Winter festival in the Palm Springs Desert: Coachella Valley
Annual event; February
760-863-8247
Monster Trucks, Live Music, Date Foods and Farm Animals
Riverside County Fairgrounds
82-503 Hwy 111
Indio, CA 92201
La Plaza Park in Cotati California is home to the music of the Accordion Festival in summer. 30 years running
Rohnert Park, Sonoma County
Annual event; August
707-664-0444
Pacific Islanders of the San Francisco Bay Area offer talents in music & dance during this 2-day festival of arts. Entertainment highlights include Pacific Islander music as well as Polynesian dance. The festival will also feature arts & crafts vendors, island cuisine, educational exhibits and workshops, and games for the kids! Located at the San Mateo County Event Center.
Annual event; August
San Mateo, CA
200 Premier Artists with 12 Categories of Art
Gourmet Food Court, Champagne Bars, Margarita Island, Winery Row. Celebrated local restaurants offer a wide variety of food; eclectic lineup of Southern California musicians and live music performances.
Bi-annual event: March & November
since 1959
also known as the
Castroville Artichoke Festival
Artichoke cooking demonstrations by local celebrity chefs, A bountiful farmer’s market with freshly harvested produce from Monterey County and beyond, An agricultural education exhibit, Live entertainment on two stages, Plenty of family-friendly fun activities
Artichokes prepared in some of your favorite ways, including the fan-favorite — fried baby artichokes! Plus, steamed, grilled, and in unique forms such as lumpia, burritos, sausage, cupcakes and even ice cream.
Artichoke eating and harvest contests, arts and crafts vendors, a family fun run on Sunday, and our ever popular wine tasting event, featuring the wines of small production, boutique wineries from around California.
Monterey County Fair & Event Center
2004 Fairground Rd.
Monterey, CA 93940
Annual event; June
888-808-7707
Annual music festival on the Redwoods NorCal Coast. This is event, near Layonville California – is hosted in memory of the musician Kate Wolf.
2022 is the 25th anniversary of this event
Festival Tickets SOLD OUT as of MARCH 1, 2022
Annual Event: June
Layonville CA
Northern Gold Country, Grass Valley is the home to this huge event. California WorldFest features several stages of music & dance from around the world; Camping with family & friends, workshops, international food, local crafts, yoga. Celebrate mid-summer under the pine forests of the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Nevada County Fairgrounds
Annual event; July
This rural county fair started in 1921 and always held in the small mountain town of Hayfork, which is east of Hwy 299 and up hill from the Trinity River @ Douglas City; Carnival rides, games, exhibits, quilt show, horse show, mule show, rodeo. It’s the biggest thing to look forward to for locals, during the summer.
Annual event; August
530-628-5223
for those seeking the wilder side of camping out
Week-long event; Black Rock Desert NV
Everyone (who is anyone) has heard of this massive annual desert party by now. The historic bon fire event that started in Santa Cruz in 1986 and then moved out to the deserts of Nevada. Way north of Reno!
The event is getting bigger by the decades, so expect a mind altering experience with tens of thousands of well-decorated lost souls. Advanced tickets are required.
Art cars, construction, costumes, pyrotechnics, live bands, music DJs, the playa dust & summer desert camping w/ 70,000 other freaks in the temporary set up of Black Rock City.
BRC = Black Rock City
NPR said about Burning Man, “Once considered an underground gathering for bohemians and free spirits of all stripes, Burning Man has since evolved into a destination for social media influencers, celebrities and the Silicon Valley elite.”
Annual event; August
Tulare is located in the California Central Valley (the “bread basket”) – so summers can still be quite warm, or should we say HOT, even in September.
Big county fair for this farming region. Agriculture shows, auctions, destruction derby, exhibits, competitions, 4H livestock, parade, rodeo, tractor pull and much more. Don’t miss the delicious Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler Cook-Off and the Tri-Tip Cook-Off. Carnival rides and carnival games too.
Annual event; September
Tulare County Fair Assoc.
620 South K St.
Tulare, CA 93274
559-686-4707
Nearly 30 years running the La Honda Fair and Music Festival is located in the Santa Cruz redwoods. Music, arts and crafts.
