Sebastian Gibson's Top Southern California Events, Best Festivals, Food and Wine Tastings and Places to Party Around the World
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information, we are limited by time and the confines of the website tools. You should therefore always call ahead or do your own research on the internet to confirm the dates and times of these events and to ensure that they are still scheduled. The times of these events as indicated on the calendar are in many cases set by the calendar system default and are almost certainly inaccurate. Please visit the web sites of the event organizers to learn the times of these events.
Aug. 2007
3rd to 5th - Santa Barbara Fiesta - This one is huge. Parades, music and the bars and restaurants are packed full of people.
4th - Vine 2 Wine, Temecula - Temecula just gets better and better. Use any excuse you can to come to the area and this is a good one.
11th - Del Mar Race Track Chili Cook-Off - The races and some great chili and the chili is free. Perfect.
12th - Manhattan Beach Open - Volleyball in Manhattan Beach and the views are fantastic.
16th - Taste of Main Street, Encinitas - A great opportunity to taste the restaurants that have opened up on Main Street in this cool beach city.
24th to 26th - Festa La Ballona, Culver City - Sounds cool, right? Why not.
25th - Del Mar Race Track Micro Brew Festival - If you missed the first micro brew event of the racing season here, fear not. You have a second chance.
25th - Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts Gala - Beautiful people at Southern California’s most unusual arts festival.
25th to 26th - Belmont Shore, Long Beach Tiki Beach Festival- Tired of the usual food festival? Here’s something unique in a cool area of Long Beach.
Sept. 2007
1st to 3rd - Fiesta Hermosa Beach - Hermosa Beach’s other fun festival
1st to 3rd - Long Beach Greek Festival - Greek food in Long Beach.
1st to 3rd - Taste of Sonoma Valley - A nice time of year to go up to Sonoma, have some wine and taste the food.
1st to 3rd - Orange International Street Fair - Fun for the kid in you.
5th - Last day of the Races, Del Mar - Another good excuse to go to the races and party in Del Mar afterwards.
7th to 9th - LA Greek Fest - Great Greek food with some of LA’s celebrities.
8th to 9th - Cardiff by the Sea Greek Fest - Almost your last chance for some great Greek food at a summer Greek festival.
8th - Quail Botanical Garden Gala, Encinitas - Anything in this funky town is fun.
9th to Oct. 29th - Big Bear Oktoberfests - These are fun, but watch that windy road down on the way back. Better yet, stay up in Big Bear for the night.
9th to Oct. 29th - Old World Oktoberfests, Huntington Beach - Party with some other drinkers pretending to be German.
14th to 16th - Taste of Newport Beach - This has to be Southern Califorinia’s best singles event. Great food, entertainment and fantastic looking people. Prepare to pay, however, if you want to sample all the food that will tempt you.
14th to 16th - Pasadena Greek Fest - Last chance for a Greek fest in Southern California.
16th - Taste of Santa Monica - Food tasting and music on the Santa Monica pier.
21st to 23rd - Lobsterfest, Los Angeles - Now we’re talking. Lobster. Wonderful.
21st to 23rd - Irvine Greek Fest at St. Paul's - If you're not full of Lobster, come here for some gyros.
22nd - Callaway Winery Grape Stomp, Temecula - Stomp some grapes and look drunker than you really are. Cool event in Temecula.
29th to Oct. 29th - Phoenix Club Oktoberfests, Anaheim - You won’t believe the size of this place smack dab in Anaheim.
30th - South Coast Plaza Wine Tasting, Costa Mesa - A great event to meet other young professionals while drinking wine.
30th - Ponte Winery Grape Stomp, Temecula - Another fun grape stomp in Temecula.
October 2007
4th - South Coast Plaza Wine Tasting, Costa Mesa - Another reason to go to this fashion center, drink wine and meet some beautiful singles.
6th - Taste of Del Mar - Now we’re talking. Great food at one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California.
8th - San Clemente Sea Fest - A great reason to go to San Clemente if you like sea food.
8th - Little Italy Festa, San Diego - Eat some great Italian food and drink some chianti in a growing and fun area of San Diego.
11th to 13th - Great American Beer Festival, Denver Colorado - This is a great reason to check out Denver if you like beer, and who doesn’t?
19th to 21st - Paso Robles Harvest Wine Tour - The wineries up here want to show you a great time. Worth the trip.
November 2007
3rd to 4th - Temecula Harvest Wine Celebration - Temecula just gets better and better. This is a good event to taste their wines.
December 2007
2nd - Corona Del Mar Christmas Walk - Perhaps one of the best times to check out this great little beach next to Newport Beach and meet some of the locals.
31st - New Year’s Eve - There are probably much better places to be, like any home with friends or in a foreign country’s capital like Prague in Czechoslovakia or in the city of Krakow in Poland, but Las Vegas remains the number one party capital until some other place edges it out.
