Discovering Northern California's
Events and Festivals:
July through September

NorCal Events & Festivals For Friends & Family

So we're gathering Northern California's celebrations together in one place for your pleasure and convenience. This is a work in progress and we'll be adding more, but if your event is missing and you'd like it included, just let us know here.

July Events and Festivals in Northern California

CA Speedway Fireworks; CC Ron & Sandy w/Kids

"How Big is Big" Annual Fishing Derby - where the West Walker River runs through it! 

High Sierra Music Festival - embracing challenging music and sonic excursions! 

Fillmore Jazz Festival - a prosperous tradition of jazz, culture and cuisine! 

Independence Day Fireworks Jubilee - family fun, live music, chili cook off, and fireworks!

Star Spangled Fourth: Lights on the Lake - Lake Tahoe, that is!

Grass Valley's 4th of July Parade and Celebration - whether it's in Grass Valley this year or Nevada City next year, this annual parade is small town, big charm!

Paul Bunyan Mountain and Blues Festival - Grass Drag Races, a logging show, and live Blues Bands!

The World's Largest Salmon Barbeque - grilled salmon, family, and friends, celebrating the 4th!

Sierra Nevada Arts and Crafts Festival - in historic Downtown Arnold!

Brentwood CornFest - celebrating corn in all its forms!

Livermore Shakespeare Festival - always a crowd-pleaser!

Old Sac Underground - for the first time in a long time, tour the first-floor basements and hollow sidewalks of Old Sacramento!

Mendocino Music Festival - just look for the great white tents perched on the headlands! 

Los Altos Arts and Wine Festival - the largest two day, mid-summer example of events and festivals in the Bay Area"! 

Hayward/Russell City Blues Festival - remembering the Blues of Russell City! 

Mammoth Lakes Jazz Jubilee - hot jazz in the cool Sierra! 

Grass Valley's Thursday Night Market - the Thursday night social event of the year starts up again this month!

California State Fair - adventure awaits you at the California State Fair! 

Kelseyville's Kickin' in the Country Street Dance - just like the good ol' days!

California Rodeo Salinas - 2010 marked the Centennial Celebration of the California Rodeo in Salinas! 

California Worldfest in Grass Valley - music and dance from around the world!

Marysville Peach Fest - celebrating peaches in historic Downtown Marysville! 

Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival - Bluegrass music, small towns and high mountain scenery!

Carmel Bach Festival - reflecting the highs and lows of the human experience! 

Festival del Sole - Napa Valley celebrates the art of life! 

Grass Valley's Sidewalk Sale - come for some summer retail therapy!

Connoisseur's Marketplace - Menlo Park's "Nirvana for the Festival Lover"! 

Gold Discovery Days - celebrating the discovery of gold at Plumas Eureka State Park! 

Wine Country Half Marathon - from Napa to Sonoma; Runners from all over the world start among the vineyards! 

Georgetown Jeepers Jamboree - starts in Georgetown and heads out for the Rubicon Trail!

Lake Tahoe Music Festival - an unbelievable six-concert series! 

McCloud Lumberjack Fiesta - from axe throwing to a watermelon eating contest, it's old-fashioned fun in the sun! 

Gilroy Garlic Festival - who hasn't heard of this festival of festivals - celebrating the stinking rose! 

Courtland Pear Fair - Bartlett pears are everywhere in "Pear"adise! 

Lake County Wine Adventure - wine with attitude! 

Watsonville Strawberry Festival at Monterey Bay - strawberry lovers unite! 

Fremont Festival of the Arts - the largest free street festival west of the Mississippi! 

Woolgrowers' Barbecue & Sheep Dog Trials (in Boonville) - over 35 years of BBQ'd lamb and talented dogs driving sheep (which is a little like herding cats)! 

Bear Valley Music Festival - World class music amid mountain grandeur!

August Events and Festivals in Northern California

Steinbeck Museum; CC William Dorgan

Woodland Tomato Festival - tomatoes don't get any better or fresher, even if you grow them yourself! 

