Top 2010 Southern California Events, Best Festivals, Food and Wine News and Wine Tastings for 2010 in CA and AZ

Top Southern California Events, Festivals, Food and Wine Events And Best Bars, Nightclubs and Places to Party in California. The best of the best.

Sebastian Gibson's 2010 Top Southern California Events, Best Festivals, Food and Wine Tastings and Places to Party Around the World

January 2010

January 5th, 2010 - Opening Night Gala, Palm Springs Film Festival - A great event to open the film festival, tons of food, beautiful people, movie stars and a film included for a very reasonable price.
January 5th thru the 18th, 2010 - The Palm Springs International Film Festival with more stars and more international films than you can possibly see.

February 2010

February 11th to 14th, 2010 - Newport Jazz Festival, Newport Beach - Top names in Jazz in a great setting.
February 13, 2010 - Little Italy Carnevale, San Diego- Another great event in the Little Italy area of San Diego

February 13, 14, 2010 - The Palm Desert Greek Festival, one of the best Greek festivals in Southern California.  Mmmmm, gyros.

February 14, 2010 - Valentine's Day, which if you're single, either means you look for romance in the weeks leading up to this date somewhat more intensely, or if you have that special someone, you spend your meager savings on gifts, flowers and chocolates for your sweetie.
February 16th, 2010 - Mardi Gras, San Diego - Almost certainly the best Mardi Gras event in Southern California

February 25-28 - The Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, the social event of the year in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area attracts singles from California as well as all over Arizona.  This is the PGA event with the most attendance and most of those who come have absolutely no interest in golf.  They come for the hill on the 16th hole where thousands of beautiful women and men looking for beautiful women gather, meet up and then after the day's golf is over, drink and party at the Bird's Nest, an area the size of two football fields where bands play and romance is in the air.  If you're single, this is the place to be.

March 2010

March 8th to 21st, 2010 - BNP Paribas (formerly the Pacific Life) Open Tennis Tournament, Indian Wells - All the big names in Tennis, except for a couple, in beautiful Indian Wells.
March 11 - 14, 2010 - La Quinta Arts Festival- Fantastic art festival around a lake in La Quinta. One of the best arts festivals in California.

March 14, 2010 - "Tasting 2010"  This will be the second annual Family Winemakers of California Wine Tasting at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in San Diego, if people have recovered from 2009.  240 winemakers were pouring last year.  With tasting only from 3-6 PM, you have to guzzle a lot of wine to taste them all before you pass out and walk home the next day. 
March 17th, 2010 - St. Patrick’s Day - Orange County has some great pubs to choose from. The San Diego Gaslamp St. Patrick's Day Festival is also a blast.

March 22-28, 2010 - Fashion Week in Palm Desert.  Lots of events to choose from and most have food and drink.  Some are free while others are pricey.  The Sunday brunch event for $15 is a good choice.

April 2010

April 2 - 4, 2010 - Indian Wells Arts & Jazz Fest

April 4th, 2010 - Opening day for the 2010 baseball season.  Whether it's opening day or night for the 2010 baseball season, the place to be is at Wrigley Field in Chicago and all the surrounding bars both before and after.  Not to be missed.

April 13th to 18th, 2010 - Scottsdale Culinary Festival - A great singles event, great food, music and a vodka area filled with beautiful people.  The price is unbelievably cheap to get in for both the Saturday and Sunday all day events the last two days of the festival.

April 16, 2010 - The Fillies Derby Ball - One of the great events at the two week long Kentucky Derby Festival leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Tickets have been $150 in previous years.
April 16-18, 2010 - Long Beach Grand Prix - Long Beach’s best event.

April 16-18, 2010 - Santa Barbara Vintners Fest - Still good, though it was nicer when it was at the Firestone Winery.  It cost $75 in advance, in 2009.  Great when the weather is nice.  Usually some good food to go with the wine and beautiful people as well.

April 16th to 18th, 2010 - Coachella Music Festival, Coachella, CA.  No better setting for a huge music festival in Southern California that attracts top name musicians and visitors from around the world.

