The countdown to the biggest weekend in Napa Valley all year is over… it is officially time for BottleRock! This is the time where Napa Valley completely transforms into a wine, food, and fun-filled music festival over Memorial Day weekend. As Bruno Mars called it last year “the fancy Coachella,” it is a music festival like no other.
While the entire valley will be bustling with people in town attending the concerts, the Napa wineries and Sonoma wineries are not closed! In fact, Napa winery tours and Sonoma wine tours are still popular over this exciting holiday weekend. Guests love to enjoy a mix of live music at the festival along with a world-class wine tour.

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Image Source: bottlerock.com

Here are some tips to get you ready for BottleRock Weekend:

  1. Ready for Nature’s elements – be prepared, this year the forecast is all over the place for what the weather will actually be like this weekend. We recommend preparing for rain or shine! Sunglasses, sunscreen, and we hate to say it… but maybe a poncho or umbrella!
  2. Avoid the lines – the lines at the main gates can definitely be long, try to plan to be there early in the day or at least try not to wait until right before the headliner performances.
  3. How to get there – while parking may be difficult as most streets will be closed off for the festival, ride sharing services like “Lyft” and “Uber” are typically easily available. However, if you were lucky enough to reserve lodging at one of the hotel properties close to the venue, Downtown Napa is a very walkable city.
  4. Know what you can bring – we highly recommend looking at the official BottleRock website to see what purses/bags they allow inside the venue. They will also have a list of items you can and cannot bring inside the festival space. If you did not land VIP tickets, be prepared to stand or sit on the grass while watching the performances. This may mean bringing a small blanket to sit on if you choose.
  5. Registration & the app – Making sure your wristband for the weekend is registered is key and very important, also make sure you don’t lose it as there is a replacement fee! We also highly recommend downloading their official app from the app store and setting up Apple Pay. This can help save time in line when ordering food or wine from Napa wineries and Sonoma wineries!

The most important tip: have fun and treat yo-self! What other music festival offers Michelin-star food trucks and world-class wine? This is not the fest to skimp out on the food and drinks so treat yo-self and enjoy access to these unbelievable vendors! We hope all of these tips will help as you get ready to rock out to some great music while sipping on some delicious wine from local Napa wineries and Sonoma wineries. And if you’re looking to escape the BotteRock madness, we suggest venturing into Sonoma with our Sonoma wine tours!