Nestled amongst these nice houses in the Novato hilly area is this gem of a festival. I liked it…read moremuch better than the Oakland one, perhaps because it seemed smaller, more authentic, tucked on this hill. There was some semi Pasteur type of land adjacent, ok perhaps more like dead and dry grass :) but nonetheless it leant to a nice feel and atmosphere. WE had a wonderful time. From the church tour, to the nice and friendly parishioners to the dancing in the main square, it was fun and inviting. I would come back in an instant when in town. EPHARISTO

A Memorial Weekend tradition in on the sunny hilltop location in Southern Novato neighborhood known…read moreas Ignacio. Authentic Greek food , dances and homemade specialities to eat and drink while you relax on the feck under the shady Oak tree. Must try all the delicious Greek pastries and coffee drinks to finish after your meal from inside and outside food lineup. Opa!

It was very fun to get out and see people no masks required…read more They get five stars because of Covid they didn't have a lot of planning time and they did it. There were lots of vendors food music and even a puppet show for the kids. Not quite as big as the normal art and wine festival but nonetheless it was great!

This is my first year of adding the Novato, Art, Wine and Music Festival in my summer festival…read morerotation. Usually I'm a fan of the San Anselmo Art Festival, which was cancelled for 2017. Overall, this isn't a bad little festival. It's free and there is street parking nearby (2 hour limit) that is also free. You could do worse on a nice sunny, not too hot/not too cold Marin County Saturday. The booths were of similar style and quality as many other festivals in the Bay Area during the summer months. There were a few unique vendors and I ended up purchasing a tank top with a manta ray design (I mean EVERYONE needs one of those) and a small giclee print on canvas of a vintage Yosemite travel poster. I didn't partake in the food or wine, but it seemed like the usual street fare. The crowd was having fun and overall it was a nice little community event. I can't say I'd travel too far to attend but if you're in the area, it could be fun to stop by for a little while and see the sites.

Nice yearly holiday event to take the entire family to. I haven't been in a few years, but the last…read moretime I went, it was pretty and very festive. Amazing Christmas decorations inside and outside the ENTIRE house! I recommend at least one visit per holiday season here:-)

We'll miss our yearly tradition at the Rombeiro's Christmas house but am so incredibly grateful to…read morehave had them part of our celebration for so many years. I am saddened to hear of the passing of the patriarchs of the family but grateful to them for all the lives they positively impacted over the years

Attended this early this month and what more can you ask for with wine tasting, beautiful weather…read moreand food tasting? Located in San Rafael, the only bad thing was that parking meters ran whcih time was limited for me. Wines from Napa and they were pretty tasty! Pulle pork that they provided was delish! I shall come to another event when my friend notifies me but this is one I have to come again next year!

Another edition of this great festival in San Rafael. A bit far for me but with sister, went and…read moreenjoyed it. Talked to a lot of photographers, including one film 4x5 view-camera photog, which is a rarity these days! Lots of sculptures too, very colorful and very original. I love to see the paintings and the sculptures, which at one point both clash and blend today to offer visitors the best that a normal gallery can't ever offer! Admission fee charged ($10) but if you get on the mailing list of one of the festival's artists/vendor, you can get a postcard by mail to allow you FREE entry!! Lots of entertainment to keep everyone interested and content, along with food vendors to keep that stomach happy too!! If you're in the market for art for your home, walls or as a gift to a friend, you cannot beat the variety nor the selection in one place!!! HEY: FREE parking!!!! If you take your camera to snap away at the great sights, please remember this: RESPECT other artists' work by asking first if you can snap a pix. First off they will want to know WHY and PURPOSE of the picture. If you do post it, even if it's at MySpace (yuck) or something, at least take a card and list their email or URL of their site. DO NOT snap pixs of paintings/photography on display. Not considered cool at all unless of course you know the artist and it's been approved. NOTE: Pictures displayed with my review were with approval/knowledge of the artists. ;-)

A-OK way to spend a weekend afternoon. While not my favorite of the various local art festivals, I…read morestill think this one is nicely done and worth checking out. Pros: -Held on the grounds of the beautiful Marin County Civic Center (nearby pond with fountain, ducks and geese-great for a picnic lunch) -Free parking -Affordable jewelry and crafts for the home -Well laid out and easy to walk through and see everything you want to see -Nice to speak to the artists about their work Cons: -Honestly $10 admission is a bit steep for the quality of the artists. While there are some unique works and great artists, I've seen many of them at various Art Festivals in the Bay Area that were free to attend-I don't think this event is "juried." If I'm going to pay to get in, I prefer that it were. -Not a great assortment of food and drinks -I've been here twice and this year it seemed a bit "empty"-there was a ton of open space where tents and displays seem like they should have been but instead there was just a void. -Cash only for admission-they should have that on the website-I saw several fair goers who had no idea and had to leave to go get cash Overall, I'd say check it out-it's usually a beautiful day in June in San Rafael, but I think it's trying too hard to be like the Sausalito Art Festival, which just doesn't compare.

