Napa Valley, California
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Events in Napa Valley |
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Napa Valley, California
|
Events in Napa Valley |
We list all major annual and recurring events here. If you'd like specific day-by-day information, we recommend NapaLife and the Events Calendar from the Arts Council of Napa Valley.
April in Carneros
800.825.9457
Annual open house and festival sponsored by wineries in the Carneros District.
Auction Napa Valley
PO Box 141
St. Helena CA 94574
707.963.3388
Auction Napa Valley, formerly called Napa Valley Wine Auction, has been held every year since 1981. It is the world's largest wine charity event, with all of the auction's proceeds staying within Napa County.
During that time, the auction's sponsor, the Napa Valley Vintners Association, has donated more than $45 million to Napa County hospitals, clinics, youth and housing organizations.
Carols in the Caves
707.224.4222
Weekends during November and December in the wine caves of various wineries.
David Auerbach, who should be declared a Napa Valley treasure, plays sacred music on rare and unusual instruments. As David says, "If you've heard of it, I probably don't play it." A rare treat.
Chamber Music in the Napa Valley
707.252.7122
Outstanding performances held at the Napa Valley Opera House.
Clos Pegase Wine/Art Culture
Calistoga
707.942.4981
Clos Pegase' winery founder Jan Shrem gives a free monthly talk on "4,000 years of Wine in Art" at the winery just south of Calistoga. Call for date and time of next lecture.
Domaine Chandon Bastille Day Celebration
Domaine Chandon
Yountville
707.944.2280
Held every July 14.
Festival Of Lights
Town of Yountville
707.944.0904
December
Beautiful Christmas display, music, entertainment.
Harvest (Crush)
The grape harvest takes place every year in the fall. Depending on the weather, it can start in early August for sparkling wine grapes, which are picked at lower sugar levels. It picks up steam in late August and is in full swing during most of September and October. This is the time to actually see how wine is made. The stemmer-crushers are operating throughout the day, the fermentation tanks are full and bubbling with carbon dioxide, and gondolas overflowing with grapes are travelling along every countryside road in the valley.
Home Winemakers Classic
Held at St. Supéry Winery
The Home Winemakers Classic is an annual tasting and judging of award-winning home wines by Napa Valley enologists and viticulturists, with music, silent auction of vintage wines, raffle and food. Held every July, it is an extremely popular event for residents and the local wine community.
Land Trust Hikes
Napa County Land Trust
1040 Main Street
Napa CA 94559
707.252.3270
Hikes held throughout the year, usually at locations that are normally closed to the public.
Magical Moonshine Puppet Theater
PO Box 2296
Yountville CA 94599
707.257.8007
Michael and Valerie Nelson—and friends. (Photo courtesy of Magical Moonshine Theatre.)
This is another Napa Valley treasure. Unfortunately, performances are only held sporadically. Fortunately for locals, they're frequent enough to be a favorite, and held at locations throughout the valley. A wonderful experience for kids, no matter what their age.
Mountain Men
Skyline Park
Napa
707.252.0481
Mountain men in furs and deerskin with muzzle-loading rifles. An annual event, open to the public. Call the park to find out when this takes place.
Music in the Vineyards
PO Box 432
St. Helena CA 94574
707.258.5559
Napa Valley Chamber Music Festival held every August at locations, primarily wineries, throughout the valley.
Napa Country Iris Gardens
9087 Steele Canyon Road
Napa CA 94558
707.255.7880
DIRECTIONS: Near Lake Berryessa. From Highway 29 in north Napa take Trancas Street east. Past the Silverado Trail Trancas becomes Monticello Road and Highway 121. Continue on 121 to Highway 128. Turn left on Highway 128 and then right on Steele Canyon. The gardens are 1.5 miles on the right.
A commercial one-acre garden of tall bearded irises. Mail order for bare-root iris. The garden is open to the public for five weeks every spring in April and May. No charge. Picnic tables available.
Napa County Fair
Napa County Fairgrounds
1435 Oak Street
Calistoga CA 94515
707.942.5111
The annual county fair with a parade, exhibits, carnival rides, food, music and lots of other events, always held over the 4th of July holiday.
Napa Town & Country Fair
Napa Valley Exposition
Napa
707.253.4900
The really big fair in Napa County. Held in early August.
Napa Valley Cinco de Mayo
Held every year on, or near, May 5th. The parade and festival is the largest event of its kind in the Napa Valley. It celebrates the Mexican victory over superior French forces by 5,000 untrained and outnumbered Mestizo and Zapotec Indian guerilla troops under General Zargosa at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
Napa Valley College Theatre
2277 Napa-Vallejo Highway
Napa CA 94558
707.253.3200
DIRECTIONS: South of Napa on Soscol Avenue just south of Imola.
The Napa Valley College Division of Fine and Performing Arts sponsors approximately 100 events each year: plays, musicals and concerts (choral, jazz, and instrumental), including events for young audiences.
Tickets at the NVC Cashier, Blumer's Music Center in Napa and Main Street Books in St. Helena. Or use Visa/MasterCard and phone the college for tickets. Free parking; wheelchair access.
Napa Valley Marathon
PO Box 4307
Napa CA 94558
Held every spring. Route goes from Calistoga south on Silverado Trail to Napa.