January 2008
3rd - Opening Night Gala, Palm Springs Film Festival - A great event to open the film festival, lots of food and beautiful people and a film included for a very reasonable price.
3rd to 14th - Palm Springs Film Festival
February 2008
13th to 15th - Newport Jazz Festival, Newport Beach - Top names in Jazz in a great setting.
15th - Little Italy Carnevale, San Diego- Another great event in the Little Italy area of San Diego
18th - Mardi Gras, San Diego - Possibly the best Mardi Gras event in Southern California
March 2008
7th - Most likely the opening day for the 2008 baseball season and the place to be is at Wrigley Field in Chicago and all the surrounding bars both before and after. Not to be missed.
7th to 16th - Pacific Life Open Tennis Tournament, Indian Wells - All the big names in Tennis, except for a couple, in beautiful Indian Wells.
13th to 15th - La Quinta Arts Festival- Fantastic art festival around a lake in La Quinta
17th - St. Patrick’s Day - Orange County has some great pubs to choose from
28th to 30th - Indian Wells Arts & Jazz Fest - Also a great food tasting event
29th - Malibu Wine Classic - A great chance to drink wine with celebrities at a reasonable price
April 2008
11th to 13th - Scottsdale Culinary Festival - A great singles event, great food, music and a vodka area filled with beautiful people
18th to 20th - Long Beach Grand Prix - Long Beach’s best event.
19th - Santa Barbara Vintners Fest - Still good, though it was nicer when it was at the Firestone Winery
20th - Taste of Huntington Beach - Great food at a fun beach
25th to 27th - Coachella Music Fest, Coachella - No better place for this type of music in Southern California
26th to 27th - NFL Draft - A weekend to be glued to the TV
26th to 27th - Encinitas Street Fair - Nice street fair in this funky town
26th to 27th - Little Italy Art Walk, San Diego - Another good reason to go to San Diego’s Little Italy District
27th to May 4th - New Orleans Jazz Fest - Two great weekends. The city needs support at events like this and this is a great one with unbelievably great food and music.
May 2008
3rd to 4th - Temecula Wine Tasting Event - A great excuse to drive to each winery for a tasting and food, all for one price.
3rd - Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky - Horses, Mint Juleps and beautiful southern women in hats. What’s more to be said.
5th - Cinco de Mayo, Old Town, San Diego - The best Cinco de Mayo Celebration in San Diego. Parking is difficult, so come early.
10th to 11th - San Diego Blues Fest - Chill at the beach to some great blues.
16th to 18th - Anaheim Greek Fest - One of the first of the spring/summer and great food.
17th to 18th - Passport to Sonoma - A good excuse to go north and drink wine
24th to 25th - Gaslamp Jazz Festival, San Diego - Any event in the Gaslamp is fun
24th to 26th - Hermosa Beach Festival - This one has great food, great bands and is huge.
June 2008
6th - San Diego County Fair Opening Day - A great excuse to eat junk food and see farm animals
6th to 8th - Greek Festival San Diego - This Greek fest has the best food of them all. Pastries are unbelievable, and the raffle is good too.
7th to 8th - Temecula Baloon and Wine Festival - Unique combination of music, wine and baloons - the kind of baloons you ride in.
7th - Santa Clarita Wine Classic - This one usually has some great wineries participating in it.
7th - Beer Fest, San Diego County Fair - A good excuse to go to the Fair if you haven’t already.
7th - Monterey Wine Festival - Another good reason to go North and have some wine.
8th - Ojai Wine Festival - Lots of wineries in a nice setting.
12th - South Coast Plaza Food and Wine Tasting, Costa Mesa - Wine and food at one of the best malls in Southern California
14th to 15th - Taste of Gaslamp, Downtown San Diego - Lots of great food, drinks and a little exercise as you walk around.
19st Del Mar Summer Solstice Wine and Food Event - Any event in Del Mar brings out the beautiful people.
21st to 22nd - La Jolla Arts Festival - Some great art in beautiful La Jolla
21st to 22nd - Irish Fair & Music Festival, Irvine- Any excuse to have another St. Patrick’s type of event is a good one.
21st - Ocean Beach Fair & Chili Cook-Off - The beach and Chili? What more could you want.
22nd - Taste of the Nation, Culver City - Good food, good cause.
22nd - Summer Solstice Festival, Santa Monica - Nice beach, cool event.
27th to Aug. 31st - Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival- Funky art, great setting.
28th to July 6th - Taste of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois - This is a biggie with tons of food and a great reason to go to Chicago for the 4th of July celebration.
28th - Taste of Anaheim - Go to the amusement parks but come here for the food.
