chardonnay, and Rhône blends. Walk Mission Drive to Copenhagen Drive. Spit cups exist for a reason if you are driving back to Buellton.

• 7:30 PM

  🧀 First-night pairings

  Restaurant pop-up plates and cheese boards in midtown. Book a table or plan a Landsby / Corque dinner — Friday reservations vanish once the stroll sells out.

🥐 Saturday, March 20 — Pastry, chefs & wine trail

• 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

  🥐 Danish pastry walk

  Guided bakery route: æbleskiver, kringle, butter cookies, and seasonal tarts. Start at the east end of Copenhagen Drive so you finish near Solvang Park before the noon demo crowd.

• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

  👨‍🍳 Chef demonstrations

  Local chefs plate valley produce with Santa Ynez wines. Stand on the north side of Solvang Park for a clear sightline. This is the Saturday photo hour — not the quiet hour.

• 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

  🍷 Tasting trail & gourmet dishes

  Restaurant and winery booths along the village core. Pace yourself: three small pours, one plate, water, then repeat. Designated-driver shuttles beat circling Alisal at 4:00 PM.

• 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

  🍷 Evening wine stroll

  Second-wave tasting rooms after the afternoon trail. Cooler March nights — bring a layer. Pair with a valley winery tour on Friday or Monday if you want vineyard context, not just village pours.

🇩🇰 Sunday, March 21 — Bakery routes & last pours

• 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM

  🇩🇰 Solvang bakery tours

  Self-guided or ticketed bakery hop before the cases empty. Olsen’s and Solvang Bakery are the classic pair; add a third shop if you want kringle to take home.

• 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

  🧀 Cheese & wine closing flight

  Softer Sunday pours in the park or a reserved tasting room. Best window if you skipped Saturday’s evening stroll.

• After 1:00 PM

  🎟️ Checkout & valley add-on

  Drive Los Olivos or book a picnic winery tour. Do not leave a car on Copenhagen Drive past checkout — enforcement tightens after festival teardown.

Bakery routes & pairing notes

A working pastry walk: coffee first, then æbleskiver or a sugar-dusted sphere, then kringle to share, then butter cookies in a tin. Save the heavy plate for the 2:00 PM trail. Danish architecture is the backdrop — half-timber and storks — not a costume overlay. If you only have one hour Sunday, do two bakeries and one tasting room, then get on Highway 246 before the checkout rush.

🧀 Gourmet pairings

Valley pinot with salmon or mushroom plates; chardonnay with pastry-adjacent cheese. Ask for half-pours on the Saturday trail.

👨‍🍳 Chef tables

Book Friday or Saturday dinner in the village. Midtown fills; Buellton is the overflow, not a last-minute plan after 6:00 PM.

🇩🇰 Village circuit

Windmills, Copenhagen Drive, bakeries, tasting rooms. Park once on Alisal. The festival is a walk, not a car crawl.

Where to stay & book tours

Find a walkable Solvang stay and book valley wine tastings or bakery walks around the culinary hours.

March 19–21, 2027 will sell walkable rooms first. Compare The Landsby, Hotel Corque, Wine Valley Inn, Hadsten, or a Buellton base on the map.

From $159 / person

⭐ 4.7 · 5 Hours

🍷 Santa Ynez 3-Winery Tour with Picnic Lunch

Three valley tastings and a picnic — book Friday or Monday around the village hours.

PicnicWine tasting

Book Tour & Check Price

From $75 / person

⭐ 4.9 · 2 Hours

🥐 Solvang Bakery & Walking Tour

Village pastry and architecture loop — easiest Sunday morning after the festival trail.

BakeryWalkable

Reserve Experience

From $89 / person

⭐ 4.8 · 3.5 Hours

🍇 Santa Ynez Wine Tasting Day Tour

Los Olivos and valley rooms when you want vineyard context, not only Copenhagen Drive pours.

VineyardTasting rooms

Check Availability

Parking, tickets & pacing

Coming for the full year? Pair this weekend with Danish Days 2026, Julefest, and the Wine Marathon weekend in May.