April 22, 2010 - Taste of Derby Festival - Another of the great events leading up to the Kentucky Derby.  $75 in 2009.

April 22, 2010 - The NFL Draft.  This year it's on at night.

April 23-25, 2010 - First weekend of the New Orleans Jazz Fest - Two great weekends.  The city needs support at events like this and this is a great one with unbelievably great food and music.

April 24-25, 2010 - Encinitas Street Fair - Nice street fair in this funky beach town.

April 24th to 25th, 2010 - Little Italy Art Walk, San Diego - Another good reason to go to San Diego's Little Italy District

April 24-25, 2010 - Stagecoach Country Music Festival, Coachella. Just like the Coachella Music Festival but with country music.  Same great setting at a polo grounds.

April 25, 2010 - Taste of Huntington Beach - Great food at a fun beach

April 29th to May 2, 2010 - Second weekend of the New Orleans Jazz Fest.

May 2010 - Best events in May 2009 - Kentucky Derby, Cinco de Mayo, Taste of Anaheim and Memorial Day Events on May 31st, 2010

May 1, 2010 - Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky - Horses, Mint Juleps and beautiful southern women in hats.  What’s more to be said.
May 1, 2010 - International Festival at Soka University in Aliso Viejo - Food, performances and the best part, it's free.

May 1st and 2nd, 2010 - San Diego Old Town Cinco de Mayo Festa - Okay, it's not on May 5th this year, but they still have great food and dancing.  Did we mention the margaritas?

May 8-10, 2010 - San Diego Blues Fest - Chill at the beach to some great blues.

May 13th, 2010 - Taste of Anaheim - Great food, now at the new Garden Walk in Anaheim.
May 14-16, 2010 - Anaheim Greek Fest - One of the first of the spring/summer Greek Festivals with great food and music.

May 14th to 16th, 2010 - Newport Beach Jazz Festival - Great jazz in Newport Beach California, with lots of beautiful people to watch while you listen to the music.  One of Newport Beach's premier social events.
May 15-16, 2010 - Passport to Sonoma - A good excuse to go north and drink wine

May 16, 2010 - Sicilian Festa - Little Italy, San Diego
May 29, 2010 - Gaslamp Jazz Festival, San Diego - Any event in the Gaslamp is fun.

May 29, 2010 - Santa Clarita Wine Classic - This one usually has some great wineries participating in it.
May 29-31, 2010 - Hermosa Beach Festival - This one has great food, great bands and is huge.

June 2010  Best events and festivals in June 2010 include the Greek Festival in San Diego, the Temecula Baloon and Wine Festival and Taste of the Gaslamp in San Diego.  If you're up for a trip to Chicago, the Taste of Chicago, which starts in June, is a great place to spend a few days around the time of the 4th of July.

June 4-6, 2010 - Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival - Unique combination of music, wine and balloons - the kind of balloons you ride in.

June 5, 2010 - Morrow Bay Music Festival - Music & Food in a beautiful setting.

June 5, 2010 - Trying to decide what dog to get?  Here's the place to make up your mind. It's the Santa Barbara Big Dog Parade and Canine Festival.

June 11th, 2010 - San Diego County Fair Opening Day - A great excuse to eat junk food and see farm animals.

June 11-13, 2010 - Greek Festival San Diego - This Greek fest has the best food of them all. Pastries are unbelievable, and the raffle is good too.

June 12 and 13, 2010 - Taste of Gaslamp, Downtown San Diego - Lots of great food, drinks and a little exercise as you walk around. Very reasonable price for tons of food and lots of beer.

June 13, 2010 - Ojai Wine Festival - Lots of wineries in a nice setting. 



June 17, 2010 - Del Mar Summer Solstice Wine and Food Event - Any event in Del Mar brings out the beautiful people.

June 17-19, 2010 - The Monterey Wine Festival.  A good excuse to visit Monterey.

June 19-20, 2010 - Irish Fair & Music Festival, Irvine- Any excuse to have another St. Patrick’s type of event is a good one, even if this one isn't in March.

