Posts Tagged ‘Music’

First Night Monterey

Friday, December 7th, 2012
Facebook Twitter Email Pinterest

 

New Year’s Eve always brings a sense of hope and optimism about the year ahead. Figuring out what to do, that makes everyone in the family happy can be a bit of a challenge. First Night Monterey solves that problem in one fell swoop. The event offers something for the young and the young at heart and takes place throughout historic downtown Monterey. Now in its 20th year, First Night Monterey is a community celebration of the arts that kicks off at 3pm on December 31, 2012. Over 25 performance sites, most of which are indoors, feature a wide variety of music, interactive art, dance and fun. The alcohol-free event focuses on family fun with kid friendly activities and themed events. The event kicks off with the Opening Ceremony on the lawn of Colton Hall and Pacific Street. Kid’s Night Out begins at 3:30pm with interactive art activities, face painting, artists, puppet theatre, folk music and magic. Then the Twilight Procession progresses down Alvarado Street at 5:30pm. Musical performances range from Reggae to Classical and Jazz to Hip Hop. Performances also include dance, art and written and spoken word. The Grand Finale starts at 11:15pm and rings in the New Year at midnight.

The Portola Hotel & Spa offers a fun First Night Package that includes two adult First Night “All Access Buttons”, a nautically inspired guest room, warm homemade cookie upon arrival and is one of the best spots on the Peninsula, especially on New Year’s Eve! With its location on Custom House Plaza, the Portola Hotel is the perfect venue to explore the sights, sounds and good times of First Night Monterey.

Ring in the New Year with the Portola Hotel & Spa!

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Local Events, Portola Packages | No Comments »

Big Sur Food & Wine

Friday, November 2nd, 2012
Facebook Twitter Email Pinterest

 Photo © Big Sur Food & Wine

Big Sur has been the location of movies and commercials and an inspiration to beatniks and metaphysical practitioners. It is beautiful, rugged and has been called the “greatest meeting of land and sea” by poet, Robinson Jeffers. And, while several thousand people call it home, interestingly, there is no actual city or town of Big Sur. What better way to properly celebrate this wonderful mish-mash of quintessentially Californian attributes, than to have a food and wine festival in its honor!

The Big Sur Food & Wine Festival runs Thursday, November 1st through the 4th and features a bevy of out of the box food and wine centric events, just like the region itself. Friday’s offerings feature the beginning of the Hiking with Stemware series with allows participants to take in the beauty of Big Sur on foot along with the beautiful taste of some of the area’s best wines. The events feature meals al fresco from local chef’s and are often paired with an inside look at artisan producers from around the state.

Evenings embrace the wild mystery of the area with events like the Wine & Swine and a series of Winemaker’s Dinners. These limited seating events feature small batch wineries paired with the creations of local chefs. The nighttime activities conclude with the After Parties at the Henry Miller Library. This venue has played host to a Who’s Who of American creative genius from Jack Kerouac to The Red Hot Chili Peppers and this weekend features music, wine, food and fun.

There is a wonderful mix of events throughout the weekend so you can choose to try a taste or go whole hog. The event organizers have graciously provided shuttle transportation for some of the events so be sure to check the Big Sur Food & Wine website for more details. As food and wine festivals go, this one may give you a little more than you bargained for; and that’s a good thing!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Food & Wine, Local Events | No Comments »

Carmel Art & Film Festival

Monday, October 8th, 2012
Facebook Twitter Email Pinterest

The Monterey Peninsula has always had an affinity with film. As one of the most beautiful places in the world, many filmmakers and commercial directors have utilized varying landscape and scenery of the area as backdrops for their work. From Turner and Hooch to From Here to Eternity, the Monterey Peninsula always seems to make a cameo.

Now in its fifth year, the Carmel Art & Film Festival runs October 10 – 14, 2012 in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, and boasts screenings of almost 100 films in four different categories: features, documentary, short, and student submissions. In addition, the Festival also promotes a growing art and music segment showcasing renowned Los Angeles artist Thierry Guetta, a.k.a. Mr. Brainwash and L.A. based musical act, Shyboy.

The 2012 screening venues are as eclectic as the event itself with the Sunset Center, Golden Bough Playhouse, Carmel Center for the Performing Arts, Carmel Youth Center Theaters, and Carmel Beach; all holding viewings throughout the week. Awards for the films include: Best Narrative, Best Documentary, Best Short, Best Student Film, and the Clint Eastwood Filmmakers Award. The Carmel Art & Film Festival also includes several parties and post screening events where attendees can mix and mingle with the filmmakers, celebrities and VIP’s. Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit the Carmel Art & Film Festival Scholarship Fund, a 501 (c)(3), supporting and encouraging young people to advance their work in art and film through education. It’s a great event for a worthy cause.

Lights, Camera, Action!

 

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Local Events | No Comments »

Monterey Blues Festival

Thursday, June 21st, 2012
Facebook Twitter Email Pinterest

One of the few original forms of music invented in the United States, the blues, is quintessentially American. The music, born in out of the New Orleans Jazz scene and the Mississippi Delta tells the tale of hardship and triumph over simple chords. That sound of our country is on display at the annual Monterey Bay Blues Festival June 22-24, 2012.  The Blues Festival, which runs Friday through Sunday, features a fantastic line-up of performers including: Rose Royce, Evelyn ‘Champagne” King, Kenny Neal and Jackie Greene. The festival also includes the “Blues in the Schools” Honor Band. Now over 20 years old, this iconic festival is considered one of the premier Blues Festivals in the country, boasting attendance of over 20,000 per year. As a non-profit, the festival generously donates to youth music and also administers the Monterey Bay Blues Festival Youth Scholarship program with supports deserving local youth. With food and fun in addition to great music, how can you go wrong?

Tags: , ,
Posted in Local Events | No Comments »