Vendimia Mendoza 2027: National Grape Harvest & Wine Festival

The Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia - National Grape Harvest Festival - is Mendoza’s most significant annual event, held every year in early March to mark the end of the harvest season. The festival has taken place since 1936 and draws around 500,000 visitors to Mendoza province over its duration.

The programme runs across several days and includes events in the wine-producing departments outside the city - Maipú, Luján de Cuyo, San Rafael - before culminating in the Gran Acto Central at the Frank Romero Day Amphitheatre in Cerro de la Gloria. This outdoor stage holds around 15,000 people and hosts a theatrical and musical production incorporating lights, fireworks, folk dances, and the crowning of the Harvest Queen. The show typically lasts two to three hours and takes place on the Saturday night of the festival weekend.

The preceding days include the Carrusel, a parade through the main streets of Mendoza city featuring floats from each wine department, and the Via Blanca, a smaller nighttime float parade. Many bodegas (wineries) organise their own harvest events - tastings, lunches in the vineyards, and cellar tours - in the weeks surrounding the festival.

Accommodation in Mendoza fills quickly for Vendimia weekend. Booking two to three months in advance is advisable. Tickets for the Gran Acto Central go on sale through official channels; prices depend on seating section. The festival dates shift slightly year to year - exact dates for 2027 will be confirmed by Mendoza province authorities in late 2026.

The weeks surrounding Vendimia are the best time to visit the bodegas. Luján de Cuyo and Maipú - the two main wine-producing departments close to the city - are accessible by taxi or bicycle. Cheval des Andes, Achaval Ferrer, and Domaine Lurton are among the higher-profile producers in the Luján de Cuyo area; Maipú’s Familia Zuccardi is a consistent recommendation for visitors who want both a large-scale operation and high-quality tasting.

Mendoza city is walkable around the central plazas - the earthquake of 1861 razed the original city, so the rebuilt grid is wide and shaded with plane trees. The covered Mercado Central on Chile Street has good empanadas and humitas to eat before heading to a bodega visit. March temperatures in Mendoza sit around 27–32°C during the day, with cool evenings.