June 20, 2010 - Taste of the Nation, Culver City - Good food, good cause.

June 25-27, 2010 - International Beer Fest, San Diego County Fair - A good excuse to go to the Fair if you haven’t already.

June 25th to July 4th, 2010 - Taste of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois - This is a biggie with tons of food and a great reason to go to Chicago for the 4th of July celebration.

June 25th thru August 29th, 2010 - Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival- Funky art, great setting.

June 26th 2010 - Ocean Beach Fair & Chili Cook-Off - The beach and Chili? What more could you want.

June 26-27, 2010 - La Jolla Arts Festival - Some great art in beautiful La Jolla.  Then walk around the town and have an ice cream.
June 26-27, 2010 - Oxnard Salsa Festival.  Great Mexican food and salsa and the event is free.

June 27, 2010 - Summer Solstice Festival, Santa Monica - Nice beach, cool event.  Check the date for this one to be sure.
 

July 2010

4th of July 2010 - Top honors go to the Taste of Chicago event.  Great music, a huge crowd of happy people in a great town with lots of great food to taste as well and a spectacular fireworks show.  In Southern California, the three best beach areas to go to are 1) Mission Beach and Pacific Beach, 2) Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, and 3) Huntington Beach.

July 5th to Aug. 31st - Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts - The Pageant of the Masters gets better each year.

July 8th to 11th, 2010 - Central Coast Wine Classic - Perhaps the best grand tasting event in Southern/Central California.  Good food too.

July 9-11, 2010 - Redondo Beach Greek Fest - Another excuse to eat some great Greek food.

July 10, 2010 - Fullerton Midsummer Night - This town has more bars and clubs than you can imagine.  Great time to see them all.
July 10-11, 2010 - First Weekend of The Over The Line Tournament on Fiesta Island in San Diego.  If you haven't been, it's difficult to explain.  Just go and watch these crazily named three-men and three-women baseball teams compete.  And don't forget the "Miss Emerson" contest.
July 10th to 11th 2010 - Santa Barbara French Festival - Meet some French people, have some great French food and walk around this beautiful town.

July 16-18, 2010 - Santa Barbara Wine Festival - Wine in Santa Barbara.  What more needs to be said.

July 17-18, 2010 - Second Weekend of the San Diego Over The Line Tournament.  If you didn't have a blast the first weekend, this weekend is the finale.

July 21st, 2010 - Del Mar Race Track Opening Day - Fine looking women in hats, and the event goes to the Village of Del Mar after the race.  This one is a lot of fun and great for singles.  Perhaps the social event of the year in San Diego.

July 21 to August 1st, 2010 - Mid State Fair, Paso Robles - For a State Fair, this one has great entertainment and is worth the trip. 

July 22-25, 2010 - Comic-Con in San Diego, what some people have called Mardi Gras for comic book hero fans and geeks has now become San Diego's biggest convention and is now a must attendance by Hollywood movie producers and stars. 
July 24-25, 2010 - Santa Barbara Greek Fest - More fantastic Greek food and a cool place to walk around.
July 24-25, 2010 - Malibu Arts Festival- Another great reason to trek down to Malibu.

July 25, 2010 - Taste of Camarillo - A nice place to stop on your way to Santa Barbara.

July 30th to August 1st 2010 - Manhattan Beach California Surfest and 6 Men and Women Volleyball Tournament.  Think volleyball in costumes at one of Southern California's best beaches and you have a major party atmosphere.

July 31, 2010 - Micro Brew Festival, Del Mar Race Track - What a great combination - the races and a chance to taste micro brewed beer with a very cool crowd.  Also a chili cook-off to help you drink more beer.

August 2010 - We think this is the month for the Malibu Wine Classic, perhaps on August 28th.  Stay tuned.

August 4th-8th 2010 - Santa Barbara Fiesta - This one is huge.  Parades, music and the bars and restaurants are packed full of people having a great time and throwing paper mache-type balls.

August 15, 2010 - Taste of Main Street, Encinitas - A great opportunity to taste the restaurants that have opened up on Main Street in this cool beach city.