July 2008
4th of July - Top honors go to the Taste of Chicago event. Great music, a huge crowd of happy people in a great town with lots of great food to taste as well and a spectacular fireworks show. Hopefully no food poisoning this year.
5th to Aug. 31st - Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts - The Pageant of the Masters gets better each year.
11th to 13th - Redondo Beach Greek Fest - Another excuse to eat some great Greek food.
12th - Santa Barbara French Festival - Meet some French people, have some great French food and walk around this beautiful town.
12th - Sonoma Red & White Ball - A great event in a beautiful area.
12th - Fullerton Midsummer Night - This town has more bars and clubs than you can imagine. Great time to see them all.
13th - Central Coast Wine Classic - Perhaps the best grand tasting event in Southern/Central California. Good food too.
16th - Del Mar Race Track Opening Day - Fine looking women in hats, and the event goes to the Village of Del Mar after the race. This one is a lot of fun.
18th to 20th - Santa Barbara Wine Festival - Wine in Santa Barbara. What more needs to be said.
20th - Black & Blue Ball, Santa Barbara - Always a great affair, a good cause, beautiful people and you can wear a tux coat with blue jeans. Perfect.
23th to Aug. 3rd - Mid State Fair, Paso Robles - For a State Fair, this one has great entertainment and is worth the trip.
26th to 27th - Santa Barbara Greek Fest - More fantastic Greek food and a cool place to walk around.
26th to 27th - Malibu Arts Festival- Another great reason to trek down to Malibu.
26th - Micro Brew Festival, Del Mar Race Track - What a great combination - the races and a chance to taste micro brewed beer with a very cool crowd.
27th - Taste of Camarillo - A nice place to stop on your way to Santa Barbara.
Best Places to Party In Around the World
February 9th to 20th - Carnival in Venice, Italy for the most colorful and beautifully costumed festival in this fantastic city. If you can’t come in the winter for Carnival, just come anytime in the summer and sit at one of the outdoor cafes in St. Mark’s Square.
March 17th - There’s no better place to be for St. Patrick’s Day than in Dublin, Ireland.
May 12th to June 4th - The Prague Spring International Music Festival, a great time to be in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
May 17th - Oslo, Norway for Constitution Day, a great excuse to visit Oslo and party with the Norwegians.
June 1st through Sept 15th - Santorini, Greece - Any day you can spend on the island of Santorini is a great day with great food, drinks and unbelievable views and nightlife.
June 1st through Sept. 15th - Mykonos, Greece - No matter what days you choose to be here in the summer months, you will have fun and lose all track of time. Nightlife is fantastic here and the village is one of the most picturesque in all of Greece.
June 2nd to 4th - Copenhagen, Denmark for the Whitsun Carnival. Another great excuse to go to Scandinavia and on to meet some fun Danes.
June 17th - Independence Day in Reykjavik, Iceland. Stay over for at least 4 days and you’re in time for the next best day to be in Iceland, June 21st, the summer solstice or longest (party) day of the year.
June 21st - The Fete de la Musique, in Paris, France where the city of lights explodes with musical celebrations everywhere for free.
June 22nd to 24th - Somerset, England for the huge Glastonbury music festival. Tickets may be hard to find so this one needs some planning ahead.
June 23rd - Midsummer night on any of the beaches in Corfu, Greece. A great night to meet Scandinavians. Pick any of the beaches on the western side of the island and you can’t go wrong.
June 23rd - Midsummer Night anywhere in Scandinavia, a day when the Scandinavians really let their hair down.
June 25th to July 8th - Wimbledon in London, England. June 25th to July 8th - What a great place to see some tennis, hang out, eat some strawberries and cream, have some English ale and see some beautiful people. Next best time to come is August 25th to 27th for the London Carnival.
July 6th - The first day of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. July 6th to 14th - A life changing experience if you run with the bulls. Be careful. Not for slow runners.
July 13th to 14th - Bastille Day Celebrations in Paris, France. Watch the French get rowdy.
July 16th to 29th - Galway, Ireland for the Galway Arts Festival, Ireland’s biggest arts festival. Another great excuse to go to Ireland and have another few pints of Guinness.
August 10th to Sept. 2nd - Edinburgh, Scotland - The Fringe Festival has art, comedy, opera, and a lot of drinking. This one has to be seen. Good descriptions aren’t possible.
August 14th to 15th - The Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland is perhaps your best excuse to sample this staple of the Polish diet and just hang out in this picturesque capital with the locals.
September 21st - The opening day of the Oktoberfest celebration in Munich, Germany. All of the days here are good, but this one is special. Get drunk with the Aussies and the locals.
Dec. 29th to Jan 1st - Edinburgh, Scotland for the Hogmanay Festival of music, fireworks and drinking.
Future Dates of annual events are approximations of when it is anticipated that the events will take place.
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