Napa Valley Model Railroad Club
Napa Valley Exposition
Third Street Gate
Napa CA 94559
707.253.8428
Open Friday evenings from 7:30 p.m. on and during major fairground events.
This elaborate model railroad occupies a 3,600 square foot room at the Napa Valley Exposition.
The "Napa Valley Northern" runs from Napa north through Lake County with northbound connections to Portland, and southbound connections to Stockton. The layout has more than 1,500 feet of track and the time period is from 1940 to present. Great for kids and railroad fans of any age.
Napa Valley Mustard Festival
707.942.9762
Held in February and March at locations throughout the valley.
Napa Valley Symphony
2407 California Boulevard
Napa CA 94558
707.226.6872
The Napa Valley has developed an outstanding group of musicians. Most concerts are held in the Lincoln Theater at the Veterans Home in Yountville. There's also an annual free concert by the river at Veterans Park in downtown Napa. Call the Symphony for a schedule of all performances.
Napa Valley Wine Auction
Napa Valley Wine Festival
Napa Valley Exposition
This is a major annual event, held every November and sponsored by the Napa Valley Unified Education Foundation as a benefit for Napa public schools. Over 50 wineries participate, so it's a unique opportunity to try a wide variety of Napa Valley wines.
Napa Valley Wine Library Tasting
PO Box 328,
St. Helena CA 94574
707.963.5145
Every August more than 100 Napa Valley wineries pour a particular wine at this special wine tasting benefitting the wine library. Held each year at Silverado Resort in Napa. Open to members only, but membership is available at the door for $40.
Open Studios
Arts Council of Napa Valley
68 Coombs St. D4
Napa CA 94559
707.257.2117
Open house at several hundred artists' studios, held every September and October on two weekends. The first weekend is upvalley, the second in Napa.
Robert Mondavi Summer Festival
Robert Mondavi Winery
Oakville CA
707.226.1395
www.robertmondaviwinery.com/summerfest.asp
Margrit Biever Mondavi, vice president of cultural affairs at the Robert Mondavi Winery and wife of the founder, has made this her pet project since 1969. Concerts are open-air, held on the winery's main lawn, and take place in June, July and August. Most concerts begin at 7 p.m., with gates open for picnicking.
A past entertainment lineup gives an idea of the outstanding quality of the perforners: New Orleans' Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Cesaria Evora, Buena Vista Social Club, Dan Fogelberg, and Dave Koz.
Wine and cheese tasting are offered at intermission. 2001 tickets ranged from $42-$75, depending on the performer. While children are allowed, we've seldom seen any there.
It's an elegantly casual affair, with most attending in jeans and shorts but some finely dressed. Picnic baskets brought by guests range from French bread and cheese to elegantly prepared meals served with fine china and crystal. It's great fun and outstanding entertainment. Tickets, which go on sale the end of April, go fast. They're available at the winery and all BASS outlets. A sign at the front of the winery, easily visible from Highway 29, shows the season's schedule and ticket availability.
Society for Creative Anachronism
Skyline Wilderness Park
Napa
707.252.0481
The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) meets annually at Skyline Park in Napa for a day of jousting, swordsmanship, wenching, dining, and general rollicking fun. Open to the public for a small donation. Call Skyline Park to find the date of the SCA's next visit.
Symphony on the River Festival
Downtown Napa at the Third Street Bridge.
Sponsored by Friends of the Napa River
707.254.8520
A free event held every September. The Napa Valley Symphony performs early in the evening and is followed by fireworks at dark. Activities include local entertainment, food and drink, and a boat parade on the river.
Valley Men Who Cook
Upvalley location
707.255.5911
Held on Father's Day each year. Amateur but well-known chefs from around the valley compete in a wide variety of food categories. A very popular and fun event.
Veterans Home Fourth of July Fireworks
Veterans Home
Yountville
707.944.4600
The biggest fireworks display in the valley.
Victorian Holiday Candlelight Tour
Annual tour in December of some of Napa's most beautifully restored Victorian homes by Napa County Landmarks.
White Barn
2727 Sulphur Springs Avenue
St. Helena CA 94574
707.251.8715
Theatrical and musical performances held throughout the year in an 85-seat theater that was originally a carriage house. All proceeds go to charity. A labor of love for founder Nancy Garden and her family.
Wine and Crafts Faire
Downtown Napa
Wine tasting, crafts, food, entertaining. Held in September, it's the big street fair of the year.
Wine Country Film Festival
707.935.3456 for program information, advance tickets to al fresco screening, and passes. Tickets are available at BASS outlets.
Founded in 1986, the Wine Country Film Festival stretches over four weekends in July and August. It has a true, casual, wine country feeling. Many of the films are screened outdoors, at wineries in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Tickets can be purchased at show time and range from $6-$20. A Weekend Pass gives reserved seating for all films and events on a given weekend. Silver Passes, which are $100, ensure reserved seating for every film in the month-long festival.
The program always includes new features from major studios and the latest in independently produced features, documentaries and shorts from around the world. It has premiered such films as A Fish Called Wanda; Honeymoon in Vegas; sex, lies and videotape; and Married to the Mob, and held tributes to such stars as Anthony Quinn and Gregory Peck.
