California Events

Celebrated each spring in Clover Park, the Santa Monica Festival welcomes visitors to enjoy an eclectic range of entertainments and activities. The wide-reaching programme features artist exhibitions, live music, dance displays, cultural performances and much more. There are attractions for all the family and plenty of educational angles including craft displays, environmental workshops and art areas where festival goers are encouraged to get their hands dirty as they create their own works of art. Produced by the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division, this is a fun event for all the family.

Movie lovers who couldn’t make it to Utah for the Sundance film festival have a second chance at the annual Los Angeles Film Festival which screens art house and independent movies. What’s popular here will decide which films the rest of the world will see in 2012. Chances for celebrity sightings are high.

The Laguna Beach Festival of Arts is California’s longest-running outdoor fine art exhibition. Special art-related attractions and events such as jazz concerts, wine and chocolate pairings, and guided art tours run throughout the Festival making sure there is never a bored moment.

A rather unique event, the Pageants of Masters aims to dazzle audiences with its ninety minutes of tableaux vivants ("living pictures"). This involves incredibly faithful re-creations of classical and contemporary works of art, with real people posing to look exactly like their counterparts in the original pieces. There is an outdoor amphitheater, a professional orchestra, original score, live narration, intricate sets and sophisticated lighting to accompany the living pictures.

On New Year’s Day, the annual Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl takes over Pasadena, and the television sets of millions of spectators at home. The parade features one-of-a-kind floats, decorated horses, and college marching bands from across the nation. The Rose Bowl football game follows a morning of activities and excitement.

The Academy Awards are the biggest event of the entertainment year and they take place at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. If you’re not a celebrity, you can’t get inside, but thousands of people queue up to watch the movie stars walk the red carpet in stunning designer gowns.

The Golden Dragon Parade in San Francisco’s Chinatown is part of a two week Spring festival celebrated for over 5,000 years in China. The parade has been named in the top ten world’s parades and is the largest celebration of its kind outside of Asia. Over 100 floats feature fireworks, costumes, animals, and martial arts groups. The Golden Dragon is carried by a team of 100 men and women.

The annual Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Festival Weekend attracts wine lovers from around the globe who want the opportunity to taste wine, enjoy California cuisine, and listen to music. 110 wineries present their wine and local restaurants cater the entire event. Twelve different winery tasting rooms are open for the weekend.

One of North America's top music festivals, Coachella is a three-day event attracting some of the biggest names in popular music. The weather and the atmosphere are pretty much guaranteed in Indio California and camping options range from standard tents to the luxury tent hotel, where everything campers need is provided on arrival.

Los Angeles is one of the biggest book markets in the country. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books draws crowds of 130,000 attendees, 400 authors, and 300 book related exhibits. Attendees can peruse paperbacks, get their first editions signed by their favourite authors, and chat with fellow bibliophiles.

California's Ramona Rodeo has taken place every year since 1985 and features all the classic rodeo favourites such as bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, roping, barrel racing and steer wrestling. Other events include a parade and the naming of the rodeo queen and princess. The event always generates a lot of excitement guaranteeing visitors a warm welcome and a lively atmosphere.