Annual event: September
8865 La Honda Road (Hwy 84)
La Honda, CA
facebook.com/La-Honda-Fair-Music-Festival
30 years running, this Redondo Beach event is a hot hit, especially for beach-goers near Los Angeles, California
3 day event held at the Seaside Lagoon next to King Harbor, just north of the Redondo Beach Pier. Live music, entertainment, lobster recipes, celebrity chefs, craft beer, kids activities and vendor booths.
Annual event; October
310-376-6911
Bluegrass Festival. Hot air balloons, vendor booths, & lost of music & food. Two day lineup of traditional and progressive Bluegrass bands brings together music lovers from all walks of life. 40+ years running.
Southern California
2022 LOCATION UNKNOWN
Annual event; June
951-341-8080
Mammoth Lakes area has several festivals throughout the year; a few ski and snowboard competitions, as well as mountain bike races. Mammoth is the outdoor recreation hub of the Eastern Sierra.
This summer mountain festival revolves around beer and live music, in the best spot to be in California’s 100+ degree hot weather – at 7000′ elevation, in the cool, pine forest (with refreshing lakes nearby).
Mammoth Blues Brews Fest
Annual event: AUGUST
Join old-fashioned fun in the sun all weekend in the Shasta area! McCloud’s Main Street Parade, vendor’s booths, nightly dance w/live music, baseball tournament, children’s events, horseshoe tournament, logging competitions, food, family games.
2022 marks the 75th anniversary for this event!
Annual event; July
530-964-2718
Opening Night is in late November and the events go multiple nights through Christmas; held in downtown San Jose at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. The tree lighting will kick things off in style. Ongoing for over 35 years, this is a family fun holiday fest in the South Bay!
Plaza de Cesar Chavez
Annual event: December
San Jose, CA
408-809-9627
The small sand dune town of Sand City, CA host this annual seaside event at the Monterey Bay. Music, dance, food & wine tasting.
Annual event; August
831-394-3054
SAND CITY, CALIFORNIA
sandcity.org/our-community/west-end-artist-communiy/west-end-celebration
Balboa Park December Nights
Southern California’s premier holiday festival
“Christmas on the Prado” is now called December Nights
40 years running; Friday and Saturday night in early December
The event brings families and friends together to spread holiday joy, learn more about the cultural value of Balboa Park and kick-off the “most wonderful time of the year.”
Participating Balboa Park museums open their doors free of charge from 5-9 pm both evenings and more than 350,000 visitors are expected to experience the joy of San Diego’s largest free community festival. Those who attend will participate in a truly multicultural experience, enjoying food, music and entertainment from around the world.
Revelers can watch top-notch musical and dance performances, enjoy delicious and diverse food choices and help spread a heavy dose of holiday cheer.
Well-known traditions include food from around the globe at the International Christmas Festival at the House of Pacific Relations Cottages; the annual Santa Lucia Procession at the Plaza de California; unique gift shopping at the museum stores and with the artisans of Spanish Village; and musical and dance presentations from the San Diego Junior Theatre, San Diego Civic Youth Ballet, Del Cerro Baptist’s Christmas Story Tree, and more.
Annual event; multiple nights
San Diego, CA
619-239-0512
Where the traditions and lifestyles of the vaqueros blend with traditions and lifestyles of cowboys who worked there way west from Texas, Arizona and Nevada. Live music, concerts, great food, wine and beer.
Annual event: November
Monterey, CA
831-649-5080
San Luis Obispo holds the annual classic music event called Festival Mozaic. Five centuries of music on the Central Coast of California.
Festival Orchestra: Mozart in the Mission – Old Mission San Luis Obispo
MOZART…Festival Mozaic features the rich legacy of the enduring universality, creativity and spirit of one of the greatest musicians the world has known. Impeccable and spirited performances by the Festival’s guest artists and musicians, all masters of the classical style, bring Mozart’s timeless masterworks to life.
Experience the best of the world’s musical influences with orchestral performances, chamber music, world music, jazz, and informative and educational musical experiences that will broaden your horizons.
Ongoing events and concert, all year long