I truly enjoyed this candy extravaganza. Plenty of candy treats of all kinds from numerous vendors…read more Balloon artists added to the fun. Food booths added to the festivities. I enjoyed it as well as the grandkids

I don't even know what was going on. I just wanted to make a quick stop at the jelly belly factory…read moreand get a couple pounds of my sweet sugar, I am seriously addicted to the chocolate covered cherry dots. So I get near the factory and then I am guided into this dirty parking lot , the car gets dusty, there are particle boards acting as makeshift curbs which allowed you to drive onto the baron dust lot. I was kind of excited, I thought surely the candy festival was going to be a cornucopia of sweet delights. How disappointing It was to walk into the festival and see random vendor after vendor and you look at what they have to offer, it isn't candy, it's cra...fts... Lots and lot of random crafts, like the kind you see at a state fair. No candy from around the world exhibit, no candy education, not even a retro candy pop-up store, I was ready to be hopped up on some of that sweet stuff and alas, not as much as one confection connection was made, and when I saw how long the line as in the store, I left. Boo-Hoo right? I got over it.

Hawaiian cultural in the Napa Valley…read more ALOHA! This was our first year attending the Aloha Festival in Napa Valley. Actually, I just happened to see a friend's Yelp check-in from my feed [thanks, Gerald!] and we decided to stop by. We didn't know about this annual event. This year the cultural festival celebrated their 10th year. The event was held this past weekend, (Sat and Sun) Sept 16-17 from 10a-6p and is near downtown Napa and the courthouse. Parking and admission are free. Walked inside the building and immediately you will see lots of souvenir vendors selling anything from Hawaiian sterling silver jewelry (love the plumeria flower anklets) to aloha shirts and novelty tees to fun Hawaiian home decors and wares (see my photo about the "slippahs"). It was fun walking around. Reminded me of a tiny version of the outdoor swap meet in Hawaii at the Aloha Stadium. I lived in Hawaii for 3 years and I miss the Aloha spirit. Outside are all kinds of food vendors offering treats from hot malasadas to shave ice to BBQ plate lunches to fresh Maui pineapples... and more merchandise vendors offering coolio Hawaiian arts and crafts. On stage were Hawaiian performers and musicians from Hawaiian and Polynesian communities that entertained the crowd in the grass area and under a huge shaded covered tent. There were bleachers and some picnic tables in the premises. Definitely a family friendly event. The food was a bit pricey for us: $6 for shave ice, $13 for a garlic shrimp lunch plate (regular or spicy), 4-pcs of hot malasadas for $6 (regular or cream filled), $1 for a slice of Maui pineapple just to name a few. Saw some interactive cultural presentations as well and they were making leis. The annual Napa Valley Aloha Festival is held on the third weekend in September at the Napa Valley Expo on 3rd Street. You can bring folding lawn chairs and/or blankets/mats to watch the live entertainment on the grass area but the following are NOT allowed: pets (except for service animals), alcohol, drugs and No Bad Attitudes! Mahalo! and Shaka Hawaii! Review #0851

My Aloha Spirit has become stronger this year since my father passed a few months back. Anything…read moreand everything of Hawaii reminds me of him because the Aloha Spirit is so warm, kind, loving, and all that reminds me of my childhood in Hawaii as well as him. 2015 was a hot year with temperatures reaching above 95. Fortunately the concert area had a large sunscreen above the stage and seating area and the DJ constantly reminded all the visitors to stay hydrated. You're more than welcome to bring in your own cooler (bottled water was $2 so I do suggest bringing your own water bottles), lawn chairs, and blankets but no pets or alcohol were allowed. They had a handful of food vendors. From malasadas, shaved ice, hot dogs, pork lau lau, to sushi. We ordered four malasadas that tasted pretty average, shaved ice (li hing/haupia with ice cream and a dash of li hing mui) that was alright, a plate of pork lau lau with lomi lomi salmon, rice, and mac salad. The pork lau lau tasted pretty good and so did the lomi lomi salmon. I did not eat the rice or the mac salad. The sales vendors had to of been around 25 or so. From dresses and sarongs for keiki's, woman's (and of course men's) regular size to plus size, jewelers, people that make fabric lei's, hyn clothing brand(s), fake flowers, pictures, and small trinkets. Some vendors took card but it's a good idea to bring cash. EASILY I could of stayed the whole day. We laid a blanket down and enjoyed the beautiful music, the different types of halaus, and the seeing the keikis play around us. It was great to speak pigeon and have others understand what I'm saying. Overall, it was fun. Great family atmosphere, music, dancing, and food.

Great time. Lots of amazing shows and music. The vendors are incredibly skilled and amaze me. Make…read moresure to order tickets ahead of time, they sold out for one of the days we planned to go so we had to shove the adventure into one day instead of two. Secondarily, GET THERE EARLY. Traffic and parking is crazy if you get there after opening.

Nothing like it. The event, the performers, vendors etc. i suggest to people just go. I don't drink…read moreanymore but always great beer that started right there on the waterfront next to where the festival is held

Absolutely loved this! Every year we go and it's always exciting! Even with all the rain, the…read morehouses were still beautiful and everyone was so jolly!! I look forward to it every year!

