With toast-worthy events happening year-round, there’s always something to celebrate in Downtown Napa! Take a peek at what’s coming up and start planning your next adventure.
Downtown Napa may be known worldwide for its wine tasting rooms and it’s a popular stop on the music tour scene as well. Simply put, you won’t find a day during the summer when there’s not a musical act performing at one of the venues, parks or tasting rooms in Downtown Napa.
We’ve rounded up a can’t-miss guide to bands performing this summer as well as the locations where you can get your groove on and dance the nights away.
SUMMER MUSIC
Enjoy performances by Carla Morrison, Marcus Miller, Belinda Carlisle, Three Dog Night and others during the Blue Note Napa Summer Sessions series. Held on the Meritage Resort and Spa’s huge Village Lawn, concertgoers will have plenty of room to move to the music while taking in the sweeping views of the resort’s vineyards. Make it a truly special evening by booking a Concert View Room Package and watch from your guestroom balcony.
The Oxbow RiverStage at Oxbow Commons is the site for a series of summer outdoor concerts sure to please any musical taste. Featured artists include Charlie Wilson with Chaka Khan, Train, Neil Young, Widespread Panic and Pixies with Modest Mouse. Bring a blanket, sit back and enjoy the Napa River backdrop or visit the Oxbow Public Market’s excellent restaurants and shops, just steps away from the Commons.
Spend Friday Nights in the Park during the month of July. The free weekly concert series, held in Veterans Memorial Park, includes two bands each Friday night. Bring a blanket or a low-back chair and a picnic basket (food and nonalcoholic beverages will be available for purchase) and enjoy entertainment for the whole family. Remaining concerts include Tin Man and Iko Ya Ya (July 14), Road Eleven and Marshall Law (July 21) and Sonoma Shakers and The Daniel Castro Band (July 28).
LIFE’S A FESTIVAL
Porches are usually made for sitting and relaxing. On July 30, however, they’ll be used by local musicians to entertain everyone who attends the annual Porchfest. From 12:30 to 5 p.m. in the area near Fuller Park in Old Town Napa, you can walk, skate and bike from porch to Victorian porch, set up a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy more than a dozen local bands performing a variety of music. The area will be closed off to vehicles during this free event, so bring family and friends (sorry, no animals), a picnic basket (food trucks will be available) and enjoy the good times!
Tycho, a band that presents a multidimensional audio-visual live experience, will headline the one-day festival, Tycho Presents Golden States. Beginning at 2 p.m. on July 15 at the Oxbow RiverStage, the lineup also includes Channel Tres, Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, Buscabulla, Washed Out DJ Set, Brijean and Kaelin Ellis.
As the summer winds down, the Downtown Napa music scene heats up. The Head and the Heart, an American indie folk band whose members met through a series of open mic nights in Seattle, present the two-day festival, Down in the Valley. The event, held on Sept. 2 and 3 at the Oxbow RiverStage, will also feature Waxahatchee, Faye Webster, Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners, Shaina Shepherd and others. The music kicks off at 3 p.m. each day.
COME TO THE CABARET
JaM Cellars Ballroom is hosting Savor After Hours, a blend of dance and music that celebrates the way wine makes one feel. Held Thursday to Sunday through Sept. 3, the wine-tasting cabaret includes performances by Dancing With the Stars veterans Maks Chmerkovskiy and Valentin Chmerkovskiy, and a cast of talented performers. Napa Valley wines will be highlighted each show. Limited meet-and-greet experiences are available for an extra charge.
DESTINATION DOWNTOWN
The Uptown Theatre’s building is a historic landmark, as its restored art deco look from 1937 and the cozy interior atmosphere makes concertgoers feel as if they’re close to the action. The venue is featuring a number of shows this summer, including Collective Soul, Chris Isaak, the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, J Boog, Five for Fighting and other artists.
Jazz fans should visit Blue Note Napa, a jazz club/gourmet restaurant located in the historic Napa Valley Opera House. Enjoy high-quality farm-to-table fare as you listen to your favorite melodies. Blue Note is hosting several acts this summer, including jazz saxophonist and flautist Najee (Aug. 4-5), blues singer Shemekia Copeland (Aug. 6), musician Marcus Miller (Aug. 11), jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra (Sept. 8) and more.
If you haven’t been to Napa Yard, you’re missing out on excellent garden-to-plate menu items, a beautiful property and a laid-back atmosphere. On selected nights, you’ll get to hear bands such as the Duo Sonics, Organ Odyssey, Mandolin Manny & Friends, JourneyDay, The Cincinnati Ambassadors and more. Come for the music, but stay for the food, beverages and good times.
Photo: @JaMCellars
Chill out with friends over a glass or bottle of wine and weekly live-music JaMSessions at the newly renovated JaM Cellars. The weekly performances – held Thursday through Saturday – offer opportunities to hear local and emerging arts. Live DJ performances take place on Sunday. Upcoming JaMSessions include Noelle Glory (July 22), Dear Darling (July 27), Slippery People (Aug. 3) and Sebastian St. James (Aug. 12), among others.
photo by: Levendi Winery
Featuring an elegant setting, Levendi Winery’s tasting room is the ideal spot to sample the many vintages available. Even better, you can enjoy Live Music Fridays while you taste the bounty from Levendi Winery vineyards, without paying a cover charge. Walk in or reserve a seat on Tock.
Photo: @bebubbly.napa
The first lounge dedicated to champagne and sparkling wines in Napa Valley is Be Bubbly, located in the heart of Downtown Napa. Featuring beverages from California as well as abroad, Be Bubbly also hosts live entertainment. A few of the upcoming shows include songstress Ariel Marin (July 15), Michael CA & Friends (July 27), Nate Lopez (Aug. 4) and Renée Lubin (Aug. 27).
There’s plenty to do in Downtown Napa – kayak and gondola tours, wine trains and trolleys, hiking and biking trails, museums and restaurants are just a few examples – so find a musical performance or two (or three) and plan a getaway to this beautiful region. From bed and breakfasts to luxury hotels, there’s always a place to stay where you’ll be within walking distance to all that Downtown Napa has to offer.
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