Mendocino Area Events
JANUARY
Mendocino Crab, Wine & Beer Festival
Enjoy Dungeness crab paired with a wide variety of locally-crafted Mendocino County wines and beers. Events include whale watching and crab cruises, culinary competitions, art exhibits, crab feeds and wine and beer tastings celebrate all things crustacean. Mendocino’s Crab, Wine & Beer Festival is rated one of America’s top 10 seafood & wine festivals.
FEBRUARY
Anderson Valley White Wine Weekend
Wineries from Mendocino and around the globe raise a glass in appreciation of the grapes that produce the delectable Alsace varietals: Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir and Muscat. Events include food pairings, an evening winemaker dinner, and a Grand Tasting.
MARCH
Mendocino Whale Festival
March in the Mendocino area means just one thing, WHALES! Celebrating our seafaring friends all month long, festivals and celebrations throughout the area honor the ocean behemoths with special whale watching charters, whale walking tours, museum exhibitions, special dining events and tastings, educational programs and lots of fun for everyone. The festivals occur over multiple weekends in March and spread whale love up and down the Mendocino Coast.
Mendocino Whale Festival – First Weekend in March
Little River Whale Festival – Second Weekend in March
Ft. Bragg Whale Festival – Third Weekend in March
Whale Run & Walk – Fort Bragg
The annual Whale Run and Walk is held on the 3rd Saturday in March with a 10k/5k Run, 5K Competitive Walk and a 5K Fun Walk, a raffle and more.
APRIL
Whale and Jazz Festival – Gualala
Held over 2 weekends in April, the Annual Redwood Coast Whale & Jazz Festival combines the best of area whale watching with the finest in world-class jazz, amazing dining and culinary celebrations and more.
MAY
Boonville Beer Festival
This annual event showcases breweries from all over the west. Enjoy more than one hundred hand crafted brews from fifty-two breweries.
Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival
Sample the results of this delectable grape from more than 35 wineries. Enjoy food-pairings, learn about Pinot and visit our local producers. Enjoy an entire weekend Pinot Noir lovers.
JUNE
Mendocino Film Festival – Mendocino Village
Indie filmmakers showcase feature length films, short films, the best in animation, documentaries and foreign films from all over the world with lots of special guests, film workshops and panel. Film buffs will rejoice at this jam packed festival.
A Taste of Redwood Valley – Father’s Day Weekend
The unique soil and weather of this region lend both the red and white varietals of the Redwood Valley superior flavor and quality. Join the wine growers of this very special place as they celebrate their harvest, particularly the organic grapes that thrive in the region. Enjoy a winemaker’s dinner, pasta cook-off, live music, winery tours and more as you treat Dad to a Father’s Day he won’t soon forget
JULY
Celebrate July 4th
Commemorate the Nation’s birthday with some of Mendocino’s most colorful characters marching to their own tune in the annual hometown parade. Mendocino’s unique small town flavor lends itself perfectly to putting on a great birthday bash. Enjoy the parade, live music BBQ’s and, of course, fireworks in Fort Bragg!
World’s Largest Salmon BBQ – Fort Bragg
Held each year on the first Saturday of July, this huge BBQ includes live music, family fun activities and, of course, vast quantities of the delectable, pink-fleshed salmon, grilled to perfection. Proceeds from this one of a kind event benefit the Salmon Restoration Association.
Mendocino Music Festival – Mendocino
A must for all music lovers! Take a trip to Mendocino to enjoy a dizzying array of musical genres, including classical, chamber, jazz, blues, bluegrass, dance and even light opera. Enjoy the world-class musicians in this truly magical setting at Mendocino Headlands State Park. The Headlands Inn B&B is just a short stroll to all the Music Festival event venues.
AUGUST
Art In The Garden – Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
Set amidst the spectacular background of the summer floral displays at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, this annual fundraiser draws exceptional North Coast fine artists and craftspeople to the juried art show and sale. Music, art demonstrations, wine and beer tasting and delectable foods round out the crowd-pleasing day-long event.
Great Day in Elk
Join this one-of-a-kind end of summer community celebration. The noontime parade winds through the unique town of Elk, the town where the forests and the meadows meet the sea. Enjoy live entertainment, food eating contests, raffles, auctions, an evening dinner dance and more.
Mendocino Guitar Festival
Spend a week at the premier guitar festival in the country. Join artists from around the world as they share their special craft in a series of concerts and workshops all while being surrounded by the stunning setting of the Mendocino Coast.
Party with MendoParks
This event takes place at the Mendocino Headlands State Park on an August Saturday from Noon-4:00pm. Enjoy a day in the park with live music, interpretive activities celebrating the natural and cultural history of our State Parks in Mendocino County, games, raffles, vendors, beer & wine--- and delicious food, of course!
SEPTEMBER
Paul Bunyan Days- Fort Bragg
A Labor Day weekend tradition, join Paul Bunyan and his trusty blue ox, Babe for family friendly fun. BBQ, fish-fries, horseshoe tournaments, craft fairs, parades, classic cars and logging shows and demos are just some of the BIG fun to be had by all who celebrate this legend of the Great Northwest.
Winesong – Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
Stroll through the lush Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens while enjoying vintages poured by world-class wineries from Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, and beyond. Featuring food from 50 of Mendocino County’s finest food purveyors, the tasting is accented by various music groups performing throughout the gardens with a variety of musical styles. Winesong is an annual charity auction and tasting produced by the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation. This extraordinary international event sells out fast, so buy tickets early.
Mendocino County Fair – Boonville Fairgrounds
Find fun and frivolity for the whole family at the Mendocino County Fair. There is something for everyone: classic car shows, sheep-dog trials, rodeo, carnival, live entertainment and apple tasting for everyone.
OCTOBER
Beer, Bison & Bluegrass Festival – Fort Bragg
Enjoy feasting on bison burgers with all the fixings while enjoying local beer and wine while boogying down with live bluegrass at this annual Fort Bragg fundraiser.
NOVEMBER
Feast Mendocino
Celebrate the amazing gifts our local farmers produce, and even some gifts straight from Mother Nature herself– our amazing Mendocino mushrooms! So, if you’re into the freshest mushrooms, delicious gourmet foods, epicurean cooking demonstrations, olive oil varietal tastings and education, and of course our award-winning wines, beers and distilled spirits, then get ready for a fantastic event, spanning two weekends in early November.
Day of the Dead Festivities
Enjoy all of the tradition of this ancient festival. Learn about and taste unique holiday foods, create your own works of art at mask and flower making classes and celebrate with gallery shows, raffles, memory altar classes, the special Mole Day, art shows and meander along the Alter Trail.
DECEMBER
Festival of Lights – Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
This Coastal Holiday tradition is held annually at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. A winter family tradition on the Mendocino Coast. Be captivated by the thousands of lights that sparkle and shine throughout the Gardens, creating stunning visuals and providing delight and enchantment for children of all ages.