Californians knows how to throw a party, especially outdoors! Here you can climb a desert dune, ski down a mountain, and swim in the ocean, all in the same day. Whether your passion is art, beer, wine, cars, food, music or something else, you'll never be bored with the 1583 events to choose from! Here's a small taste of the biggest Golden State events, OC Fair, San Francisco LGBT Pride and Miramar Air Show. Scroll below to view the variety of culture, art, music and entertainment found at California Festivals, Art Shows, Music Festivals and Craft Shows.
For music lovers, there’s Coachella and Hard Summer; for foodies, there’s Pebble Beach Food & Wine and Bottlerock Napa Valley. There are numerous music, food, and art festivals in California throughout the year where you can really get a sense of the adventures you can have in the Golden State.
Ironstone Wine & Art Festival, Murphys
Ironstone amphitheater welcomes 50 artists to showcase their original, handcrafted work including jewelry, woodwork, paintings, wearables, and more at this Wine & Art Festival. You can engage with the artists as well and learn what goes into creating the unique items.
In addition to the art, the other main part of the festival is wine. The event is held at the 12-acres of Ironstone Vineyards where visitors can taste a number of local sparkling and fine wines. Once you’re done admiring and shopping from the various booths, make your way to the delicious food, live music, and other fun activities like face painting.
Art-A-Fair Fine Art Festival, Laguna Beach
This is a juried art festival featuring exhibitors from all across California established 1967. It’s constantly recognized as one of the top 200 art festivals in America thanks to the incredible variety of fine arts and crafts from talented artists.
More than 125 pros from around the world come to the festival to represent every medium: mixed media, digital art, photography, drawings, acrylics, watercolors, oil paintings, wood, glass, ceramics, jewelry, and sculptures. The event also features food, drinks, live entertainment, and several workshops.
California Soul-Food Cookout and Festival, Pleasanton
A two-day annual event that attracts more than 10,000 people, the California Soul-Food Cookout and Festival invites more than 35 food trucks and musicians for an exciting and memorable weekend. The musical lineup includes some of the best R&B and gospel artists in the country.
The thing that makes this festival different from others is the charitable and community aspect of it. Proceeds from the event are used to provide much-needed resources throughout the state, focusing on the homeless and battered women. And that’s not all; they also hold a job fair during the festival which has been really successful in the past.
Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Indio
Coachella is not only one of the most epic music festivals in the world, but it’s also California’s oldest. Their line-up every year is beyond impressive, including the likes of Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, and more. With incredible food and drink vendors, and massive stage productions, Coachella will be an experience you’ll never forget. It’s held in April every year at the Empire Polo Club that’s spread over 78 acres.
Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, San Francisco
Food, music, beer, wine, and art all play a starring role in this 3-day extravaganza at Golden Gate Park. If you’re looking to visit the Bay Area, do it in August when the event is scheduled to make the most of your trip. The production is truly outstanding and the line-ups are always incredibly diverse. You’ll be blown away by the colorful lights illuminating the trees at night.
Make sure to book your accommodation a few weeks in advance though, especially if you want to stay near the Golden Gate Park, as they all get booked pretty quickly for Outside Lands Music Festival.
HARD Summer Music Festival, San Bernadino
This annual celebration has been a Southern California pride for over 10 years and always manages to put together an incredible stage production and overall stellar festival experience. The line-ups include hip-hop, electronic, and alternative acts, plus emerging talents from across the country. The festival has been an important player in the growth of the EDM scene in the US. It used to be held in downtown LA, but now it has been moved to the National Orange Show Event Center in San Bernadino.
Dirtybird Campout West Coast
The beauty of this boutique festival is its location: the Modesto Reservoir Campgrounds spread over 3,240 acres of stunning natural vistas surrounding an equally glorious reservoir. If you missed out on going to summer camp when you were a kid, this is your chance to make up for it.
Half music festival, half summer camp, Dirtybird will be one of the wildest parties you’ll ever attend in California. The event hosts two music stages and one escapade stage for techno, house, bass, drum, and other kinds of music. They also host silent disco every night after the main events are over.
BottleRock Napa Valley, Napa
The past line-ups at BottleRock have included some of the biggest names in the music industry, such as Mumford & Sons, Neil Young, Imagine Dragons, Miley Cyrus, Guns N’ Roses, and PINK. The 3-day event takes place at the Napa Valley Expo and music is not the only thing visitors get to enjoy. There’s food, wine, and craft beer in more varieties than you can count. Celebrity chefs from across the country dazzle you on the culinary stage while dozens of wine cabanas keep you sipping and savoring at every step.
Day Trip Festival, Los Angeles
Day Trip is a relatively new music festival, only created in 2018, but has already managed to bring some of the most well-known names in house music out for 2 days of nonstop fun. It’s held at The Lot at Hollywood Park with iconic Day Trip fishbowls, gourmet food trucks, and delicious craft cocktails. It is the perfect way to ring in the 4th of July weekend, however, keep in mind that you have to be 21 years of age or older to attend.
