With a long and vibrant history of festivals over the course of its 32 years, Wachusett Mountain Ski Area brings another festival to the table: The Farm Fresh Festival.

“We wanted to create a new festival, and we wanted to come up with a theme that wasn’t widely overdone,” said Tom Meyers, Wachusett’s director of marketing. Past festivals, including Apple Fest and BBQ Fest, have contained farmers market components, but the Farm Fresh Festival will bring local food to the forefront.

“The theme of locally grown is really popular in the marketplace and is growing immensely,” Meyers said, “so we are looking at this upcoming festival with two points of view: one, to bring in vendors who want to promote their products, and two, as a platform to raise awareness.”

The festival is being coordinated with several agricultural associations across the state, such as Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, as well as other businesses and charitable organizations. “We can provide a platform for businesses to launch their product,” Meyers said.

Meyers stressed the importance of promoting local businesses and providing them with the proper equipment and publicity to further expand their local reach. The festival will include vendors, farmers, local wine growers, as well as live musical entertainment and a craft fair. A family entertainment area, which will contain a baby animal petting zoo and moon bounces, will also be included.

Education will be another element of the festival, in the form of cooking and agricultural demonstrations. “We’re trying to create an educational area,” Meyers said. “This is a key part of the festival.”

Agricultural and gastronomical education has become a growing area of study and interest amongst students and locals alike. Numerous food and agriculture magazines now circulate throughout the nation, and more and more restaurants are beginning to adapt and change their menus to include locally grown ingredients. The Farm Fresh Festival aims to provide patrons with information about cooking and growing produce that they otherwise would not have known.

“This theme is resonating more and more,” Meyers said. Certainly in the New England area, where farm growth has increased by 5 percent since 2012, farmers markets are becoming a more central part of local communities. Nearly every town in Massachusetts has a farmers market to call its own during the warm months of summer and the harvest of autumn.

As far as attendance for the festival is concerned, Meyers said he is very optimistic. “Every event is always contingent on so many variables, but I’d love to see a big turnout,” he said.

He added that people can expect two things from this festival: “Good food and a good time.”

Wachusett Mountain Farm Fresh Festival will be held from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 29-30. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door and free for children younger than 12. Admission plus unlimited SkyRide is $13 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information, visit wachusett.com.

By Ryan Cashman