I attended the festival today. Absolutely no parking anywhere. Listened to four bands, each…read moremediocre. All vendors were ladies clothing, some jewelry. The ads keptl saying BRING CASH. and No dogs, although there were at least 30 dogs. Maybe the music I saw was coincidentally poor, but these singers weren't Ella. Walked a LONG time to find a bus stop and fortunately one eventually arrived. Bring cash, buy ladies clothing and ecoutrements, and expensive beer and everything else.

The fair has been held every June for 35 years. It is held in such a pretty setting. The small…read moreredwood grove, the larger park and the ball field make this an ideal setting for a fair. The event is part flea market and part crafts fair. There are 3 music stages and several food vendors. The fair is crowed and it is hard to park. I wasn't impressed with the food offerings. I never did find the BBQ oysters. It is too bad that none of the local restaurants had booths; Fairfax is a town full of locally owned restaurants. The wine choices were impressive. The music was great.

Lines for rides too long. Our kids got 1 ride for the 30 entry fee…read more Horrible bathrooms! Only a total of about 30 toilets in the entire fair grounds for thousands of people. Overpriced games - $10 each. This used to be a great fair and sad to see it go downhill like this.

County fairs are always a joy for me, earmarking summer and quality time spent with friends and…read morefamily. This year, the Marin County fair has a set price at $25 (buy online only and scan ticket at entrance) including all rides except for 3 that is $5/ride. Parking is $20 card only. More vendors selling knick knacks this year and I noticed a Hawaiian shaved ice stand I didn't see before. My favs every year is the arts fair where you can purchase some local art and always the animal section (pig race, petting zoo, sheep shearing). This year there were a half a dozen spotted piglets knocked out from the heat you can pet. Adorbs. Note lines weren't bad for the rides until about 6pm when the night crowd started rolling in. And I think fireworks are daily at 9:30pm. Lots of people setup picnic spaces about an hour prior to that for optimal viewing.

Came here back in October 2019 and my kid had a great time doing the hay rides during their…read moreHalloween Pilgrim event. Was thinking what to do this year thinking that they might had reopened due to COVID releases, but they are closed and possibly reopening next year if COVID numbers doesn't increase. I just didn't like the drive off road.

Great family fun fall festival! Runs two consecutive weekends in October. If you have a Sonoma…read morecounty park pass, you (and up to four family members I believe) get in for free! There were a number of activities and things to see! They provide a little book to fill with stamps at all the stations you visit. From candle making to a pumpkin seed spitting contest! And take a hay ride out to pick a pumpkin! There were a few food trucks, long lines / wait time for food, definitely recommend packing food!

Being a beer festival veteran, I'm giving the California Beer Festival - Novato, out at Stafford…read moreLake County Park, a nod of approval. Even despite it being on a 100°ish F, hot-as-Hell day. Because there was beer! Lots & lots & lots of beer! + a whole 4 1/2 hours of open tasting to sample as much & many of those beers as you could possibly suck down. It was like a beer drinker's Heaven. Variety was good, with beer vendors from NorCal, SoCal & Oregon. Many of the bigger-name, usual suspects of craft brewing were there like: Sierra Nevada, Bear Republic, Lagunitas, Anchor, Firestone Walker & Stone. But there were plenty of lesser-known brewers there too. Which is actually what I'm seeking out. Because, again, being a beer festival veteran, I especially appreciate the opportunity to discover a great unknown beer or a kind of beer I've never had before. At CBF-Novato, I found 2 beers I previously didn't know about that were very much to my liking: Carneros Brewing Company's IPA & Six Rivers Brewery's Chili Pepper Spicy Ale. Both were unique & nicely executed. Given the dichotomy of the high heat of the day versus all the delicious beer to drink, CBF-Novato ended up not being Heaven nor Hell but something in between. Like all things on this Earth, there were the flaws & imperfections. There was BBQ competition that was billed as free food for the event. But the BBQ participants repeatedly ran out of samples for us all to taste. & what I did taste, honestly, wasn't that great. For our salvation from the heat, free water bottles were given away for a while (see California Beer Festival - Hydration Station), which was great. But charging $10 for parking in a bumpy, grassy field seemed gratuitous. Ultimately, at its very essence, CBF-Novato was a beer festival. Not quite divine, but a really good 1. With lots & lots & lots of beer! California Beer Festival - Novato, I'm a fan. See you again next year. Even if it is on a 100° F or more, hot-as-Hell day.

Sunday Funday; this is one great option…read more "Sunday funday" was a new concept to the offerings at this year's event at Stafford lake. For a $10 fee for parking, and $10 dollars for entry, you gain access to a full day of fun in the sun complete with food vendors, Beer vendors and cover bands galore. Even on a super hot day, the venue offered plenty of shady spots to sit, relax and enjoy. I appreciated the low key atmosphere, saw a lot of families and people just enjoying the music and time together. That being said, if you bring kids, bring something to keep them entertained as I did not see any activities for them to enjoy. Sunday's focus was not on "all the beer you can taste" and more on savoring the experience so it made for a Brew- tiful day.

Always a fun time strolling around shopping, enjoying the food, music & a nice glass of wine. The…read morepuppet show and bungee jumping is super cool. Great music.