August 21, 2010 - San Diego Gaslamp East Village Event with food and drinks.

August 21-22, 2010 - Belmont Shore, Long Beach Tiki Beach Festival- Tired of the usual food festival?  Here’s something unique in a cool area of Long Beach.

August 27-28, 2010 - Long Beach Greek Festival.  Need we say more?
August 28, 2010 - Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts Gala - Beautiful people at Southern California’s most unusual arts festival.

August 28, 2010 - Maybe the date of the Malibu Wine Classic.  This is a good one, a really good one.

August 28-29, 2010 - Fiesta La Ballona, Culver City - Sounds cool, right?  Why not.

Sept. 2010

September 3-5, 2010 - LA Greek Fest - Great Greek food with some of LA’s celebrities.

September 4-5, 2010 - Cardiff by the Sea Greek Fest - Almost your last chance for some great Greek food at a summer Greek festival.

September 4th thru 6th 2010 - Fiesta Hermosa Beach - Hermosa Beach’s other fun festival.

September 5th thru October 31st 2010 - Old World Oktoberfests, Huntington Beach - Party with some other drinkers pretending to be German and some Germans who actually know how to drink.

September 4-6, 2010 - Orange International Street Fair - Fun for the kid in you, the one that loves to eat street fair food and to wash it down with lots of beer.
September 8, 2010 - Last day of the Races, Del Mar - Another good excuse to go to the races and party in Del Mar afterwards.

September 10-12, 2010 - Long Beach Lobster Festival.  Did we mention they have lobster?
September 11, 2010 - Quail Botanical Garden Gala, Encinitas - Anything in this funky town is fun.

September 11th, 2010 - Temecula Uncorked.  Food and lots of wine, all under one roof, if they have it again.

September 11th to October 31st 2010 - Big Bear Oktoberfests - These are fun, but watch that windy road down on the way back.  Better yet, stay up in Big Bear for the night.

September 15, 2010 - Taste of Santa Monica - Food tasting and music on the Santa Monica pier.
September 17-19, 2010 - Taste of Newport Beach - This has to be one of Southern Califorinia’s best singles events.  Great food, top name entertainment and fantastic looking people.  Prepare to pay, however, if you want to sample all the food that will tempt you.
September 17-19, 2010 - Pasadena Greek Fest - Last chance for a Greek fest in Southern California.
September 17th thru 19th 2010 - Manhattan Beach Open - Volleyball in Manhattan Beach and the views are fantastic.

September 18th to October 3rd, 2010 - The real Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, the best beer drinking festival in the world.  Get your tickets early or head to the Hofbrau House where you don't need to sit at a table.

September 18th, 2010 - Callaway Winery Grape Stomp, Temecula - Stomp some grapes and look drunker than you really are.  Cool event in Temecula.

September 18, 2010 - Here's one that caught our eye.  It's the Avocado & Margarita Festival in Morro Bay.  This has to be good.

September 24, 2010 - South Coast Plaza Wine Tasting, Costa Mesa  - A great event to meet other young professionals while drinking wine.

25th to 27th - Lobsterfest, Los Angeles - Now we’re talking.  Lobster.  Wonderful.
September 25th to 27th - Irvine Greek Fest at St. Paul's - If you're not full of Lobster, come here for some gyros.
September 28th to October 28th 2010 - Phoenix Club Oktoberfests, Anaheim - You won’t believe the size of this place smack dab in Anaheim.
September 29, 2010 - Ponte Winery Grape Stomp, Temecula - Another fun grape stomp in Temecula.

October 2010

October 2, 2010 - Taste of Del Mar - Now we’re talking.  Great food at one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California.

October 2-3, 2010 - Manhattan Beach Old Hometown Fair - Any excuse to be in Manhattan Beach for a fun time is a good idea.  This is one of those good ideas.

October 3, 2010 - Morrow Bay Harbor Festival.  Music, beer and food in a great setting.
October 3rd, 2010 - San Clemente Sea Fest - A great reason to go to San Clemente if you like sea food.

