May
Artsfest
Held each year in San Francisco to showcase theater, dance, film, music, and more, Artsfest takes place over multiple venues throughout the city and broader San Francisco Bay area.
Carmel Art Festival
Several dozen art galleries in the Monterey County town of Carmel host this annual festival, which also includes a youth art show and sculpture in the park.
Castroville Artichoke Festival
This Monterey County town “goes green” for a weekend in May to celebrate the artichoke with live music, cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, a parade, arts and crafts, children's games, and more.
Cinco de Mayo
The city of San Jose has celebrated this May 5 event since 1983. The downtown parade is sponsored by the San Jose Mercury- News and the San Jose Chapter of the American G.I. Forum.
Feather Fiesta Days
This is a ten-day event in the Butte County town of Oroville, named for the Spanish word oro, which means “gold.” The festival includes a parade, a car show, an art show, a chili cookoff by local firefighters, a craft fair, a flea market, and more.
Kinetic Grand Championship
Wildly decorated and creatively people-powered machines travel from Arcata to Ferndale in Humboldt County during this three-day race event, held each Memorial Day weekend.
Mamaspalooza
Held every Mother's Day weekend at the Del Monte Shopping Center in Monterey, this event showcases goods that will help make any mom's life a little bit easier and maybe even a tad more fun.
Red Bluff Recreation Area Nitro National Drag Boat Festival
The U.S. Forest Service allows this annual event, which features high-speed boats racing at more than 200 miles per hour. Records have been set on Lake Red Bluff, which is actually part of the Sacramento River.
Redding Rodeo Week
The rodeo itself is just the beginning of the fun at this weeklong event. It also features a dinner-dance, a golf tournament, a street dance, a fast-draw tournament, a chili cookoff, and a parade. You may even get a chance to meet Miss Redding Rodeo.
San Francisco International Arts Festival
Bill T. Jones and Danny Glover are among the cultural elite who sit on the national advisory board for this annual event, which began in 2003. Academic symposiums and lectures are intermixed throughout the ten-day program with live performances at multiple venues across San Francisco.
Shasta Art Fair and Old Time Fiddle Jamboree
A celebration of the Victorian era and gold rush, this event usually takes place during Mother's Day weekend. It includes arts, crafts, exhibits, food, and, of course, music by way of fiddlers.
Sonoma Jazz
This internationally acclaimed festival happens every Memorial Day weekend with big-time headliners such as Harry Connick Jr., Tony Bennett, Michael McDonald, LeAnn Rimes, and the Robert Cray Band.
Zinfest
Sponsored by the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Association, this annual three-day event at Lodi Lake showcases local wineries of the San Joaquin County area.
