What if, once a month in 2025, you went to a California fair or festival? You’d have a little more mileage on your car, plenty of stories to tell and a new appreciation for the towns that carry on these traditions. Not to mention an impressive wristband collection. Based on the number of these events offered up and down the state, it wouldn’t be difficult to do such a thing, stopping by an asparagus party here, a whale fest there, perhaps dropping by what’s billed as the “triathlon of the art world” on the Humboldt County coast.
Or maybe you’d prefer to celebrate dates in Indio, accordions in Cotati or Dickens in Cambria. Here are a dozen intriguing possibilities, including the above, in locales from San Diego to Eureka. These are locally rooted celebrations with lower profiles — the state’s most obvious events, like Coachella and San Francisco Pride, aren’t included here.
Plan out your road trip now. This guide includes ideas for places to stay and other things to do near the festivals..