October 9, 2010 - Santa Barbara Celebration of Harvest.  What harvest?  Wine, of course.
October 10, 2010 - Little Italy Festa, San Diego - Eat some great Italian food and drink some chianti in a growing and fun area of San Diego.
October 14, 2010 - South Coast Plaza Food and Wine Tasting, Costa Mesa - Wine and food at one of the best malls in Southern California.

October 16-18, 2010 - Paso Robles Harvest Wine Tour - The wineries up here want to show you a great time.  Worth the trip..

October 23-25, 2010 - Great American Beer Festival, Denver Colorado - This is a great reason to check out Denver if you like beer, and who doesn’t?

November 2010

November 6, 2010 - Carlsbad Chili Cook-Off & Fall Festival - Mmmm, chili on a cold fall afternoon.

November 6-7, 2010 - Temecula Harvest Wine Celebration - Temecula just gets better and better.  This is a good event to taste their wines.

November 17-21, 2010 - San Diego Wine & Food Festival Grand Tasting - This is the big one.  The final event is a great place to meet other singles and former Top Chef contestants.

December 2010

December 3, 4, 2010 - December Nights - Balboa Park, San Diego - Lots of Christmas lights, music and great, great food from lots of different countries, at very inexpensive tasting prices.

December 5th, 2010 - Corona Del Mar Christmas Walk - Perhaps one of the best times to check out this great little beach next to Newport Beach and meet some of the locals.

December 11, 12, 2009 - Huntington Harbor Cruise of Lights
December 31st, 2010 - New Year’s Eve - There are probably much better places to be, like any home with friends or in a foreign country’s capital like Prague in Czechoslovakia or in the city of Krakow in Poland, but Las Vegas remains the number one party capital until some other place edges it out.

San Diego New Year's Eve - San Diego receives special mention for having what appears to be the best New Year's Eve parties and far more to choose from than in Orange County and other Southern California areas.  In 2009, the most sought-after ticket after tickets sold out appears to have been for the Hard Rock Hotel in the gaslamp district of San Diego.

While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information, we are limited by time and the confines of the website tools.  The above dates are therefore only approximate dates, based on previous year's dates.  You should therefore always call ahead or do your own research on the internet to confirm the dates and times of these events and to ensure that they are still scheduled.  The times of these events as indicated on the calendar are in many cases set by the calendar system default and are almost certainly inaccurate.  Please visit the web sites of the event organizers to learn the times of these events.

Best Places to Party In Around the World

February 9th to 20th - Carnival in Venice, Italy for the most colorful and beautifully costumed festival in this fantastic city.  If you can’t come in the winter for Carnival, just come anytime in the summer and sit at one of the outdoor cafes in St. Mark’s Square.

