Bakersfield Village Fest is definitely the party of the year. I was fortunate to obtain VIP access to 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!! read more

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So great in so many ways. Fabulous food, great music, outstanding beers and wine, clean outhouses etc. 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. read more

My first time going and it was a blast! I got invited last minute with a free VIP pass, so perhaps that is helping with the 5 star review Loved the atmosphere, booths, drinks, food, every thing! Having local radio stations DJ and live bands play (Dub Seeds, a favorite) at various stages makes it a fun little adventure and honestly, every person I visited, whether it was for food or drink, working the booths were pleasant and super nice! Which...if you've ever been in the presence of a lot of people consuming alcoholic beverages, is NOT EASY. I'll definitely go back, if of course, it is a free invite read more

Village Fest - VF’18 - Festivals Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Our group was hugely disappointed with this event. We have been to our share of beer festivals and this is regarded as the one to go to in Bakersfield. Well, we won't be returning. Why? The food vendors appeared not to be able to keep up with the demand of the attendees. We'd get in line during 2nd hour and some would be out of product. Also, the lines were very long. Hated to get in line to get again another pulled pork sandwich or mac n cheese. Most of beer seemed to be geared towards IPA drinkers. The music was excellent. Enjoyed Mr. Trimble, Member's Only, Mento Buru, and another ska band. Overall, more variety of beers and enough food would be appreciated. read more

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Honestly, you can't get any better than this for a Beer Festival. Actually, I don't know if I'd call it a beer festival at this point (well, they don't call it that either!). It really is a beer and culinary tastes festival. There's tons of entertainment on 3-4 separate stages. Beers from all over the world are showcased in beer-flight-sized samplings and local restaurants provide food for everyone -- everywhere you look there's a booth. Every year they grow bigger with more and more patrons, but they never, ever seem to run out of beer and food. The event is highly organized and well-staffed. I did miss the free glass tasting glasses this year, however I do understand why they switched to plastic. It just means I won't have a nice souvenir in my cupboard. It really is about the event -- value-wise, you get what you pay for and then some! read more

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Ah Village Fest, formerly know as Brews in the Village, probably the best festival I have been to. I have been going about 7 years and each year it keeps getting better. The food this year was tops, and the serving sizes were slightly bigger. Enjoy a variety of beer, wine, local food, and local musicians. Pay a little more to be VIP and get in 30 minutes earlier, get an exclusive area with air conditioned restrooms, tables and chairs to sit and eat. There is so much to do here you won't get bored and you won't wait in long lines. This really is the event of the year. The event coordinators have done so well improving it each year. The proceeds go to a good case. I have been photographing the event for two years now, look for my photos on the event website. read more

Village fest was very fun when I first got there and saw the little cups and the voucher for only 15 samples I'll be honest I was like what a rip off. Then I started drinking and I didn't even get to 15!!! There was so much food and beer to try it was definitely worth it. read more

What a great turn out this event had! Tons of people in all areas of the grounds. Most vendors were very friendly and the variety of food and beer was decent. Lino's had some of the best salsa ever! So hot! The VIP area had some nice Mexican food (chicken/pork tacos and slaw) offered by Greenhorn, various wines and beer. Only things that I was not a fan of: the VIP passes did not include parking? Why? So many people not aware, pulling a u-turn in the lot somewhat disappointed at that. VIP passes got you in at 5pm but you were only allowed to hang out in one smaller, particular spot until at least 6pm. The glasses... so easy to throw out by accident and I did :( Glasses on the smaller side and plastic. I get it, plastic is so much safer for this venue but the whole VIP experience to some would not feel so VIP. Also, getting out of the area by vehicle was a nightmare, took a very long time. More traffic control required next year. read more

Village fest was great. Great food and drinks. Lines for drinks and food wasn't too long and they had good entertainment. read more

Village Fest - So packed but I'm excited. . - Festivals Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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I was pleasantly suprised when I attended this event. It was my first beer festival so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was better than I imagined. I had been to events at the museum before and everything was really spread out, but Village Fest was the complete opposite. Every street had vendors and some sort of entertainment lined up right after the other. There was lots of food, and plenty of water stations throughout the park. Having a drink limit card was not an issue either. I didn't even get to half the amount allowed. Music was great throughout and I am very happy I got to attend. read more

I love village fest. It says only 15 alcohol samples but some stations were stamping the same numbers up to 5 times. We never got close to stamping our whole card and we got pretty drunk. I even dropped my card and had to share it with my brother. The food was cool too. I'm more of a sweets person so I kept going for the cake and ice cream. Delicious! I can't wait to go again. read more

Village Fest - Picking up tickets - Festivals Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I wouldn't consider myself a beer festival connoisseur, exactly...well, somewhat...buuuut I've been to a lot of them, and can gage that this is, in fact, one of the granddaddies of all beer festivals. I have coerced friends into going to any food + beer festival that has popped up in my view of Southern California in the past few years -- and we've had some "that was a great night"'s and "we shouldn't have wasted the money"'s. But, honestly -- if you make it to just ONE beer festival, let it be THIS ONE. It's worth it. Sooo worth it. It's HUMONGOUS, for one. It's like the great Kern County Fair, except with beer. Rows and rows and rows of stands throughout Pioneer Village, pouring beer into your cup. That's pretty much my idea of heaven. Plus, VillageFest has a beer for EVERY taste. I'm not a big IPA person, and here at VillageFest I don't have to pretend to be. I've heard some complain about the ticket price, which, yeah...it is a little high. BUT...it's for an INCREDIBLE cause. If I can fork over a handful of dozen dollars for a night of good food, good music, and good beer, I'm more than happy to know its benefitting impoverished kids of Kern County. Do it for the kids. read more

I've enjoyed the festival every year but it seems they run out of drinks faster every year.. last two times the last 90 minutes almost all vendors are out! I've been told the vip tickets are the best bang for your buck. I'll def have to check it out and update this review after. Although this is the priciest festival here in town it's the one with the most options, vendors, music and food. Look out for the early ticket sales for a nice discount. read more

Village fest is always a great local event that benefits kids of kern county. Tons of beer, food, and music. I've been 5 time as a volunteer pouring beer as well as a paid patron. It never disappoints do yours self a favor and GO! read more

I always have a great time. I have even volunteered to work this event and still had an amazing time and for a great cause.

This was my first time going to Village Fest and I had an absolute blast! I've been to Brews In The Village in the past but this does not even compare. I would definitely recommend going to this event if you like to try different beers and food. read more