My brother really enjoys the Melodrama and talked us into going to see their Christmas show. This…read moreis a really fun experience. It's a great way to get away from the hustle and stress of Christmas and just enjoy some live entertainment. The atmosphere is awesome. Everyone has a smile. The actors are fun and engaging. No one takes themselves too seriously, which is weird because melodrama is in the name. ;) They have a snack bar. We got free popcorn because my brother has season tickets. And, I must say, it's pretty darn good popcorn. This is a wonderful family experience, and if you can get tickets. I really recommend you try them out.

I've been going to the Melodrama in Bakersfield for over 40 years, and somehow they still manage to…read moresurprise me with every single show! With the gaslight melodrama within 2 miles of my house, I can't seem to stay away. The energy, the talent, and the sheer fun this place delivers never fades. The actors are incredible and always giving 110% and the staff is just as amazing, making every visit feel warm and welcoming. The skits are absolutely hilarious, the kind of humor that has you laughing long after the show ends. And the food? Always delicious and the perfect addition to a night of entertainment. After four decades of attending local shows, I can honestly say the Gaslight Melodrama continues to be one of my favorite places in Bakersfield. If you've never been, you're missing out on a true local treasure!

Such friendly staff and the show was amazing! My friend and…read moreI saw "Beautiful: Carole King Musical" and it was amazing! The staff were very accommodating and showed us to our seats! Will definitely go again:)

I took a friend of mine to see Sweeney Todd on 11 / 2 . The music backing up the vocals was way…read moretoo loud and made it well nigh impossible to hear and understand much of the dialog. I wouldn't give that performance one star. I just wasted $70.00 on a lot of unintelligible noise. Major disappointment.

I love the people here. There is a great sense of support and an environment to learn. The space…read moreis wonderful for an improv show - lights, stage, AC, sound, etc. It's a great place to enjoy a show!

I stumbled upon the Center for Improv Advancement at a workshop put on by a local art gallery a…read morecouple years back. I had no idea this town had that kind of talent, and I started seeing their shows in the back of a restaurant way across town. They would totally involve their audience in the process, and every show was completely different from the last. With everything made up right on the spot like in "Who's Line is it Anyway?" only better. Then they got their own venue and started putting on classes. I signed up for the first one, and took that series of classes and then the intermediate classes that came after that. I can't even begin to tell you how fun that was or how much I learned. I even got invited to take part in an improv competition which was an absolute BLAST. Some shows are family friendly and some are not, so if that's important to you, look carefully at what they're offering the night/time you want to go (www.ciacomedy.com). If you have a medical condition or have had a surgery and laughing would cause you harm, then wait until you heal up a bit, because trust me--you're going to laugh. At $5.00 per show, it is, in my opinion, the most fun you can have in Bakersfield without someone calling the cops.

Parents Beware!!My teenager was very anxious to go tonight. However was disgusted with the kind of…read moredancing going on by the teenagers in the dark room. Not appropriate for minors at all.

We moved to Bakersfield almost two years ago from Georgia. We found out about Halloween town last…read moreyear too late, it was close to closing time. This year, we went every other day. They changed their pricing to free admission, and you pay only for what you ride or do. Some things are free. They grown their own pumpkins and corn, which is SOOOO COOOOL. They have a corn maze and corn pit where the kids can swim in an ocean of corn. Be ready to leave with corn in your underwear if you get in. There are pony rides, singing pumpkins, a tube slide, bouncy castles, and this year they had barrel rides. I saw someone comment that the hay ride was nothing more than driving around the lot and looking at storage. That was 100% untrue. Last year the hayride rode through a scary tunnel and it was nicely decorated for Halloween. This year the barrels rode by the haunted house, which was enough of a scare for smaller children. My daughter, who is 7, loved it. Children don't see the world the way we do. Where an adult is riding and criticizing, like the reviewer, the children are happy to be on something new, moving. My daughter wanted to go to Halloween Town EVERY DAY, so we tried! Since admission was free, it really made that easier on us. She is obsessed with anything to do with Halloween so imagine how it went when we had to explained they were going to be closed for a little while. I'm hoping they will plan more festivities throughout the year. There aren't a lot of places for children to go in Bakersfield, and this family have devoted their lives to making a place where families can do things together at an affordable price. I talked to the owner and she said that was their inspiration. For anyone to give a bad review of their farm is upsetting because they certainly don't have to do the things they're doing. I'm sure the cost of admission barely covers what it costs to pay their bills. As a community, we should support local businesses. This is one deserving of support. Aside from that they have a beautiful thing going and Bakersfield children finally have a place, centrally located, to enjoy! It's too bad they can't grow Christmas trees! Maybe little palm trees? The haunted house, is AMAZING! They put a lot of work into it. I cant wait to see what they come up with next year!

