Must-See Festivals & Events
Californians know how to throw a party—especially outdoors. That’s the mood at these premier festivals, fairs, and celebrations statewide. While some might include dress-up affairs indoors, such as gala dinners pairing celebrity chefs with top winemakers, most are casual affairs out in the sun, where you can relax California-style, and really get a taste of what it’s like to live, work, and play in the Golden State.
Love food? Time your visit to include a top food, wine, or craft beer event, such as Pebble Beach Food & Wine along the Central Coast. Music fan? Head for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival near Palm Springs, or rollicking (and free) Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Or target an event that is 100-percent California, such as the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, the iconic Gilroy Garlic Festival, jumping frogs in the Gold Country, or San Diego’s new arts and entertainment phenom, Comic-Con.
America's largest and most prestigious cycling event brings many of the world’s top riders to the Golden State. The 8-stage race changes it up every year, with new courses connecting cities and...
Vampires beware: this is one garlic-infused weekend that you’ll want to miss. Everyone else—go, at least once, to this unforgettably odiferous and one-of-a-kind event. See how creative chefs can...
Get ready for the Central Coast’s ultimate gathering of the culinary world. First launched in 2008, Pebble Beach Food & Wine is one of those...
Part frog-filled folklore, party classic country-fair fun, this annual event stands out as one of those wacky crowd-pleasers that everyone should see at least once in their lives. This competition...
Get into the checkered-flag spirit at this big and loud NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. Cheer for your favourite drivers as they zoom for the front in this 5-wide race event. The action kicks off...
Countdowns don’t get any more exciting than this. When conditions are just right, ocean swells pile up against an offshore reef, about 2 miles/3.2 kilometres off Northern California coastline near...
From its humble origins as a fringe gathering of comic book fans in 1970, when barely 100 participants attended, Comic-Con has grown into...
Put on your dancing shoes for this massive three-day music festival, taking over much of San Francisco's lush Golden Gate Park each October. More than 100 artists from assorted...
Local and international talent gathers at the gustatory tribute to all that’s good about wine & food (and there’s beer too); the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival is San Diego’s largest ...
Arguably one of the most unique events in the world, this eye-popping pageant presents tableaux vivants ("living pictures"), ultra-detailed recreations of classical and contemporary works of art,...
So amazingly popular that it has had to move out of its namesake town, the Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival is a longtime favourite along the Central Coast. Cool fog and warm sun are...
Dive into over a week’s worth of all-you-can-eat crab feeds, winemaker's dinners, wine competitions, crab cruises, cooking classes, and family-style cioppino feeds at this regional celebration of...
