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.

The roads of Napa definitely aren't designed to handle an event like this but the grounds itself…read morewas a good space for the festival. With VIP everything felt easier to navigate to, even in the mass crowds of people that can't tell their right from left. Food and drinks were wildly overpriced (as all festivals/concerts do)- but you'd hope consideration would be taken for full day (multi-day at that) festivals. Water stations were available to fill your bottle and shade was readily available in VIP, but I noticed little if any for GA. This was my first time at Bottlerock and while I really liked the artists I saw, the sound check crew seemed to need a massive overhaul Saturday and Sunday. I went to one show on the Culinary Stage but screen production was all over the place so you couldn't really see what was going on with the chefs/artists unless you were right in it. Bush played for over 20mins on the VIP Stage with muffled, quiet vocals before they could finally figure it out- and then it was the same for Kool & The Gang's start on Prudential. Music festivals, at the end of the day, are a great opportunity to experience artists you didn't even know you needed to know- so I'll be back- even with the chaos!

When it comes to music festivals, there's really no place better than California/Napa Valley. It's…read morea pretty large event so you can expect the usual challenges with finding parking and navigating large crowds, but purchasing the VIP or other premium ticket options is well worth it for the bathrooms, food, and proximity to the stage. Will be back every year that I can make it!

White mushroom event was not worthy it at all. Paid over $100 per person for about 1 hour and half…read morelittle hiking trip. Several people left after 1 hour.

Every year I try to enjoy at least 1 event that this festival has to offer. If you like hors 'd…read moreoeuvres and freely walking around with your wine glass in a market, show up to oxbow in late January and check for the specific date where each participating business in the oxbow will offer a special dish complimenting truffles. You do not need reservation for this. You just have to struggle looking for parking. The price range of each small dish in the oxbow ranges between 12-30$ it's pretty fun walking around and trying a little bit of everything. If you are like me and is truffle crazy, make sure you reserve your tickets to the other events in the festival early because they always end up being sold out. I would say that some of the events were overpriced but hey, at least it's off the bucket list. See y'all at the 2023 truffle festival!

Horrible. Totally misleading…read more "Wine and Food Festival".. It's really a shitty expo. The first annual. First, i scoured the website because i like to know where i'm going and any other details i should know about like PARKING! No mention of paying $5 parking in a field of sticks, hay, rocks, and loose dirt or $20 "VIP" parking that was the same but a little closer. This is info to know for all those open-toed sandal wearin' ladies and flip flop wearin' motherfuckers. It's a $65-$75 admission and you check-in at a table where they give you a wine glass and inform you that you are to RETURN the wine glass prior to leaving. You make your way into CornerStone Gardens and it's packed. Vendor tables all lined up. Extremely packed, uncomfortable.. And CHILDREN and STROLLERS!.. As if it wasn't packed enough.. We have to make way for your stroller at a wine and food event. (Prick.) There were wine tastings and complimentary bite-sized nibbles. Everything else--- not included in your admission price. A large number of tables were for you to pay more. Not even marked or separated by any logic.. You could be waiting in a long line only to find when you get your turn, it's a selling table. And that's after rude ass adults swarm the side of the line and cut in front of you. It's a terrible representation of California's wine country. None of the wines that were offered were even any good. They showcased shitty wine. Even the tasting we paid for with Keating.. Shitty. I think if you're associated with this event, you should be blackballed.

Anything food related, I am soo there! But with WINE.. It basically sealed the deal for me. Advance…read moretickets to the festival were $65 per person and $75 at the door. There are packages that you could buy for both the festival and the wine symposium, but since we got a deal through TravelZoo for two tickets at the price of one, we just opted for the general admission. We had no expectations for this event as it was the 1st time anything like this was held. We received two Riedel glasses to use during the event and off we went to explore the beautiful CornerStone Gardens! Some tips as with any festival or outdoor event: 1. Ladies, dress cute if you want to. It's a classy event. Check the weather, but on this day, the weather was perfect for a shawl or a light jacket. I had to go back to my car to drop off my peacoat. 2. Another tip for the ladies: Don't wear heels, wedges, or even open toe, as matter of fact. Wear comfortable shoes.. You don't have to wear ugly running shoes or clogs, but closed-toe or boots were ideal for this festival. It was dirt and lots of people, so your feet will get stepped on. Don't count on sitting down and if you do, the next tip is to.. 3. Bring a blanket, the gorgeous floppy hat you wanna sport and a few bottles of water if you can. The estate is beautiful and stunning, so walking around the place while sipping on wine, you may forget to hydrate. There's a nice grass area that you can sit out and listen to live music. 4. Eat beforehand.. YES.. It's a food festival, but usually these kinds of festivals have samplings of food, not entire entrees. There were a couple booths that had amazing pizzas and hor'dourves, but you guessed it! The lines were long! There were booths that sold food and drinks if you would like, but I was plenty stuffed from all the food samplings and wine. 5. WINE!! I loved each and every vendor.. The stand-out one for me of thise event has to be GLORIA's Blanc de Blancs.. We stood there while they popped bottles and drank and drank.. The ladies didn't bat an eyelash and kept refilling! Anyhow, I read the other reviews and it seems like there was a lot of expectations set for this event. I might've been able to enjoy it more since I had absolutely no expectations of this event except to drink wine, have fun and be merry.. Cheers! xo.