San Rafael Food and Wine Festival - a tasting festivals that samples area restaurants and wineries against a background of smooth jazz and classical music!

Yorkville Highlands Wine Festival - celebrating the birth of the Yorkville Highlands Appellation! 

San Francisco's Outside Lands Festival - great music, great food, great wine ... who could ask for more!

Sacramento's Japanese Food and Cultural Bazaar - flower arranging, tea ceremony, Taiko Drum Clubs!

Fairfield Tomato Festival & West Coast BBQ Championships - what a great combination of events and festivals! 

Gualala Art in the Redwoods Festival - promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961! 

Mammoth Festival - celebrating wine and live music! 

Klamath Salmon Festival - visit with the Yurok people at a traditional open pit salmon bar-b-que! 

Fremont Cajun/Zydeco Festival - let the music, dancing, and Creole food transport you to N'Orleans! 

Round Valley Blackberry Festival in Covelo - another Mendocino County Food Fest. 

Hayward Zucchini Festival - if you love zucchini, help save this festival! 

Cotati Accordion Festival - accordions aren't just for Polkas anymore! 

Corning Olive Festival - "Corning does it bedder"!

Willits Kinetic Carnivale - Time to get your Steampunk on!

Pleasanton West Coast Nationals - a super-charged indoor/outdoor car show! 

Fresno Greek Festival - new hours and more attractions to celebrate 50 years of cultural extravaganza! 

Lake Tahoe Lake in the Sky Airshow - guaranteed fun for the whole family! 

Shaver Lake Musick Mountain Music Fest - fantastic music with Krossover, Bruce Conte, and Shuffle-Aires! 

Palo Alto Festival of the Arts - stroll along beautiful tree-lined University Avenue to celebrate the arts! 

Bodega Seafood, Art, and Wine Festival - Cedar Plank Salmon to BBQ Oysters, plus music, art, and rubber ducky racing! 

Taste of Petaluma - Sample everything that Petaluma’s upscale culinary scene has to offer in one afternoon! 

Gualala's Studio Discovery Tour - the last weekend of August and  Labor Day weekend!

September Events and Festivals in Northern California

NorCal Winery; CC Jim G

California Wine Month - Governor Brown annually proclaims that September is California Wine Month!

Inter-Mountain Fair - held since 1918, this fair draws crowds of 30,000 people to McArthur every year!

Old Sacramento's Gold Rush Days - 200 tons of dirt, turning back the clock on Labor Day Weekend!

Labor Day Weekend Arts & Crafts Festival - formerly the Cedar Center Arts & Crafts Festival, heralds the end of Summer in Arnold!

Foresthill's Heritage Festival - Celebrates A Proud Heritage and A Bright Future over Labor Day!

Lake Tahoe's Autumn, Food, and Wine Festival - the premier gourmet food and wine festival in the Sierra Nevada!

Olympic Valley's Foam Fest & Alpen Wine Fest - taste beers with your music on Saturday, and wine with your music on Sunday!

Art and Wine on Broadway - is Millbrae's Last Blast of Summer, filled with arts & crafts, food, drink, and music!

The Sausalito Art Festival - world-class artists showcasing their talents on Labor Day Weekend!

Sonoma Wine Country Weekend - Chefs Serve. Winemakers Pour. & the Proceeds Matter!

Lake County Fair - A favorite summertime event in Lake County!

Lake Tahoe Fireworks Extravaganza - exploding over Lake Tahoe!

Mammoth Lakes' Labor Day Festival of the Arts - premier fine arts and crafts festival, also over Labor Day Weekend!

Gualala's Studio Discovery Tour - the last weekend of August and  Labor Day weekend! 

Graeagle's Antiques and Collectibles Faire - surrounded by mountains, forests, and meadows!

Cool Mountain Nights - Mt. Shasta's show 'n shine, music, and family fun in the shadow of Mount Shasta!

Willow Creek's Bigfoot Days - celebrates 56 years in 2016 with a parade, bigfoot encounters, and lawn mower races!

Livermore Valley Harvest Wine Festival - must be 21 or older! 

