Eat, drink and be merry.

That’s exactly what the North Market hopes people will do when it kicks off the Sixth Annual North Market Food and Wine Festival Friday, July 13 from 7 to 10 p.m.

Twenty dollars will get you a ticket, a glass and tasting tickets for samples of numerous wines from around Ohio.

“There will be 50 to 75 wines that people can try,” says David Wibel, executive director of the North Market. Wibel adds that both people experienced and inexperienced with wine will certainly be able to enjoy the event.

Guests will be able to meet the winemakers, interact with celebrity wine pourers, and enjoy music by New Basics Brass Band.

New Basics is “sousaphone-driven” and “layers jazz, R&B, New Orleans funk, and groove sounds to produce party music for the masses.”

Of course, what would the North Market Food and Wine Festival be without the food?

Guests will be able to try different foods from 30 different merchants throughout the North Market. You can try everything from Barry’s New York Style Deli to China Market to Pam’s Market Popcorn.

There will also be a chance to test-drive the new Smart Car – a new, energy-efficient car that will be marketed in the United States in 2008.

“This is the first appearance in the state of the Smart Car,” Wibel says. “It’s the only opportunity to see it in Columbus prior to its release.”

The car will be there in connection with the “Street Smart Road Show” which is travels to over 50 cities in the United States, letting drivers touch and drive this new vehicle.

On Saturday, admission for tasting wines will be $5, which includes a souvenir glass and a two tasting tickets. If you’re not interested in tasting the wine, admission is free.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Among the activities planned are various music performances, culinary demonstrations, and airbrush face painting, as well as shopping at the farmer’s market.

Sunday is the final day of the festival and runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Guests can test drive the Smart Car, enjoy even more musical acts, take part in the CD101 prize wheel and enjoy a craft fair.

For more information on the event, check out www.northmarket.com or call 614-463-9664.