Sandhill Crane Festival tops area event list

No matter what time of year you visit the Lodi area, chances are there’s a festival going on. Here’s a partial list:

Cherry Blossom Festival —April 16-17, 23-24 in Japantown, San Francisco. (415) 563-2313.

Apple Blossom Festival —April 23-24 at Sebastopol. Parade on Saturday, music on various stages, crafts booths, food booths, including children’s area, wine and food tastings and more. (707) 823-3032.

Asparagus Festival —Fourth weekend of April in downtown Stockton. All things asparagus at the annual event, plus music, crafts, contests and entertainment. 644-3740.

Zinfest —May 13-15 at Lodi Lake. Cooking demos, live entertainment, wine seminars, wine games and more. 367-4727.

Artichoke Festival —May 14-15 in Castroville. Fun run, car show, RV jamboree, entertainment and lots of ’choke dishes. (831) 633-2465 or info@artichoke-festival.org.

Cherry Festival —May 21 at Linden Elementary School Campus. Food, live entertainment and more. 547-3046.

Chocolate Festival —May 21-22 in Oakdale. Chocolate tasting, arts and crafts booths, food, entertainment and children’s activities. 847-2244.

Strawberry Festival —May 21-22 in Galt. Arts and crafts, strawberry products, fun run and live entertainment. 745-2529.

Sacramento Jazz Jubilee —May 27-30 at various Sacramento areas. Regional and national jazz musicians convene at this annual event. Food vendors abound. Lodging available. (916) 372-5277.

Art on the Square —June 4-5 at Hutchins Street Square, Lodi. An art, music and wine festival with fine art displays, all day entertainment and Lodi Appellation wines. 333-5511.

Apricot Fiesta —June 4-5 at Patterson. Parade, food booths, craft fair, children’s game area and more. 892-3118.

Art Festival —June 4-5 at downtown Walnut Creek. Music, children’s area and craft vendors. (925) 934-2007.

Wine and Sausage Festival —June 12 in downtown Lodi. Live entertainment, wine tasting, arts and crafts and lots of sausage. 369-8052.

Crawdad Festival —June 18-19 in Isleton. All things cajun at this crustacean event including live music, entertainment and a ton of crawdads. Food vendors, crafts, art and games. (916) 777-5880.

Fish and Art Festival —June 19 in Trinidad. Features barbecued or battered white fish and salmon, entertainment, lighthouse tour, art exhibits and music. (707) 677-1610.

Oyster Festival —June 19 in Arcata. 120,000 oysters paired with wine and microbrews, live entertainment, children’s area, contests and more. (707) 822-4500.

Obon Festival —June 25-26 at the Buddhist Church of Lodi. Japanese food, music, Taiko drums, bazaar and more. 368-5589.

Tours des Fleurs —July 16 in Half Moon Bay. Private nursery tours highlighting flowers. (650) 726-8380 ext. 100.

Lake Tahoe Summer Music Festival —July 17-Aug. 13 at various Lake Tahoe venues. (530) 583-3101 and www.tahoemusic.org.

Garlic Festival —July 29-31 in Gilroy. Seven million cloves will be served on Gourmet Alley at the annual event. (408) 842-1625.

Bear Valley Music Festival —July 31-Aug. 15 in Bear Valley. Featuring bluegrass, jazz, opera, orchestral, Broadway and pop. Wine and food available. (800) 458-1618 or www.bearvalleymusic.org.

Cabrillo Music, Art, Food and Wine Festival —Aug. 6-7 on Church Street in Santa Cruz. Fine artists, craft vendors, food artisans and Santa Cruz wineries take to the streets. (831) 426-6966.

Tomato Festival —Aug. 12-13 in downtown Fairfield. Live music, wine and beer tasting, tomato eating, and tomato cooking contests. (707) 422-0103.

Seafood Festival —Sept. 10-11 at the Marina in Pittsburgh. Water activities, arts and crafts pavilion and air show. (925) 432-7301.

California Dry Bean Festival —Sept. 10-11 in Tracy. Two-day event with emphasis on beans. Kids’ area, arts and crafts, food, plus the bean tasting pavilion and chili cook-off. 835-2131.

Eggplant Festival —Oct. 1 in Main Street, Loomis. Food, arts, crafts, entertainment, cooking contest, outdoor activities and classic car show. (916) 652-7252.

Apple Harvest Festival —Oct. 1 in Fortuna. Hayrides, orchard BBQ, apple pie contest and more. (707) 725-2123.

Candy Festival —Oct. 8 in downtown Fairfield. Candy samples, candy vendors, magic shows, face painting, crafts and music. (707) 422-0103.

Basil Festival —Oct. 9 in Sycamore Farms Natural Herb Farm and Vineyard, Paso Robles. Pesto tasting, basil ice cream, basil beer, live music and food vendors. (800) 576-5288.

Salmon Festival and All Nations Pow Wow —Oct. 15 at Lodi Lake. Exhibits, barbecue, food vendors, arts, crafts, entertainment, ceremonial dance and celebration. 333-6890.

Half Moon Bay and Pumpkin Festival —Oct. 15-16 on Main Street in Half Moon Bay. Celebrate the big squash with pumpkin food, pumpkin carving, “biggest pumpkin” contest and arts and crafts. (650) 726-9652.

Sandhill Crane Festival —Nov. 4-6 at Hutchins Street Square, Lodi. Nature tours, wildlife demos, music, dance, birds of prey, workshops, art show, storytelling and hands-on exhibits. 367-7840.

Index of advertisers