Point Reyes Sand Sculpture Contest - FREE family fun on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend! 

Chico's Gold Cup Race of Champions - The Biggest Little Sprint Car Race in the World!

Gold Country Fair - four days of Gold Country fun in Auburn!

CA State Capitol Museum Admission Day Celebration - 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM; celebrate California's admittance as the 31st state! 

Fort Bragg's Wine Song - celebrate wine, food, music, art and giving!

Santa Cruz Greek Festival - Enjoy food, music, dancing, and spirits!

Preston Castle Wine Tasting and Tour - tour historic Preston Castle in Ione while sipping Amador County's finest!

Korbel's Flavors of Fall - celebrates crush with food pairings in Guerneville!

Ebbetts Pass Scenic Celebration - Come Play on the Pass!

Chico World Music Festival - a full weekend of musical entertainment, dance, and art!

Capitola Art & Wine Festival - a fun weekend for the whole family with art, wine, music, and food!

Sumerfest Chico - a celebration of food, music, and life in Chico complete with food samples!

Palo Cedro Honey Bee Festival - family fun activities, vendors, live entertainment, and the Live Bee Beard Demo!

Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival - more chocolate coming your way! 

Art in the Adobes Festival (Art in the Gardens, as of 2015) - this festival features fine art in the historic Monterey adobe gardens!

Mendocino County Fair, Apple Show  - An old fashioned country fair featuring rodeo, sheep dog trials, animal judging, midway, square dancing hoedown and a parade! 

American River Music Festival - four days of camping, amazing music, and a river rafting trip in the Coloma-Lotus area!

Pleasanton Harvest Festival - Still the best craft show around featuring American, handmade arts and crafts!

Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival - Two great festivals; One exciting weekend!

Mountain View Art and Wine Festival - A festival like no other! See for yourself!!

Willits Roots of Motive Power Festival - Getting all steamed up!

Highland Gathering and Scottish Games - pageantry, Mary Queen of Scots, massed pipe bands, and march of the clans in Fresno!

California Brewers Festival - Brews, bands, and bountiful edibles - what more could you want (maybe a good cigar?)! 

Woodland Chili Throwdown - unlimited chili and salsa tasting!

Groveland's 49er Festival - Celebrate the California Gold Rush and check out the wood carve off, musical entertainment, and more!

Northern California Renaissance Faire - buxom lasses and bawdy lads every weekend for five weeks at Casa de Fruta, near Hollister

Jewish Food Faire - delicious traditional & specialty foods, arts & crafts, and community friendship in Carmichael at Congregation Beth Shalom!

Monterey Jazz Festival - the longest-running jazz festival in the world!

End of Summer Show-N-Shine - the day will be filled with food, fun, live music, and loads of hot rods, street rods, classics, customs and antiques!

Wine Country Film Festival - A roving festival set among spectacular outdoor settings and select theaters! 

Walnut Creek Walnut Festival - celebrating the walnut harvest season!

Monterey Bay Birding Festival - From Condors to Snowy Plovers!

fashionArt in Santa Cruz - see local models strut down the runway featuring extraordinary fashion collection!

Oroville Salmon Festival - fish-flavored activities celebrating the spawning salmon! 

Kelseyville Pear Festival - showcasing a small town's agricultural heritage! 

Taste of Morgan Hill - Local artists, local foods, local beverages - it's local, local, local!

Taste of Chico - Fabulous local fare while you stroll Downtown Chico! 

Tehama District Fair - four days of county fair fun in Red Bluff!

You'll find Northern California events and festivals occur during each and every month of the year!

• January through March Events and Festivals
  Food festivals, music festivals, whale festivals, and a LOT about chocolate!
  
• April through June Events and Festivals
  Spring has sprung and we're getting outdoors!
  
• July through September Events and Festivals
  Summer's rolling on into Autumn with harvest and wine events and festivals!
• October through December Events and Festivals
  Fall into Winter with whale watching and snow sports!
  

Looking for events and festivals that center on a favorite food? Those are my favorites, too! Take a look at Fun Food Festivals

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