March 17th - There’s no better place to be for St. Patrick’s Day than in Dublin, Ireland.
May 12th to June 4th - The Prague Spring International Music Festival, a great time to be in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
May 17th - Oslo, Norway for Constitution Day, a great excuse to visit Oslo and party with the Norwegians.
June 1st  through Sept 15th - Santorini, Greece - Any day you can spend on the island of Santorini is a great day with great food, drinks and unbelievable views and nightlife.
June 1st through Sept. 15th - Mykonos, Greece - No matter what days you choose to be here in the summer months, you will have fun and lose all track of time.  Nightlife is fantastic here and the village is one of the most picturesque in all of Greece.
June 2nd to 4th - Copenhagen, Denmark for the Whitsun Carnival.  Another great excuse to go to Scandinavia and on to meet some fun Danes.
June 17th - Independence Day in Reykjavik, Iceland.  Stay over for at least 4 days and you’re in time for the next best day to be in Iceland, June 21st, the summer solstice or longest (party) day of the year.
June 21st - The Fete de la Musique, in Paris, France where the city of lights explodes with musical celebrations everywhere for free.
June 22nd to 24th - Somerset, England for the huge Glastonbury music festival. Tickets may be hard to find so this one needs some planning ahead.
June 23rd - Midsummer night on any of the beaches in Corfu, Greece.  A great night to meet Scandinavians.  Pick any of the beaches on the western side of the island and you can’t go wrong.
June 23rd - Midsummer Night anywhere in Scandinavia, a day when the Scandinavians really let their hair down.
June 25th to July 8th - Wimbledon in London, England.  June 25th to July 8th - What a great place to see some tennis, hang out, eat some strawberries and cream, have some English ale and see some beautiful people.  Next best time to come is August 25th to 27th for the London Carnival.
July 6th - The first day of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.  July 6th to 14th - A life changing experience if you run with the bulls.  Be careful.  Not for slow runners.
July 13th to 14th - Bastille Day Celebrations in Paris, France.  Watch the French get rowdy.
July 16th to 29th - Galway, Ireland for the Galway Arts Festival, Ireland’s biggest arts festival.  Another great excuse to go to Ireland and have another few pints of Guinness.
August 10th to Sept. 2nd - Edinburgh, Scotland - The Fringe Festival has art, comedy, opera, and a lot of drinking.  This one has to be seen.  Good descriptions aren’t possible.
August 14th to 15th - The Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland is perhaps your best excuse to sample this staple of the Polish diet and just hang out in this picturesque capital with the locals.
September 21st - The opening day of the Oktoberfest celebration in Munich, Germany.  All of the days here are good, but this one is special.  Get drunk with the Aussies and the locals.
Dec. 29th to Jan 1st - Edinburgh, Scotland for the Hogmanay Festival of music, fireworks and drinking.

Future Dates of annual events are approximations of when it is anticipated that the events will take place. 

2009 California Food and Agriculture Law News - The County of Origin Labeling Law is now in effect in San Diego and Orange County, California.  

There is a major change taking place at California grocery stores. The change has to do with a new regulation in food law. California food and agriculture lawyers won’t be in the produce aisle or lurking near the beer and wine. California personal injury attorneys may not even be watching the video screens for slip and fall accident victims. Instead the change will be in the labeling of the food customers purchase.

Until now, most consumers had no idea from which country the food they were eating came from. With the new COOL (Country of Origin Labeling) law taking effect after September 30, 2008, all that will change, with a few exceptions and a few quirks.

Now when you buy that apple, pick up a package of most meats, or bag a head of lettuce, you will be able to glean from either a label, sticker or notice of some kind what country it came from. Unfortunately, as of yet, the law does not extend to dairy products. The law also does not apply to organ meats such as heart, liver or kidney.

The law also provides exceptions for processed foods such as bacon or foods that are mixed together such as peas and carrots, but it’s likely to help consumers feel much safer in being able to avoid food from certain countries, especially during food poisoning outbreaks, and feel better able to buy American if they want to.

There are also exceptions in COOL for butchers, fish markets, restaurants, restaurants in hotels, school cafeterias, and small retailers. Additionally if spices, sauce or breading has been added, no labeling is required. Though not exactly food, the law also does not apply to pharmaceuticals, though there are calls to extend the law to them. Produce mixed in displays may simply be labeled as being "from two or more countries of origin."

There are other discrepancies with how the law will be applied. Fish caught off the coast of Alaska by a Chinese or Japanese owned ship may be labeled as a product of China or Japan. Beef raised in another country that spends 30 days in a feed lot in the U.S. can be labeled as coming from the U.S.

Consumers are likely going to be surprised when they see how much of their food is imported. "I’ve been eating this?" and "This comes from what country?" will likely be heard by check out clerks as consumers stand in line and look over the new labels.

It has been suggested by some that it was meat packers who didn’t want the obligation to sort out cattle from Canada and Mexico, who are the reason why at least to start, beef may be labeled with just a North American country of origin label, as opposed to a U.S. country of origin label. Sadly, with this country’s lack of geographical knowledge (just watch Jay Leno when he asks people on the street where Canada is), many people will assume that "North American" means that the beef couldn’t possibly have come from outside the U.S., much less Mexico.

Retailers are given discretion how they label the food. Meat counters, for instance, may simply list all the countries where the meat is produced, or they can label each cut. Hamburger will still likely give the consumer pause as meat that is ground up may come from numerous countries.