FOLEY — Lovers of all things chocolate and cheese should grab your calendar and draw a heart around Nov. 11. The Original Chocolate & Cheese Festival returns to Heritage Park in Foley.

The Chocolate & Cheese Festival was the first event created and hosted by Beach Life Events in Foley. Beach Life Events, owned and operated by Mike and Lisa Yeater, is also the creative force behind Mudbugs & Margaritas and Gumbo & Alabama Slammer festivals.

"We brainstorm to think about what would be great for the community, draw people and what people are interested in," Lisa Yeater said. "Our first event was the Chocolate & Cheese Festival because who doesn't love one of those? Then we did Mudbugs & Margaritas because, in this area, crawfish are a big deal. The other thing we thought of was gumbo. We always try to pair it with something. We racked our brains and Google and came up with the Alabama Slammer."

The Chocolate & Cheese Festival features chocolatiers and cheese from around the world, and all food and snack vendors will have chocolate and/or cheese menu items in addition to their regular menu items. Craft beer fans will find Fairhope Brewing and a selection of their beer, high-quality art and craft vendors, live music, a Kids Zone with pony rides and a petting zoo, free contests with winnings, chocolate martinis, beer and wine and much more.
Each year, the Yeaters look at how an event ran and what areas they could improve on like wait times and the number of vendors.

"After the huge success of the first two years, we've taken steps to reduce the waiting-in-line time by adding more food and snack vendors, more chocolatiers, more cheese booths, multiple lines for chocolate martinis, beer, wine and an express entrance when you pre-purchase entry tickets," Yeater said.

The festival, located in the heart of historic downtown Foley, will take over Heritage Park Saturday, Nov. 11, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission tickets are $5 for adults, and children ages 12 and under are free. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.beachlifeevents.com.

Schedule of events:

• 10 a.m. – Festivities begin
• 10:30 a.m. – Krash Party – 1980s and 1990s hits
• Noon – Squeeze the Cheese contest
• 12:30 p.m. – Chocolate cheesecake eating contest
• 1 p.m. – ULA – Ultimate Jimmy Buffet tribute band
• 3 p.m. – Party games
• 3:30 p.m. – Beer Stein holding contest
• 4 p.m. – Carpool – Cars tribute band
• 7 p.m. – End of the 2023 festival