Napa Amplified: Beyond the Vineyards

BottleRock: Where Memorial Day Weekend Becomes Epic

We've been to BottleRock many times since its debut in 2013 and every year it somehow gets better. This epic three-day Memorial Day weekend festival at the Napa Valley Expo has become the region's marquee music event, drawing around 120,000 attendees and attracting diverse headliners like Post Malone, Maroon 5, Foo Fighters, Snoop Dog, Luke Combs and Noah Kahan.

But what makes BottleRock special isn't just the music lineup—it's how perfectly it captures what Napa is all about. The festival seamlessly weaves together world-class performances with gourmet food from local chefs and premium wine tastings. The Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage features celebrity chefs and musicians collaborating on cooking demonstrations. Where else can you catch a legendary band, sip a perfect Cabernet, and eat some of the best food Napa Valley has to offer—all in the same afternoon? That's the magic of BottleRock, and it's become one of our favorite weekends of the year.

Songwriters In Paradise: Our Favorite Hidden Gem

Of all the musical experiences we've had in Napa, Songwriters In Paradise might be the most special. We've been lucky enough to attended SIP several times over the years, and it's unlike anything else—intimate, exclusive, and moving in a way that only happens when you're this close to genuine artistry.

Created in 2013 by our friend singer-songwriter Patrick Davis, SIP brings together some of Nashville's most accomplished songwriters for intimate shows at Napa's most beautiful wineries. The 6th Annual SIP Napa took place in April 2025, with shows at Brasswood, Harvest Inn, Alpha Omega, and Whitehall Lane—each venue more stunning than the last.

Here's what makes it magical: only 150 people attend each show. The format is "in the round"—Bluebird Cafe style—where three or four songwriters sit together, swapping songs and telling the stories behind hits you've heard a thousand times on the radio. The 2025 lineup included Grammy-winning songwriter Kristian Bush from Sugarland, along with Nashville legends whose credits include chart-toppers for Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, and countless others.

And it's not just about the music. Each winery provides exceptional wine selections paired with heavy appetizers (trust us, no one leaves hungry). VIP pass holders get access to an elevated wine bar with special selections. You're sitting in a wine cave or barrel room, sipping world-class wine, hearing Grammy winners explain how they wrote songs that changed their lives—and maybe yours too. It's intimate, it's powerful, and it's exactly the kind of experience that makes living in Napa so special.

Palm Tree Music Festival: When EDM Came to Wine Country

We were there when Palm Tree Music Festival made its Napa debut in October 2025, and honestly, we weren't sure how electronic music would fit into wine country. Turns out, it fit perfectly.

Kygo and The Chainsmokers headlined the festival at The Meritage Resort & Spa, along with Odd Mob, Vandelux, Mia Moretti, and Goshfather. The festival offered different tiers—from general admission to the top-tier "Palm Club" with private tables and bottle service. But what struck us most was how Palm Tree Crew, which has held similar events in Saint Tropez, Sardinia, and the Hamptons, chose Napa as their California destination. It placed our home firmly among the world's most exclusive spots for music and culture.

The festival proved that Napa's music scene isn't limited to any single genre. Whether you're into jazz, rock, EDM, or country, there's room for it all here. And the crowd? A cool mix of locals and visitors, all ages, all vibes, all united by good music and that special Napa energy.

Andrea Bocelli: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Weekend

We didn't make it to Andrea Bocelli's "A Weekend in Napa" in June 2025, but our friends who went still can't stop talking about it. The legendary tenor performed at Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena with the Oakland Symphony—sunset performances before more than 4,500 guests, surrounded by vineyards and heritage oaks.

The multi-night experience included not just the concerts, but an exclusive "Dinner at Bocelli's" event and packages with stays at Napa's most sought-after hotels. It was the kind of world-class event that makes you realize Napa isn't just competing with other wine regions—we're competing with major cultural centers around the world. And we're winning.

