Planning Your BottleRock Napa Valley Experience

Were you one of the lucky ones able to snag tickets to BottleRock this year? If not, mark it on your calendar and look earlier next year. If so, you’re one of the lucky ones with the opportunity to check out the area’s unofficial “first taste of summer.” Here’s what you need to know about the Napa Valley’s most popular spring music extravaganza.

When Is It?

This year’s festival will be held May 26th through May 28th at 575 3rd Street in Napa, California. While tickets are currently sold out, there is an official ticket exchange site you can use to place a reservation in case of a cancellation.

The Line Up

There are two main parts to the BottleRock lineup. The first is the performing artists. This year festival attendees will enjoy the Foo Fighters, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Maroon 5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Roots, Live, Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, Gavin DeGraw, St. Lucia, Bob Moses, AlunaGeorge, Saint Motel, Galactic, Ani DiFranco, Warren G, Pell, 888, Run River North, and dozens of other incredible performers from a myriad of genres.

On the culinary stage you’ll enjoy the first “taste” of summer. Foodies will enjoy appearances by Masaharu Morimoto, Martha Stewart, Ayesha Curry, Roy Choi, Richard Blais, and Cindy Pawlcyn – among others.

Attending the Festival

There are a few things you should know about the festival. All of the standard rules regarding weapons and illicit substances apply. Other rules include:

• No chairs are allowed on the grounds; and no umbrellas of any kind.
• No professional camera equipment or recording equipment is allowed, nor tripods, etc. Selfie sticks are also not allowed.
• No soccer balls, footballs, or other sports equipment.
• You are allowed sunscreen as long as it is (non-aerosol).
• You can only bring cigarettes if they are sealed and unopened at the time of your arrival.
• Only one water bottle (empty) per person.
• Prescriptions may only be brought in if you bring them in their original bottles.
• A complete list of festival rules can be found here.

Parking passes can be purchased for $35 per day and advanced purchase is usually recommended. There is also bus parking for large groups and bicycle parking for those interested in alternative modes of transportation. The festival also highly recommends carpooling and ridesharing to alleviate parking headaches and to lighten the burden on the environment.

BottleRock is an incredible festival enjoyed year after year. Try to grab next year’s tickets early; they go fast, and you won’t want to miss out. Whenever possible, you should book your accommodations early, too–it’s common for local resorts and hotels to be booked up long before the event.