California Official Visitor's Guide - UK - 36

Monterey Jazz Festival

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Hoes Down Harvest Festival. Celebrate the
end of harvest season at Full Belly Farm, in the
Central Valley region's Capay Valley. Kid-friendly
activities include sheep shearing and making ice
cream, while grown-ups enjoy guided bike tours
to area farms. hoesdown.org

Farmers' markets. Like mini-festivals every
weekend (and sometimes during the week too),
these low-key events pop up statewide. Look
for just-picked produce and artisanal crafts and
foods. cafarmersmkts.com
Mariachi USA. Hear mariachi bands and see folk
dances from the U.S. and Mexico in Los Angeles's
iconic Hollywood Bowl. The event ends with a
huge fireworks show. mariachiusa.com

JULY
America celebrates its birthday every 4th
of July, with traditional Independence
Day fireworks booming across the state.
Everybody heads outside-to surf, barbecue,
and go to festivals.
California State Fair. Enjoy rides, farm animals,
and horse races, plus bluegrass and other types
of music in the state capital of Sacramento, in
the Gold Country. castatefair.org
Festival of Arts Pageant of the Masters. This
multi-week extravaganza in the Orange County
city of Laguna Beach features classic works of
art recreated by costumed actors on lavish sets.
foapom.com
Gilroy Garlic Festival. Love garlic? Then
don't miss this wildly popular event on the
Central Coast, with chefs making garlic the
star in everything from chips to ice cream.
gilroygarlicfestival.com
San Diego Beer Festival. Sample the region's
outstanding craft beers at this lively event,
featuring more than 60 local beers and ciders.
sandiegobeerfest.com
Vans U.S. Open of Surfing. The best amateur
and pro surfers carve it up at Orange County's
Huntington Beach, home to the International
Surfing Museum. vansusopenofsurfing.com

AUGUST
It's peak season at California's farms, with
celebrations focusing on the state's incredible bounty, especially in its agricultural
heartlands.

36 | VISITCALIFORNIA.CO.UK

Corning Olive Festival. Celebrate California's
olive orchards, which produce 95 percent of
America's olives. This event in the Shasta
Cascade region features a parade, orchard tours,
and kid-friendly contests, like who can spit an
olive pit farthest. corningcachamber.org
Tomato Festival. Surrounded by the Central
Valley's tomato fields, historic Woodland hosts
tomato tastings, chef contests and salsa
competitions. woodlandtomatofestival.com

SEPTEMBER
Locals know this is California's secret
summer, with warm days and a fog-free
coast. Labour Day marks the traditional end
of summer, with kids heading back to school,
crowds thinning, and prices often dropping
after the holiday.
American River Music Festival. This Gold
Country tradition in the town of Coloma brings
together bluegrass and other musicians in a
relaxed outdoor setting. americanrivermusic.org
California Wine Month. Harvest time in wine
country brings special tastings, dinners with wine
pairings, and special events across the state.
discovercaliforniawines.com
Monterey Jazz Festival. Big-name musicians,
like Pat Metheny and Quincy Jones, take the
stage at this major Central Coast music event-
the largest jazz event in the world, featuring
some 500 performers. montereyjazzfestival.org

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER
Winter starts to roll in, with blustery storms
and snow in the mountains revving things
up at alpine resorts. It's also time for family,
topped up by Thanksgiving celebrations.

Ski and snowboard season begins. Even if
early-season storms are slight, snow-making
efforts at mountain resorts in the High Sierra and
Inland Empire regions get under way as soon as
temperatures drop. Get the latest conditions at
californiasnow.com

PAGE 3

Ridgecrest Petroglyph Festival. In the Deserts
region, join a tour to see Native American rock
art dating back thousands of years. Also enjoy an
authentic inter- tribal powwow, plus a street fair,
wild burros, and music. rpfestival.com

Twin Lakes
7:35 pm

DECEMBER
Holidays brighten the long nights of winter,
with entire towns (and some harbours)
dressed up with twinkling lights and decorated
trees. Spirited festivals and feasts abound.
Bracebridge Dinners. At sumptuous productions
in snowy Yosemite Valley, costumed revellers
perform as you feast in the spectacular main dining room at The Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly
the Ahwahnee). bracebridgedinners.com

Autumn brings shorter days and a snap to the
air, but still brilliant blue skies. Halloween, the
last day of the month, is a seasonal charmer,
with kids carving pumpkins, dressing up in
costumes, and gorging on sweet treats.

Nevada City Victorian Christmas. With its
Victorian-era buildings, this Gold Country town
is the perfect setting for a festival directly from
a Charles Dickens novel. Ride carriages, enjoy
costumed carollers, and browse for handmade
crafts. nevadacitychamber.com

Alpine Aspen Festival. Autumn colour paints
the High Sierra with gold this time of year. This
region near Lake Tahoe is one of the best places
to catch the show. Enjoy music, food, and flyfishing demonstrations. alpineaspenfestival.org

Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade. This
Orange County town turns Newport Harbor into a
spectacular floating light show, with boat owners
decorating their crafts, then parading them after
dark. newportbeachboatparade.com

Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival.
Celebrate the season in this Central Coast town,
with carving contests, giant pumpkin weight
contests, music, and pumpkin-flavoured food
and drink. pumpkinfest.miramarevents.com

Snowglobe. This wintertime blowout in South
Lake Tahoe, in the snowy High Sierra, showcases
ska, hip-hop, and popular music genre blends.
Bring your parka and watch snowboarding and
skiing exhibitions. snowglobemusicfestival.com

Make Mammoth Lakes your base to experience the grandeur of Yosemite
National Park, Mono Lake, and Bodie - the official ghost town of California.
With driving distances being under one hour to these unique places, Mammoth Lakes
allows visitors to enjoy the mountain lifestyle and escape the crowds. Plan a day
in Mammoth Lakes to take the gondola to the top of Mammoth Mountain, ride the
convenient shuttle to Devils Postpile National Monument, or rent bikes to
cruise along the over 35 kilometers of paved bike trails in Mammoth Lakes.
Winter fun is had skiing on world-famous Mammoth Mountain, one of
the official training mountains of the U.S. Olympic Team.
CRAIG LOVELL/ALAMY

Coast event. Watch chef demonstrations, see
artichoke-themed art, and cheer for the annual
Artichoke Queen. artichokefestival.org

National Football League. Professional
American football season begins this month, and
one of the best places to catch the game is at
Levi's Stadium, the Santa Clara home of the San
Francisco 49ers. The ultra-high-tech stadium has
fancy dining, a pub, a museum, and lavish luxury
boxes. 49ers.com

Anytime of the year, in Mammoth Lakes, there are No Small Adventures!

http://www.hoesdown.org http://www.artichokefestival.org http://www.49ers.com http://www.corningcachamber.org http://www.cafarmersmkts.com http://www.woodlandtomatofestival.com http://www.mariachiusa.com http://www.californiasnow.com http://www.rpfestival.com http://www.americanrivermusic.org http://www.castatefair.org http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com http://www.foapom.com http://www.montereyjazzfestival.org http://www.bracebridgedinners.com http://www.gilroygarlicfestival.com http://www.sandiegobeerfest.com http://www.nevadacitychamber.com http://www.vansusopenofsurfing.com http://www.alpineaspenfestival.org http://www.newportbeachboatparade.com http://pumpkinfest.miramarevents.com http://www.snowglobemusicfestival.com http://VISITCALIFORNIA.CO.UK

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