Celebrate California agriculture with like-minded fans at these gatherings centering on specific edible delights or simply hyper-local areas with something special to celebrate. Below is a list of 12 events—one per month—but when it comes to California food 和 beverage 节日, there are plenty more 节日 where that came from.
1月: Mendocino Crab, Beer & Wine Festival (诺). The fisherman, 酿酒师, 和 brewmasters of the North Coast show off their bounty at this festival, which features family-style crab feeds, winemaker dinners, surprising wine 和 crab pairings, 和 the popular Crab Cake Cook-off & Wine Competition.
2月: Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival (殖民地土著). Lovers of this sticky-sweet treat can get their fill of date-filled treats, as well as family-friendly entertainment 和 carnival rides. Don’t miss the camel 和 ostrich races, which are—as expected—unpredictable 和 hilarious to watch.
3月: Latin Food Fest (Santa Monica).L.A. version of this spicy festival is hosted next to the Santa Monica Pier 和 features cooking demos 和 tastings of Latin cuisine. There’s more here than just tacos, though—expect dishes with an influence from Salvador, 古巴, 玻利维亚, 和更多的. There’s also an event in San Diego in August 和 an Orange County event in November.
4月: California Nut Festival (奇科). Come sample locally grown foods 和 watch nut-inspired cooking demonstrations at this outdoor festival held on the historic grounds of the Patrick Ranch Museum. The festival also features live music, 艺术展, 和 a competition for the annual title of Nutty Chef.
阿美: California Strawberry Festival (奥克斯纳德). Enjoy the obligatory strawberry shortcake, 冰淇淋, 和 pie-eating contest, but also sample strawberry beer, strawberry popcorn, 和 even strawberry pizza. Strawberries are celebrated in multiple California regions in May, including at the Watsonville Strawberry Festival 和 Vista Strawberry Festival.
6月: Castroville Artichoke Festival (Castroville). These nutty-sweet edible thistles get fried, added to soups, 腌制, 腌, 烤, 和更多的 at this celebration of everything artichoke along the Central Coast.
7月: Gilroy Garlic Festival (尽). You can actually smell this popular festival before you see it. Enjoy chefs cooking up garlic specialties, a garlic cook-off, 和 dozens of vendors selling garlicky goods.
八月: Chula Vista Lemon Festival (Chula Vista). Celebrate Chula Vista's title of lemon capital of the world by partaking in one of the festival's juicy contests: pie eating, 酸的味道, or lemon peeling. Or simply kick back in the beer garden where, in addition to craft brews, you can sample flavors from Mike's Hard Lemonade—the premier sponsor, 当然. Yellow outfits encouraged.
9月: Sample the Sierra (South Lake Tahoe). Watch chefs pair up with farmers, 啤酒酿造商, 和 酿酒师 to create exciting dishes showcasing local produce, with wine pairings 和 entertainment too.
10月: Hoes Down Harvest Festival (Capay Valley). Kids flip over this family-friendly festival’s countless activities, like making 冰淇淋, climbing giant hay forts, 和 sheep-shearing. There are farm tours 和 special dinners too.
11月: Springville Apple Festival (Springville). Sample all things apple at this annual event held in Springville, about 90 minutes northeast of Bakersfield. The festival also ties in an apple-themed 5K run 和 beginner-friendly 8-mile fat-tire bike race.
12月: Indio International Tamale Festival (殖民地土著). Just south of Palm Springs, you can eat your way through plenty of authentic tamales in Indio. The festival includes a recipe competition, tamale-eating contest, mariachis, 和 a car show.
