Festival Napa Valley
Load up your RV and head to Napa Valley this summer to enjoy world-class performances, delicious food, and incredible wine.
Event information
Festival Napa Valley is an annual festival that celebrates food, wine, music, dance, and other performance arts. It takes place in California's beautiful Napa Valley, one of the world’s premier destinations for wine lovers. It is organized by the Napa Valley Festival Association and is typically held during the summer months. The festivities take place over ten days.
The event features over 200 chefs, vintners, restaurants, wineries, theatres, and resorts. Guests can also enjoy performances by some of the country’s top musicians. Additionally, there are free concerts by emerging young artists. The concerts take place in gorgeous settings like vineyards, resorts, estates, and wineries dotted throughout Napa Valley.
Classical musicians like Joshua Bell, Piotr Anderszewski, Shelly Berg, Hélène Grimaud, Ildar Abdrazakov, Christine Brewer, Francesco Demuro, Matt Haimovitz, James Galway, and Ángel Romero have performed at Festival Napa Valley in the past. Musical ensembles and orchestras like the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Emerson String Quartet, Russian National Orchestra, and Young People's Chorus of New York City have also been a part of the event.
Over 10,000 visitors attend the festival every year. Some of the proceeds from the event go toward funding arts education in the region’s public schools. While in the area, you may also wish to visit San Francisco, San Pablo Bay, or Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which each offer their own beauty and history to California.
Tickets
Some of the performances are free, while you’ll need to purchase passes for others. If tickets are sold out online, you may still be able to purchase them at the gate. These are limited in number and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
There are also patron passes on offer for those who’d like to enjoy exclusive perks and privileges. These range in price from $1,250 (Solo Day Pass) to $10,000 (Multiple-Day Passport). Every year free tickets are distributed to local seniors, students, and veterans. More information on tickets and pricing is available online for Festival Napa Valley.
Explore Festival Napa Valley RV Rentals
Transportation
Driving
Napa Valley is about an hour away from San Francisco. The festival takes place at various venues in Napa. If you’re attending the concerts, plan on getting there 30 minutes ahead of time. You may need to arrive even earlier if you want to attend the receptions that take place before the concerts begin. CA-29 and CA-121 may bring you near the various venues throughout Napa Valley.
Parking areas
Paid on-street car parking is available close to the venues, and some of them have parking spaces of their own. There are also a number of garages where parking spaces can be booked in advance. If you’re attending an event in Lincoln Theatre, keep in mind that the parking lot is a ten-minute walk away from the seating area. Valet parking is available to guests who need it. If you're in an RV, it's a good idea to park your rig at your campsite and head to the event using another mode of transportation to your chosen concert events.
Public Transportation
The public bus system in Napa Valley is called Vine Transit, and it is pretty well-connected and reliable. However, some of the wineries and estates can be hard to reach using public transportation. In such cases, you may be better off using a tow vehicle or a ride-hailing service to get to your chosen activities.
Where to stay
Onsite
Festival Napa Valley does not provide onsite camping options, but the area welcomes travelers to choose an RV campground nearby and enjoy the scenery.
Nearby
RV camping is an affordable way to explore Napa Valley with flexibility and on your own schedule. Whether you’re looking for primitive RV camping or full-service sites, you’ll find several options to choose from in the area. San Francisco North / Petaluma KOA rests about a 50-minute drive to the west of most of the concert venues. The Bothe-Napa Valley State Park has excellent hiking trails and offers shower facilities within the same distance but to the northwest. Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is also just northwest of Napa Valley, welcoming RVers to relax in its outdoor spaces.
Getting around
Napa Valley runs about 30 miles in length, mostly north to south, and five miles wide. Some venues may be close enough to one another to walk between while others will not be; remember to glance at the locations as you select your activities. All the concert venues are ADA compliant and accessible by wheelchair. Most wineries are accessible, although some areas can be challenging to navigate by wheelchair.
What to pack
Clothing
For the daytime concerts and luncheons, guests will be dressed in casual but elegant clothing to suit warm weather. The nighttime events tend to be dressier occasions with the men in sport coats and the women in evening dresses. You may need to walk on uneven terrain like grass and gravel paths in some areas, so keep this in mind when packing your shoes.
Gear
Many of the events take place outdoors, so carry sunscreen and re-apply it often. A hat and sunglasses are also useful to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. Though it’s warm during the day, it can get quite chilly at night. Stash some extra blankets in your RV for nighttime.
Health & Safety
Guests often enjoy sampling wine and other alcoholic drinks at Festival Napa Valley. Remember to assign a designated driver to get back to your campsite or use a taxi or ridesharing service. To help with safety, organizers typically work with local services to offer discounts to guests. Whether or not you choose any alcoholic beverages, be sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Where to eat
Cooking
Once you’ve indulged in all the delicious food on offer at the festival, you may want to head back to your campsite and cook up a light dinner. You are likely to be quite tired after all the walking through Napa Valley, so stock up on ready-to-go snacks and sandwiches. If lighting a fire is an integral part of your camping experience, check in advance what regulations your campground has during July.
Restaurants
Napa Valley is the perfect place to enjoy a luxurious multi-course meal at a Michelin starred restaurant. It is also an ideal destination for lovers of good wine. Local chefs go out of their way to make the most of the beautiful fresh produce available in the area. So you’re in line for some incredible culinary experiences.
Vendors
Guests will be treated to exquisite food and unparalleled hospitality at Festival Napa Valley. The event’s annual celebration of food is called “Taste of Napa.” It takes place at one of the resorts affiliated with the event and includes a tasting village and food market. Here visitors can sample fare from over 70 artisans, restaurants, wineries.
Safety
Security
The safety of patrons is taken very seriously at Festival Napa Valley. Private security personnel will be responsible for making sure guests have a peaceful and enjoyable experience. Guests can expect to have some level of variation for security between the different venues. Since some events are outdoors under large tents and some are indoors, this will also affect how each activity allows entry.
Weather
Napa Valley is known for it’s warm and sunny summer weather. Visitors can enjoy temperatures ranging in the low 80s during the day. However, the nights are considerably cooler, so it's a good idea to carry a lightweight jacket or covering. Check if any weather or road alerts have been issued in Napa County or the surrounding areas before starting on your trip.
Medical
If you or someone you know requires medical assistance, you can flag down one of the festival staff members for help. Patrons with dietary restrictions will want to notify the concierge ahead of time so that preparations can be made accordingly. Festival Napa Valley organizers can be contacted directly for requests regarding the accessibility of a specific venue.