This latest one night event on 4/1/15 was simply the best! This was my first experience attending…read morea Napa Valley Film Event and my guest and I had a wonderful time! Not only was the film perfect, Woman in Gold starring Helen Mirren, but, we loved the after events as well. We were greeted with our passes and escorted to our comfortable seats in the historical Cameo Theater. After watching and crying though Helen Mirren's performance, we got to hear more details in the process of making this and other films at the Independant studio of Weinstein Co. with David Glasser. The appetizers were delicious and kept coming! The wines were lovely and hand crafted cocktails were also top notch. I will look forward to future events, including their festival in November.

This was my first year attending the film festival and I thought it was outstanding. I was nervous…read moreabout it as I'm not a huge movie lover. I think I've lost faith in main stream media in general. But I have to say, the films were wonderful. There was a rich variety of films and the quality of them was amazing. Even the shorts were delightful. We really enjoyed the Q&A sessions after each movie with the directors, actors, etc. The reason for four stars instead of 5 is that the Pass Plus tickets (which we got as a total splurge for my husband's birthday) were a colossal waste of money. We had to go to a funeral and missed two days of the festival. We tried calling the office and they suggested we try and sell the tickets (no takers). I'm saddened that in such a generous community, they have no bereavement policy. We missed the big fancy gala. (We gave the tickets away to friends so at least someone got to enjoy them, but it was still disappointing for us.) Other than that, we got to be in a special line which was kind of nice, but we would have gotten into the theater anyway. So I wouldn't buy Pass Plus again. [We heard from friends that in previous years the lines were ridiculous and the pass plus was handy to have, but they seem to have resolved the line issue.] So, in conclusion, definitely go to the festival. It's a blast. Get a pass and go all 5 days! Watch 4 movies a day! But unless you've got oodles of cash to throw around, the pass plus tickets aren't worth the price. And if you run across an event organizer, encourage them to come up with a bereavement policy. Death is such a sacred time in life and should be honored.

Awesome event. Great selection of wines, spirits, beer, and cider from all over the Napa region…read more Obviously very wine centric- red, whites, sparkling - you name it. There was an interesting beer and cider area, as well as a juice station from Nektar. The lemon charcoal and green juice were my winners. Many restaurants were also represented. Each providing an inviting taste of what they offered. From caviar, to mushroom risotto with beef and kale, tuna poke, summer salads, creative sushi, to biscotti, cookies. All were delicious and thoughtful creations. The caviar and mushroom risotto were my fave. There was also live entertainment with Serf and James being my favorite. The VIP area provided an even greater area of wineries to choose from. Gets crowded quick. Overall great event.

Well-organized. Great wine and food selection. Great live band. Pleasant event staff.read more

Wow. What an unforgettable experience at PEJU, especially with the VIP treatment my friends and I…read morereceived from Todd Elliott, AKA to me as wine educator and sommelier extraordinaire! I am a white wine connoisseur because of my dietary restrictions with most ingredients in red wines, especially cherries and plum, that trigger my stomach pain and headaches. I have missed enjoying red wine because of this. I was hoping and praying that when my friends who are members of PEJU planned this wine tasting treat, that my stomach and head would be fine and to my surprise, my palate, tongue, stomach and heart were pleased with the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Fifty/Fifty, and more, including reserve reds Todd served and educated us about! I have NEVER enjoyed red wines like these I tasted at PEJU. Since the time of our outstanding wine tasting experience, I have recommended and raved about Todd and PEJU winery to friends and family who appreciate and value high quality wines and winery experiences. It felt like a vacation getaway being in the tasting room building, admiring the breathtaking stained glass art, all of the art inside and the beautiful art and nature views outside. I appreciate the PEJU staff and management team who welcomed us and were kind to us all the way to the end of our wine tasting experience when we left. This is the kind of treatment that makes us want to return. Napa is a special place for friends, family, and me, and PEJU is now an indelible memory in my Napa adventures! Todd clearly enjoys his important professional position, is passionate about wine and the wine experience, and brings so much joy to customers! I can't recommend him and PEJU enough! Todd went above and beyond to give us a VIP experience and even gave me a bag full of wine corks for my art project after I told him about this and asked for some of their wine corks we saw lined up in their wine uncorking and pouring area. Thank you, Todd!

I had a reservation for a classic tasting at PEJU at 1:30pm on a Friday, at the recommendation of…read morequite a few friends, and there were a few other parties seated at the time as well. The grounds are gorgeous inside and out, and I really enjoyed the stained glass, large open windows, and the statues and the koi pond area outside. The service was extraordinary, and I had a great time learning a bit about the different wines PEJU offers from Joseph. I tried quite a few different wines, and really liked how there are a few unique offerings here that you can't find elsewhere - I ended up getting a bottle of their Province, the Farm, and their late harvest orange muscat. PEJU is also one of the few wineries with a permit to serve food. If I had known ahead of time, I would've planned to eat here! The rilettes were super tempting, but Joseph advised that if I was planning to eat a meal afterward to stick to the chips and dip - this ended up being quite a generous portion as well, and I really enjoyed the goat cheese truffle dip alongside the wine tasting :) Overall, PEJU is definitely a beautiful winery to visit with excellent service, and I'll definitely be back!