Pull Up a Chair: Come Over October Invites Canadians to Make Time for Each Other

Canadians invited to pull up a chair and connect during a month-long celebration of food, hospitality and Canadian wine

OTTAWA, Sept. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wine Growers Canada is inviting Canadians to put down their screens, pull up a chair and make time for each other this October.

Come Over October is a month-long celebration of human connection, encouraging friends, families, neighbours and communities to reconnect through shared meals, conversation and hospitality.

The invitation is deliberately simple: sometime this October, invite someone to come over.

It might be inviting someone to share Thanksgiving dinner, a glass of wine, a coffee, a winery visit, or simply an extra place set at the table for a weeknight meal. There is no single day or way to participate; the entire month of October is an opportunity to reach out and spend time together.

“Some of our most meaningful moments begin with a simple invitation: come over,” said Dan Paszkowski, President and CEO of Wine Growers Canada. “It’s easy to let busy schedules, work and digital distractions crowd out time with the people around us. Come Over October is a reminder to make that time — reconnect with an old friend, get to know a neighbour, invite someone new to the table or simply spend an evening together without a screen between you.”

Throughout October, wineries, restaurants, wine retailers, tourism organizations and community partners across Canada will bring the campaign to life, with particular focus on two national Days of Action: Open the Door on October 1 and The Long Table on October 16.

The Days of Action provide focal points for industry and community participation, but Canadians are encouraged to gather throughout October. Those who cannot participate on October 1 or 16 can choose any day that works for them.

October 1: Open the Door

The first National Day of Action starts the month with a simple challenge: invite one person today.

Wineries, restaurants and community partners are encouraged to open their doors with welcoming events, harvest gatherings and opportunities for people to bring a friend or meet someone new. The campaign’s Canadian Empty Chair Initiative brings that invitation to life. An empty chair at a kitchen table, on a porch, at a winery or in a restaurant becomes a simple visual reminder that there is always room to include someone else.

October 16: The Long Table

The second National Day of Action invites Canadians to set a place for connection.

Across the country, wineries, restaurants and community partners will create opportunities to gather, from communal tables and harvest dinners to neighbourhood potlucks and celebrations of local food and wine. But a “long table” doesn’t have to be long.

“A long table is really about making room for people,” said Paszkowski. “You don’t need an elaborate menu or a special occasion. Pull up another chair, put the phones away and give each other your attention. That small act of hospitality can welcome someone new, reconnect old friends and strengthen the relationships that matter to us.”

A Whole Month to Come Together

While the Days of Action create two national moments for the campaign, Come Over October runs throughout the month.

Thanksgiving provides a natural opportunity for Canadians to gather with family and friends, but the campaign also encourages people to look beyond traditional celebrations. Invite the neighbour you keep meaning to meet. Call the friend you haven’t seen in months. Organize a casual dinner after work. Visit a local winery or restaurant together.

The point isn’t what is on the table. It’s who is around it.

Canadian Hospitality, Shared Locally

Set against the backdrop of the fall harvest, Come Over October also celebrates the growers, winemakers, chefs, restaurants and tourism operators who help bring Canadian hospitality to life.

“Wine has accompanied shared meals, harvests, celebrations and conversation for thousands of years,” said Paszkowski. “Canadian wineries are more than places where wine is made. They are gathering places rooted in agriculture and their communities. This October, we want to take that spirit of hospitality beyond the winery and turn it into invitations across the country — at restaurants, in our communities and around our own kitchen tables.”

Participation in Come Over October is open to everyone, whether they choose to drink wine or not. Where wine is served, the campaign encourages responsible enjoyment by adults of legal drinking age, alongside food and non-alcoholic options, with a safe way home.

Media Contact:
Annette Goerner
annette@sparkadvocacy.ca
613-818-6941

About Come Over October
Created in 2024 by Come Together — A Community for Wine, a U.S.-based organization co-founded by wine author and educator Karen MacNeil and wine communicators Kimberly Noelle Charles and Gino Colangelo, Come Over October™ is an international initiative celebrating the role of gathering, hospitality and human connection. The campaign encourages people to put down their devices, spend time together in person and rediscover the simple act of inviting someone to the table.

About Wine Growers Canada
Wine Growers Canada is the national voice of the Canadian wine industry, advancing policies and initiatives that support the competitiveness and growth of Canadian wine and its responsible enjoyment.