Updated: May 2022
Last weekend I had the chance to attend Célébrez en Rosé (formally La Fête du Rosé) a wine and music festival in its original location, Atlanta, GA.
After attending my second Célébrez en Rosé, I’ve had a chance to compare how the event is hosted in two different cities and what changes if any after their rebrand.
I’ll start by saying I made sure we were better prepared for this event. We tempered our expectations. We arrived at an optimal time. Found a great spot near the stage but also under some shade. We packed a speaker, games, extra blankets, fans, and a full basket of goodies to avoid the food trucks in case there were no viable options or if the lines were too long. and we’re glad we did because it seems that having 3 food trucks and 1 dessert truck is the sample at all Célébrez en Rosé events no matter the guest count.
Attending the Atlanta edition was better at first because of the weather. The earlier date meant we were in Mother Nature’s favor for most of the day. It was sunny but not 100 degrees, with clear skies, and nice even with the very light drizzle towards the end of the night.
Compared to DC the Atlanta location was better and was set up accordingly. Parking was easier to find, the area was flat, and there was no confusion on where the location or entry location was located.
I noticed a lot more installations were available and not exclusively for those in VIP.
And the music had a better flow which I appreciated because after all, this is still a wine AND music festival.
Now, with that said, even though the Atlanta edition was better organized and started on time vs the Washington-DC edition I attended I still stand by my original opinion — it’s a cute event, I may attend again but it’s still not necessarily worth all the hype.
And here’s why…
Even though the music was better this time around it still wasn’t the best. For an event that starts at noon, the music and vibe weren’t popping until after 6 pm. Don’t get me wrong, the people I was with were a vibe but that’s because I came prepared with a speaker, games, and a great picnic. But I still would have loved for each deejay to set a better vibe for the event. In hindsight, I am accepting that Célébrez en Rosé isn’t meant to be a party vibe at all, especially with the music line-up in each city. Most of the performers are more soulful, chill, and even ‘babymaking’ artists which is what Célébrez en Rosé gives. Except for the DJ in the Rose Garden, who was absolutely lit each time I walked by that VIP area.
I would also love to see more emphasis on the wine aspect of the festival as well.
At the end of the day, Célébrez en Rosé is a nice event that has music for a slow Saturday to just chill and hang with friends and relax where you happen to drink Rosé. Are you missing anything if you don’t attend? No. Is it a must-attend event? No, at least not yet. It has gotten better, so I’m hopeful with time it’ll get even better.
With summer officially here, why not kick start it with Rose & Music on a beautiful Saturday morning surrounded with friends over a picnic? If this sounds like you La Fete du Rose DC would have been the event for you. After hosting their inaugural event in 2018 in Atlanta La Fete du Rose can also be attended in both Nashville and Washington, DC in your finest white & pink only (mandatory) outfits.
What is La Fête du Rosé?
La Fête du Rosé is a celebration of all things Rosé, including the wines, champagne, and lifestyle. Attendees adorned in their finest pink and white attire will indulge in wine, champagne, frosé and rosé cocktails while enjoying DJs and live music, picnic baskets of food curated by the top chefs and restaurant groups and other fun activities, capturing share-worthy moments with large and artfully-designed photo installations along the way and a host of other experiences.
Arriving in our pink & white was harder than you imagine, considering I own only three white items and all of one…yes one pink item which happened to work for the event. I arrived casual (and cute) after the event had started a bit and I found my way to the entrance. I grabbed my wine package items and found a spot to set up before scoping out the area. And let me tell you, I was highly disappointed with the La Fete du Rose DC. Initially, after watching the promo video of the Atlanta installment and seeing all the promotional photos for this event I was excited to see what the event team had planned for DC! As someone with event design/planning knowledge, I had soooo many ideas and high hopes for this event but from my first step into the event until my departure I felt let down.
THE EVENT
The day was gorgeous, the sun was out, and the waterfront scenic. For those of us who arrived earlier in the day, check-in was quick and simple. After the check-in line, we had to walk up mini hills through rock and dirt patches (i felt so bad for anyone who wore heels) to stand in another line to retrieve the bottles of wine or champagne we pre-purchased along with our blanket and wine glass. Standing in my second line already I really wished that all packages had been assembled and distributed at check-in. It would have been the best to arrive at check-in, walk into the line for general admission, wine packages or VIP, get my wristband AND pick up my wine bag that already had my glass, blanket and wine ready together. But nope two separate lines. And it didn’t help that my original bag had a hole in it so all the ice melted and leaked all over my blanket and had to get back in line. VIP guests were unhappy, to say the least, as they should be considering the premium they paid for their tickets.
After drinks, we wanted to grab some photos in front of the stylized backdrops. We quickly found out that only one backdrop was available to those who purchased general admission and wine package tickets. Guests were waiting 45 minutes in line (again) to grab a photo in front of the pretty backdrop. So we moved on to the food options instead…which were minimal at best. After standing in yet another line to purchase tickets to use at the food trucks we had the option of pizza truck, taco or rice bowl truck, loaded tater tots or wraps or salad truck and a cupcake truck. That’s it, that’s all. So back to our spots we went for the rest of the uneventful event. We ended up leaving to grab water and better food with some of the other guests.
photo courtesy of @gypsysoulchick
FINAL THOUGHTS
La Fete du Rose DC had all the hype with none of the vibes. The waterfront was gorgeous and it was great seeing the sea of pink&white but honestly, the lawn area was not great for this event. The event was oversold for the size of space because by the end everyone was sitting on top of each other. Most of us were sitting on an incline, over rocky or dirt patches and climbing hills up and down. There was no red carpet, we had to purchase tickets in order to purchase food, the food options were lacking, no picnic baskets of food for purchase, no frose, no cute decorative pink and white treats, the games were few in between and isolated to one area, there were only 3 photo areas…two of which were in the VIP section only, There were no water stations and water for purchase ran out mid-event, on a 90 degree day after drinking rose and champagne all day with minimal food. Needless lines, guests upset/complaining and more and more. IF the music hadn’t been decent and my company fun this event would have been even worse. Take my advice, there are so many other wine festivals in the DC area for less that allows a person to bring their own food and drinks to enjoy with better vibes. Check those out instead. In the meantime, I hope that La Fete du Rose DC staff does better in 2020 to really make this event has great as it could be but for right now I don’t think it’s worth checking out.
If you still want to know more, check below for things to know:
National Harbor but really it was the parking lot area behind the Gaylord hotel. The view is beautiful but the area is quite small for what looked like 2,000 guests sitting picnic style.
Mandatory pink & white down to even the blanket you bring. I’m personally not a fan of mandatory dress codes, especially in the colour pink but I get it. The theme is Rose, after all, so play along and grab some pink to wear, get creative and come dressed to impress. The photos, in the end, do turn out great!
photo courtesy of @feteduerose
It’s a #moetmoment was in full swing at Fete du Rose as a sponsor but the food option was heavily lacking. There was no vegan or pescatarian option and the vegetarian option was almost none.
The music had its peak moments, it definitely made the event more bearable but nothing special.
Maybe grab general admission tickets and check it out but it’s not a must-attend event in my book.
Note: La Fête du Rosé has rebranded as Célébrez en Rosé as of 2021.
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