You may not know how to pronounce Huichica, but here’s all you really need to know: it’s all about music, wine and food.
Huichica (pronounced wah-chee-ka) is a music festival that started 10 years ago in Sonoma, Calif., and is heading north. The first Huichica Walla Walla will be 2 to 11 p.m. Sept. 13-14. Despite the name, the festival will actually be in nearby Waitsburg at Stella’s Homestead, a historic wheat and cattle farm that is transitioning to a special events venue.
The event features 14 musical acts from around the country as well as wine, beer, food and other vendors. Among Huichica Walla Walla’s headliners are English singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock, the Fruit Bats, an indie folk rock group from Chicago and Yo La Tengo, an indie rock band out of New Jersey.
Tickets run from $75 (general admission on Friday) to $675 (two-day ultimate glamping pass). Additional tickets for parking and tent camping are also available.
Glamping, or glamorous camping, packages include large tents with area rugs, side tables, floor beds, sleeping bags and other amenities.
Tickets are also available to shuttle into the event from downtown Walla Walla for $30.
The major sponsor of Huichica is Gundlach Bundschu Winery of Sonoma. The reason behind the festival is rather simple.
“It’s an adventure,” said Marina Mayer, executive producer of Huichica. “Let’s get out of the city and enjoy the intimacy of nature with good wine, good beer and good food.”
The idea to bring Huichica to in Inland Northwest began a few years ago in conversations between Jeff Bundschu, president of the Bundschu Company, and Trey Busch, co-founder of Sleight of Hand Cellars in Walla Walla.
More details and ticket information are available online at wallawalla.huichica.com.
-- David Jackson
