8th Annual Winterfest Live on the Vine

Winterfest Live on the Vine returns for its eighth, and most eclectic year ever! Presented by Suffolk County National Bank, this award-winning festival is a six-week, mid-winter music and performing arts festival, running each Saturday and Sunday from Feb. 21 through March 29.

Winterfest Live on the Vine will present more than 80 concerts, in over 25 unique venues throughout Long Islands scenic North Fork. Vineyard tasting rooms, boutique hotels, craft breweries and historic theaters provide the stages for more than 50 emerging artists and headliners, in a diverse menu of musical styles: jazz, rock, bluegrass, classical, world, singer-songwriter and more, amidst the backdrop of one of the most charming regions in New York.

Some of the finest music in the Northeast will descend upon the North Fork to fill the fest schedule. Emerging artists and national headliners for every taste and in every genre, such as: Jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan; rockers the Smithereens and 10,000 Maniacs; the legendary Roomful of Blues; jazz trombonist and Downbeat Magazine award-winner Ray Anderson; Americana sweetheart Amy Helm; and Paul Simon Bassist Bakithi Kumalo are just some of the artists appearing this year, with many more being added. Ticket prices vary, and are dependent upon show and venue.

For the complete schedule of performances and all festival info, please visit www.liwinterfest.com or call J Faith Presents at 631-331-0808. Overnight packages, weekend getaways, and festival specials abound, and are listed on the website.

Conceived in 2006 by East End Arts, the Long Island Wine Council and the Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, Winterfest Live on the Vine was created to encourage employment of musicians, and to bring tourists to the region during slower, winter months. In 2012 it was awarded the “National Destination Marketing Award” by Americans for The Arts and Destination Marketing International.

This year, presented by Suffolk County National Bank, East End Arts, the Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Long Island Wine Council, with support from Suffolk County, and now produced by veteran festival promoter James Faith Presents (Great South Bay Music Festival), Winterfest is well on its way to becoming a regional attraction.

For 2015, the Winterfest partners have brought on veteran independent promoter James Faith to help take the festival to the next level. More headliners, a diverse lineup, the addition of non-musical events to the schedule, and a new comprehensive website are all ingredients that Faith believes will help enhance the Winterfest Live on the Vine experience.

And the experience of this Winterfest is like no other. The combination of hearing world-class music in an architecturally stunning environment is what this festival is all about. The magnificent Raphael Vineyards will host Stanley Jordan on March 14. Boutique Hotel Indigo presents Americana favorite Amy Helm on February 21, and Paul Simon Bassist Bakithi Kumalo with an all-star band on March 6. The historic Suffolk Theater will host The Smithereens on February 21, and Roomful of Blues on March 21. And so much more!

Other artists include: Fuerza Flamenco, Counter Clockwise Ensemble, Miles To Dayton (rock), Kerry Kearney Blues Band, Paul Effman (jazz), Buddy Miriam (bluegrass), Jacks Waterfall and Reza Khan Painted Diaries (world), and so many more… over 50 performers and over 80 performances.

A rocking Winterfest Closing Party featuring 10,000 Maniacs at the Long Island Aquarium on the last weekend of the festival will end the six-week event.

Special all-inclusive weekend or one-day packages are available. Guests can spend a day or a weekend.

For more information about Winterfest Live on the Vine, please visit: www.liwinterfest.com.

Source: East End Arts press release dated Feb. 9, 2015.