CRSSD Festival, San Diego
This is a two-day festival that happens twice a year at Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego. CRSSD is an electronic music festival offering a line-up that includes the best from EDM, techno, indie rock, house, and much more. There are also several after-hours events to choose from once the festival ends. Waterfront Park’s ocean views, grassy lawns, and striking back-drop of the San Diego skyline make this event an unforgettable one.
CRSSD has built a reputation for its unique vibe featuring dance music’s underground roots and Southern California culture. It has now become the mecca of music lovers who are into the avant-garde sounds of EDM. You’ll also get to enjoy gourmet food vendors, craft beer, and a full mixology program. This is a 21+ event.
Splash House Festival, Palm Springs
Think of Splash House as a one big pool party in the middle of summer where you can meet like-minded, fun-loving souls and maybe forge lifelong friendships. As you dance to the tunes of electronica, disco, and house, it’s easy to lose yourself in the headiness of it all. The event takes place across 3 hotel resorts, but don’t worry, you don’t need to buy separate tickets for each. They have shuttles running between all locations as well.
Nocturnal Wonderland, San Bernadino
Founded in 1995, Nocturnal Wonderland is the oldest electronic dance music festival in Northern America. Its location tends to change almost every year; this year it’s going to be at Glen Helen Regional Park. The event features multiple stages of the best in cutting-edge production and dance music, along with countless carnival rides, fireworks, and costumed performers. It’s without a doubt one of the most visually stunning events you’ll ever see.
California Roots Music & Arts Festival, Monterey
Featuring some of the biggest names in hip-hop, folk, rock, and reggae in the world, California Roots is more than a festival. It’s an all-around vibe of joy, love, peace, and true happiness over Memorial Day weekend. The 3-day California festival takes place at Monterey County Fair & Events Center with more than 11,000 visitors each day. It is hailed as the largest reggae-rock musical event in the world.
High Sierra Music Festival, Quincy
This is one of the few festivals in California with a family-friendly environment so folks of all ages can have fun. Artists from all musical genres come to Quincy for an eclectic line-up to entertain music devotees of diverse tastes. In addition to music, they also have silent discos, colorful parades, movement classes, fire dancers, and other activities to make it an epic camping experience over the 4th of July weekend.
Beyond Wonderland Music Festival, San Bernadino
Beyond Wonderland is organized by Insomniac Events, who are known for throwing some of the wildest raves in Northern California. In addition to the beautiful stage production and a world-class line-up, the festival also features pounding bass and incredible pyrotechnics – not to mention insane outfits – making for a weekend you won’t forget anytime soon. And as if that wasn’t enough, the event is always held in a picturesque location across the west coast like Mountain View or NOS Events Center in San Bernadino.
Joshua Tree Music Festival, Joshua Tree
This is a four-day global music festival held twice a year at Joshua Tree Lake Campground to support arts education, community empowerment, and passionate creativity for all ages. It’s a desert-style event where the music is eclectic and diverse, including soulful ethno, electronic, dance world, and global melodies. It also has multiple workshops for music, visual arts, body movement, yoga, and more. A world market and stellar art installations further inspire festival-goers.
Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, Anaheim
If you’re a foodie and on the West Coast, make your way to Disney’s Food & Wine Festival season that runs throughout March and April. It’s held at the Disney California Adventure in Anaheim with beautiful springtime scenery and blooming pink Tabebuia trees, adding to the magical ambiance. You can enjoy the festival with your regular park tickets, but some offerings require reservations and additional charges.
You may want to grab a Festival Guide and a Tasting Passport to help you find all of the foods you’d like to try. Whether you’re gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, or on any other special diet, you’ll find treats for your special dietary needs. There’s also live music, shows, and demonstrations.
California Strawberry Festival, College Park
This 2-day strawberry-themed extravaganza attracts over 60,000 visitors to sample strawberry treats from countless food and drink vendors. You can also participate in strawberry tart tosses, strawberry relays, pie-eating contests, cooking demonstrations, and many other activities. It’s the perfect summer kickoff that also benefits the community; most of the proceeds from the event are donated to over 30 charitable organizations. The festival also features children’s rides, a carnival, live music on two outdoor stages, a vendor marketplace, and other entertainment.
Stagecoach Festival, Indio
Dozens of country superstars descend on Indio every year to put on the biggest country music festival in the world. The headliners include some of the most loved acts in country along with some promising up-and-coming performers. Carrie Underwood, Brothers Osborne, Maren Morris, Luke Combs, Smokey Robinson, Margo Price, Marcus King Band, Molly Tuttle, and Cody Johnson are just some of the recent names to appear. It’s held at the 78-acre Empire Polo Club in Indio southeast of Palm Springs.
