Break out your fancy party attire, grab your favorite date and make sure you have secured a ticket to Solano County’s biggest social event of the year: the 24th Annual Solano Wine & Food Jubilee. The gala, a perennially sold-out affair, is the primary fund-raising event for NorthBay Hospice & Bereavement programs, and it returns to the Nut Tree Complex in Vacaville on April 8, 2011.

The area’s premiere food and wine tasting event offers ticket-holders an opportunity to spend hours tasting an array of sweet and savory foods from the region’s most notable restaurants and food merchants, paired with pourings from hundreds of top-flight wineries and breweries.

It will be held under a large tent, through a joint arrangement with Total Home & Garden Show, which is scheduled to be at the Nut Tree after the Jubilee, from April 15 to 17. This large venue means there will be a wide selection of foods, wines, brews and desserts for ticket-holders to sample.

Jubilee organizers have also invited one of the area’s most popular and in-demand dance bands to perform at the 2011 event. The Time Bandits, an eight-piece rhythm and blues and rock band, are well known for their mastery of irresistible dance tunes from the ’70s to today.

For the first time, organizers are also offering a “VIP Table for Eight” package that includes many of the benefits afforded VIP ticket-holders—early admittance and some special treats on arrival, and access to the “VIP Lounge”—for $1,000. This special reserved package must be purchased before March 15, 2011.

A Silent Auction features an array of items, from signed movie posters to a start-up wine cellar, from tickets to sporting events to exotic jewelry and art glass.

The Jubilee $20,000 cash raffle is a highly anticipated part of the evening. This year, organizers are offering a “buy two, get one free” incentive to help boost ticket sales. Top prize is $10,000 in cash, and there will be many other cash prizes for those lucky ticket-holders.

The Solano Wine & Food Jubilee’s Presenting Sponsors for 2011 are Patt & Al Shaw, Dr. Lee Freeman, Burger King Restaurants, Gold’s Gym and the Nut Tree. The event benefits NorthBay Hospice & Bereavement, which provides its services to all regardless of their ability to pay.

The Solano Wine & Food Jubilee, a black tie-optional affair, gets under way at the Nut Tree Complex beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tickets, for those ages 21 and over, must be purchased in advance and are $75 each, or $100 at the door, if still available. To purchase tickets, call (707) 646-3133, or visit www.wineandfoodjubilee.org.