By Lisa Adams Walter
The streets are alive, with the sound of music! There is a lot of live music set for this month in downtown Napa. A bonus for locals: no ticket required. Yes, vibrant, rocking, upbeat, I will even add dance-provoking, live music performances appropriate for all ages for absolutely free!
Live music is back in full swing beginning on the first day of July and then culminating with one of the coolest, normally annual, daylong music festivals that has traditionally been set throughout historic Napa neighborhoods.
A full schedule of outdoor concerts returns this year from July 1 through July 22, every Friday night from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Park in Downtown Napa. The site was redeveloped in 2008 to include a permanent stair step-style amphitheater, making it easy for lots of people (literally hundreds!) to spread out on the banks of the Napa River, and listen to a wide array of music ranging from Jazz to Rock, Country, World, Blues, Pop and Folk, every single Friday night.
Many people bring food and picnic on site, while others enjoy culinary purchases from nearby restaurants and food trucks. Napa City Nights always provides an upbeat, festive, let’s-get-down-on-it kind of vibe. Each week a trio of bands perform. The line-up this year includes:
July 1
The Soul Section
Mama Said Band
The Amber Snider Band
July 8
Joy and Madness
Under The Tower
Sweet Burgundy
July 15
The Hots
Jimmy Duvet & The Comforters
Delphi Freeman
July 22
Road Eleven
The Deadlies
Jubilee Road
For complete details visit NapaCityNights.com
Hooray, Porchfest is BACK! I cannot wait to get out and soak up the sun and the tunes. Per tradition, Napa Porchfest is held on the final Sunday of the month; this year, Sunday, July 31. Fun fact, porchfest events originally began in the eastern United States, and Napa Porchfest was the first-ever held west of the Mississippi!
Presented by Napa County Landmarks, Porchfest takes bands out of the garage and onto the porch, while simultaneously providing the opportunity to experience some of the most historic downtown Napa neighborhoods on foot, bicycle, roller skates... or? One year I spotted a guy in a motorized living room recliner chair cruising right by Fuller Park. No joke!
Several streets are fittingly closed off to traffic, and many homeowners generously make their picturesque porches available for local Napa musicians and bands to play full sets of diverse music styles. Past years have featured genres such as Rock, Chamber, A Cappella, Country, Folk, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues! Truly, there is something for everyone.
Again, this is a completely free one-day event. A Porchfest veteran would recommend bringing plenty of water, sunscreen, a picnic and snacks, or cash for food trucks and merch, lightweight portable chairs, a hat, sunglasses and plenty of friends. There is something for everyone at Napa Porchfest, and for me it is one of the only times I get to slow down and really take in the beauty of the eclectic, antique neighborhoods that I normally drive through to simply get through town.
For more about Porchfest, including a downloadable map of venue sites or to volunteer, visit NapaPorchfest.org