BRIDGMAN — From 1 to 10 p.m. on June 21, Bridgman’s Weko Beach will be transformed into a wine-lover’s paradise with “Toast the Coast,” the Ninth Annual Lake Michigan Shore Wine Festival.

“There’s not a much better setting for a festival in the state of Michigan than Weko Beach,” said Chris Moersch, director of brewing operations at Round Barn Winery, Distillery and Brewery. “It’s just a beautiful location. It’s really the only place where people can go to sample wines from all of the wineries in the area in one place.”

Moersch originally came up with the idea for the wine festival about 10 years ago.

“At the time, I was the president of the Lake Michigan Wine Trail. Our growing region is called the ‘Lake Michigan Shore.’ It’s a federally recognized growing region, like the Napa Valley or Sonoma,” Moersch explained. “So, it made sense to call our festival that and to celebrate it on the Lake Michigan shore.”

After approaching several communities along the lake, organizers settled on the town of Bridgman, which was very receptive to the idea.

Popular from the start, the festival has grown in the number of visitors each year, with organizers expecting between 4,000 and 4,500 people to attend the festival this year.

“We were very surprised at how big it was the first year, and it has probably doubled in size since the inception,” Moersch said. “It’s now one of the largest wine festivals in the state.”

Part of that has to do with the growth of the wine industry in southwestern Michigan.

“The first year, we had 10 or 11 wineries, and now we’re up to 15 wineries,” Moersch said.

At the festival, wine can be purchased by the taste or by the glass using tickets which cost $1 each. Tastes are 1 ticket each, while glasses range in price from 5 to 7 tickets. Admission to the festival is $15 and includes a souvenir wine glass, but discount tickets can be purchased in advance at the Harding’s Friendly Market in Bridgman for $10 each. Admission for children 12 and under is free.

Recognizing that there are different preferences, beer will also be available, and a number of food vendors will be providing event-goers with the opportunity to get a bite to eat.

Along with wine, beer and food, the festival will provide entertainment by way of five bands beginning at 1 p.m. Top Secret Band will open the show, followed by Slim Gypsy Baggage at 2:45 p.m. At 4:15 p.m., Duke Tumatoe will be playing, followed by Lady Sunshine & the X Band at 6:15 p.m. The headliners, PS Dump Your Boyfriend, will take the stage at 8:15 p.m.

A collaboration between the Greater Bridgman Area Chamber of Commerce and Growth Alliance, Lake Michigan Shore Wine Country, and title sponsor Southwest Michigan Tourist Council, the event is organized and produced by Traffic PR & Marketing.

With an eye to safety, sponsoring organizations have teamed up to provide complimentary shuttle bus transportation to and from the festival and nearby hotels. That schedule can be found on the ‘ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LakeMichiganShoreWineFestival.

“The wine festival provides transportation services for 10 to 12 different hotels,” said Millicent Huminsky, executive director of the Southwest Michigan Tourist Council. “They will pick up and take people to and from the festival so there are no issues with drinking and driving.”

Hoping that the festival will bring more visitors into the area, the Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council has been sponsoring the event for more than five years now.

“The Tourist Council sponsors it because we’re looking for ways to get people to spend a weekend here and not just a day,” Huminsky said. “It’s our hope that they will experience more of southwest Michigan on Sunday before they leave.”

Weko Beach is located off of I-94 at Exit 16. To get there, drive on Red Arrow Hwy. to the stoplight in Bridgman, and then travel west on Lake St. More information is available at www.lakemichiganwinefest.com.

“It’s a great time,” Huminsky said. “You’re on Lake Michigan, there are five bands playing, and there are great food vendors. It’s really an awesome time.”

Correction: In an earlier version of this story, Ms. Huminsky was misquoted as saying, “They will pick up and take people to and from the festival so there are no issues with drunk driving.” We apologize for the error.