Year-Round Music: The Uptown Theatre and Blue Note's Evolution

While the big festivals get the headlines, Napa's year-round music scene is what really makes living here special. The Uptown Theatre—that stunning art deco masterpiece from 1937 in downtown Napa—brings in incredible acts throughout the year. We're talking Pink Martini, Jason Mraz, Foreigner, The Righteous Brothers, Todd Rundgren, and even Whitney Cummings for comedy nights. With just 863 seats and the back row only 98 feet from the stage, there's literally not a bad seat in the house.

Blue Note Napa, which brought world-class jazz to the historic Napa Valley Opera House for nearly a decade will be closing its downtown location on New Year's Eve 2025. But here's the thing—they're not leaving Napa. Blue Note is actually expanding its presence here, with plans for up to 40 shows in 2026 at The Meritage Resort & Spa through their Summer Sessions series. The 2025 lineup featured The Beach Boys, Boz Scaggs, Violent Femmes, Young the Giant, and Grace Jones. They're also launching a new music festival at Napa Valley College in May 2026 and continuing outdoor concerts at The Ruins in American Canyon. So while the intimate downtown venue will be missed, Blue Note's commitment to bringing world-class music to Napa is stronger than ever.

The Future Sounds Even Better: Calistoga's New Festival

The music keeps expanding. In November 2025, Calistoga—our charming neighbor to the north—approved a five-year contract to host a new multi-day rock festival at the Calistoga Fairgrounds starting October 2026.

This is huge for the valley. The 70-acre fairgrounds, which the city purchased last year and has been working to revitalize, will host a two-day festival initially, expanding to three days in later years. It's another venue, another reason to stay close to home on weekends, another way Napa keeps surprising us with its commitment to music and culture.

Beyond the Big Names

The marquee events are amazing, but there's so much more:

Festival La Onda: The second annual La Onda by BottleRock brought Latin music to the forefront with headliners like Marco Antonio Solis, Banda MS, Grupo Firme, and Carin León. It's two full days of regional Mexican, Latin pop, and more—plus a spa, dance club, and silent disco.

Blue Note Jazz Festival - The Black Radio Experience: Grammy-winning musician Robert Glasper returns each year to The Meritage Resort for three days celebrating jazz, hip-hop, R&B, soul, and spoken word.

Festival Napa Valley: For something more classical, Festival Napa Valley brings over 200 international and emerging artists for classical music, opera, dance, contemporary jazz, film, culinary events, and wine experiences at venues throughout the valley. It's high culture, Napa-style.

Why It All Matters

Come to Napa for the wine and stay for everything else. Nearly every major music event here incorporates wine tastings, gourmet food, and intimate winery settings that can’t be replicated anywhere else. Whether it's Grammy winners in wine caves, EDM legends at luxury resorts, or internationally renowned tenors in vineyard settings, the music always feels uniquely Napa.

The evolution continues. As Calistoga's new festival venue comes online and events like SIP and BottleRock keep getting better, Napa's identity keeps evolving. We're not just wine country anymore—we're a place where world-class music is part of everyday life, where you can catch The Chainsmokers one weekend and intimate jazz the next, where Andrea Bocelli and Kygo both feel at home.

For us, and for everyone who calls Napa home, that's what makes this place so special. The vineyards and restaurants brought us here. But it's the music—the festivals, the intimate songwriter nights, the year-round concerts at venues like the Uptown Theatre—that makes us feel like we're part of something truly extraordinary.

This is Napa Valley in 2025. Yes, the wines are still world-class. But now, so is the music. And we couldn't be happier about it.

 

Many years ago, we came to Napa for the obvious reasons—the landscape, the restaurants, the world-class wines. But it's the music scene that's kept us here, that's made this feel like home in a way we never expected. From intimate songwriter sessions in wine caves to international superstars performing under the stars, Napa has quietly become one of California's most exciting places to experience live music. And we've been lucky enough to be part of it.