Be A Baconfest VIP

Looking for that special gift for the bacon lover in your life? VIP Tickets for Baconfest Chicago, 2013 go on sale beginning at 9 a.m. today. They cost $200 each plus a $5.99 ticket processing fee.

The event takes place on April 20, 2013. As with last year, it occurs in two shifts – lunch and dinner. Each shift will feature more than 50 Chicago chefs serving creative bacon tasting dishes, while liquor partners/sponsors simultaneously serve bacon-based or inspired  beverages. Each shift will have a VIP hour before the 2.5-hour General Admission period. VIP ticket holders gain access to the festival floor one hour before General Admission ticket holders. They can taste chef dishes without waiting in line, connect with press and chefs before the crowds descend (and boy, do they descend en masse). Organizers plan to release 175 VIP tickets for each shift.

Last year, VIP tickets sold out in three days. General Admission tickets sold out in hours. Here’s the link to purchase VIP tickets; it becomes active at 9 a.m. CST today. By the way, General Admission tickets aren’t on sale yet. They’ll most likely open those floodgates in February. General Admission tickets will cost $100 each plus a $3.49 ticketing fee.

And now for the really good news: for the fourth straight year, a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. In 2012, Baconfest donated $50,000, hosted a raffle and food drive and organized a volunteer re-pack session at the GCFD. For information about last year’s charitable impact, check out this link. May the pork be with you…