Temple Theatre to host food festival tied to Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational

Saginaw, Michigan — A fledgling tradition for foodies in central Michigan takes place in Saginaw next year.

Planners announced this week that the Temple Theater will host a three-day Eat Great Winter Food Festival event in February in conjunction with the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.

“Eat Great Winter is like the best winter dining experience,” says event manager Cameron Wing. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase the Temple Theater and some of the great restaurants in the area.”

The event is scheduled for Sunday through Tuesday from February 19th to 21st. Attendees can purchase tickets at 5:30pm, 6:00pm, 6:30pm, 7:00pm, or 7:30pm each night.

Guests arriving at their chosen time follow a tour-like format that takes attendees to eight stations throughout the Temple Theater, including the Ballroom. Some stations include food selections.

“We want to bring our guests back to where[the Temple Theater]was when it first opened,” Wing said. “We imagine our staff will be dressed for the occasion and encourage others to dress to the theme as well.”

Wing said his organization will announce participating restaurants in the coming weeks. He said maybe he has 8 to 10 eateries serving food there.

The entire “tour” takes about two hours per participant, he said.

Group tickets will be on sale for $600 on the event website on Monday, January 16th. This covers the cost of one table large enough to accommodate 8 guests.

“The[format]helps provide a slightly more intimate setting, rather than having 224 guests at once,” says Wing.

Individuals who aren’t part of a group can sign up for a waiting list to be allowed in, Wing said.

Organizers held Eat Great Winter festivals earlier this year and in 2020 near Bay City-based Wenonah Park and Midland’s The H Hotel, respectively.

“We wanted the event to be regional, so moving it to Saginaw was important this year,” Wing said.

This winter food festival was created in 2019 as part of Eat Great, an initiative launched by the organizers of the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational to highlight restaurants and food from across the region.

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