Love seeing the smiles and joy that Candy Cane and Lollipop Lane bring during the holidays.read more

We have attended this festival twice (2024 & 2026) with our local friends and loved it! It's well…read moreorganized and an enjoyable way to walk around downtown Napa. We will continue to attend each year provided the weather cooperates. This year (2026) I loved the gnomes, but I was a bit disappointed with the artist talks on opening night of the festival, as the gallery venue was very noisy and the artists were mingling with guests in the gallery when we arrived. There was a mic set up and I would have preferred that the artists done brief presentations on their exhibits with the mic before they mingled. The event felt a bit chaotic and my group left quickly when we realized that the artists were not doing formal talks. We enjoyed walking along the river to watch the sunset instead near the lighted art exhibits!

The Napa Lighted Art Festival is a must see event when in Napa. It's truly magical!…read more Elementa by Leslie Epsztein & Camille Gross was my absolute favorite. The projection was reflected onto First Presbyterian Church, the four fundamental elements of cosmogony--Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Holding Dance by Wendy Yu, was equally beautiful. The projection captures time-loss through dance and movement from present to past. Parking can be a bit of a challenge, we opted to park a bit away from downtown and that worked great. Bundle up, it gets cold at night. Bring snacks or you can stop and support local restaurants. Can't wait to be back! Pros: -Beautiful art -Family friendly and pet friendly Cons: -Parking can be a challenge Uno dieciocho dos mil viente cinco

First time ever really checking out the city of Benicia. So being able to be a part of this…read moreparticular event that took place at their waterfront was quite perfect location to have it at. Antique/classic car show was hosted at the waterfront. What a beautiful day it was to have it. Everything is well organized. There was a selection of food trucks there as well. And a tasting for the alcoholic beverages. It was kind of neat the downtown area connected to the waterfront. Classic car show event as well. For a lot more people to enjoy viewing the history of Benicia. Lots of attendees. Took a walk on the dock and was able to see the beautiful bridge and a couple of boats out on the waterfront. This location can also be considered a relaxing place to do some fishing gorgeous sit and the view or maybe even have lunch while you're out there. Definitely is that the most with any type of activities. Having the classic car show take place at this location definitely was the right choice.

What a waste of money. $15 to enter the place. Only about 20 booths. I Food was OK. Music was OK…read more Overall just disappointing.

Have tomatoes and wine at your tomato and wine festival for starters…read more And if you're only going to have one vendor selling tomatoes to eat, do not have soul sistas fried green tomatoes as the vendor. We waited for 50 mins for 5 soggy no flavor havin green tomatoes and under cooked and no flavor having French fries. That was after we saw them serve a customer that was behind us before us who had the same order. She didn't think we noticed but we were standing right at the back of the tent. We saw it go down right before our eyes. It was ridiculous. The car show was nice, the weather was good, but the festival was just not what was advertised.

Waste of time. And money. Sista's green tomatoes is more like miss ta green tomatoes. Waited 45…read moreminutes for soggy breaded discs of nothing and an order of semi cooked French fries. Very rude staff

We had a wonderful time at the Dixon Mayfair. Even though the fair was only in town for a few days,…read moreit was a highlight for my son. He absolutely loves fairs and rides, so we made sure to get the wristband to make it worth it. Because the lines were getting long, we also opted for the fast pass this time, it made things much easier. He got to hit all his favorites: the big slide, the trampoline, several fun mazes, and plenty of coasters. We spent about 4.5 hours there, and while it was a very hot day, we found a few great spots to cool off. The beer garden and the wine tasting area were perfect, they offered plenty of shade where we could sit down and had some tacos. By the end of the day, we were pretty exhausted from the heat, so we were incredibly grateful for the train/bus ride that took us straight to the parking lot. It was the perfect way to end a fun, busy day.

This fair is alright. It has most of the basic rides and food vendors. It is kinda small like your…read moreyacto too. The security gate is super slow. They must work on a faster process. The line was way too long to get in. The cash only for beer is bull shit because they have ATM's everywhere. The food was mid. The beer options were very limited. There should be a lot more craft available. I'm on the fence about visiting again.

If Benicia could be summarized up in one event, it would be the Peddlers Fair. Everyone in town…read morecomes to this and the word is starting to spread throughout the Bay Area. The fair features cool antique goods, crafts, delicious food, beer, and live music. It's hosted by the volunteers at St. Paul's, who do an amazing job transforming the entirety of First Street in a matter of hours. It averages over 20,000 guests a year, and sells beautiful antiques, quirky handmade goods, clothes, toys, art, etc. All along the waterfront. There are over 300 vendors from all throughout California, selling a huge variety of items. It's family friendly, super fun and really represents the community of Benicia. It's circled on my calendar every year.

There is always a terrific amount of lovely art and other hand-made products on display and for…read moresale. Lots of people milling, but not too crowded. Good weather this year. Check out one of the pubs while you are there!