Mesmerica was an amazing show. This is a true hidden gem. I can't wait for more shows like this.read more

Wow. What a fantastic show. Tonight was Black Holes. Nick Strobel is an amazing fount of…read moreinformation. What a great secret on campus of Bakersfield College. Free parking when you go to the show. In the small side so order your tickets early online. Seniors and children $6. Adults $8. The one drawback is the $3 per ticket service charge. That adds up quickly if you have a large group.

Bakersfield Village Fest is definitely the party of the year. I was fortunate to obtain VIP access…read moreto the venue. We were able to park at the VIP lot and avoid crowds, enter the VIP entrance, and access to the VIP lounge with snacks, drinks and most importantly, clean restrooms. The VIPs were also welcomed in an hour early for dinner. At the entrance there is a metal detector and bag check. The website said clear bags only, so I prepared accordingly but they weren't too strict with enforcing it. We were given a village fest cup and a stamp card. The event sponsors Big Wave Kona had a large booth with ample staff pouring our first drink to get us started. We definitely felt the aloha! We started off in the VIP area to eat dinner. Then it was party party for the rest of the night. There were 4 different stages of live music, 100+ brews, 70+ wines, and unlimited food and snack samples from the local businesses. I have been to many food and spirits type of festivals and this one is without a doubt the best one I've been to. Loving the VIP life. Can't wait to come back for next year's Village Fest!!

So great in so many ways. Fabulous food, great music, outstanding beers and wine, clean outhouses…read moreetc. One HUGE problem though. The massive amounts of second hand smoke. Especially cigar smoke. Folks can smoke ANYWHERE. In food lines, on the dance floors, in front of the high powered fans etc. And there is a LOT of it. Really quite unbelievable. And while someone might argue a good cigar is pleasant, this is definitely not true of second hand cigar smoke! It's stomach churning putrid nonsense. Why not have designated zones for this? I have no problem with designated zones. It is truly remarkable that this can occur.

My wife and I came to see a showing of Our Lady of the Tortilla, and we had a great experience. The…read moretheater was fairly small, but the performance felt very personal and was very enjoyable. The actors/actresses did a great job, the location was nice (being fairly close to our house) and the concession stands had a good amount of food and drinks to choose from (including mixed drinks, beer, and wine!!). We will definitely be back, and will definitely recommend!!

My husband and I came her to watch our friend perform in NUTS, a story about Claudia Draper. I had…read morenever been to this location of Stars. It's a small, quaint building for a performing arts theater. Upon arrival, we were greeted in a friendly manner and I was excited to see I could purchase tickets at the door, since it wasn't the main Stars Restaurant and Theater. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars is because the outdoor lighting wasnt very good and had I not been 100% sure that the showing was at this location I would have drove away and gone all the way downtown to their main location. Additionally, I am three weeks post op and there really wasnt parking and I arrived at 7 and had to walk quite a distance to get where I needed to go.

This was the 2nd Annual Tamale Fest and I was excited to check it out. When you enter at the gate…read morethey give you some tickets for your free tamales. When you go to get your tamales, you're given 4 1/4 pieces, so basically you're given 1 free tamale, but 4 different flavors. This event is brand new to Bakersfield and I do anticipate it to grow in the future. It wasn't a bad event at all, there were at least 10-15 vendors/trucks out there selling crafts or food. Music was provided by a live band and there was a little bit of stage entertainment. You're able to bring your own folding chairs from what I was able to see and there's lots of room for growth. One thing I'm hoping to see in the next years as this event grows is more restaurants showing off their tamales. Maybe even a tamale throw down. I only saw 2-3 different trucks, which I think is okay since it was their 2nd event. When we went there was supposed to be some kind of tamale eating contest, but I think something happened in the process. Hopefully we can check out that contest next year and see who can put it down. ;-)