Glowing Wild

Now Through June 8/REDDING – From 7-10 p.m. is an illuminated wildlife lantern festival at the Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay Exploration Park. FLASH SALE! 50% Off Tickets this weekend only (through May 17). Featuring ten acres of illuminated gardens filled with Asian lanterns inspired by plants and animals from around the World. Plus, there will be music, food and drinks, live performances on select nights and more. Interactive exhibits amidst the natural beauty of the gardens. Value night tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for ages 4-15. For more information and to get tickets, visit https://www.glowingwild.org/

A Doll’s House, Part 2

Now through June 8/PASADENA – At the Pasadena Playhouse. Nora’s back—15 years after walking out on her family—ready to confront the fallout of her iconic escape. Bold, satisfying, and packed with razor-sharp twists, Lucas Hnath’s Tony-nominated play dives into the messy reality of what it means to be a woman living on your own terms. It’s complicated. It’s witty.  Don’t miss this audacious sequel 146 years after Ibsen’s classic. The good news is that you do not need to have seen the original to enjoy Part 2. All you need to know is that at the end of Ibsen’s play, Nora, a mother and wife, walks out on her husband and three young children. Slamming the door behind her—a moment frequently referred to as the slam heard around the world—she makes a dramatic exit that shocked audiences and shook the foundations of 19th-century theatre. For tickets, visit https://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/

Knott’s Boysenberry Festival

Now through May 18/BUENA PARK – Daily at Knott’s Berry Farm Theme Park. Our annual food and wine festival celebrates the park’s historic roots by highlighting the little berry that started it all. a tantalizing lineup of dishes ranging from savory foods with a boysenberry twist to one-of-a-kind specialty desserts and drinks, including a variety of wines and craft beers that you can only find at Knott’s Berry Farm during this limited-time food-inspired event. Also a wide selection of local crafters, live music, musical stage shows, and fun activities. See https://www.knotts.com/events/boysenberry-festival

Salinas Valley Fair

May 15 – 18/MONTERAY – This year’s Fair theme is “The Berry Best Fair” – filled with all your favorite things from 4H & FFA livestock animals, to fresh baked cookies, photos, and so much more. Swing into exhibition buildings or barns and see what the talented local youth have been up to. They have many new activities planned this year in addition to all their traditional exhibits. Carnival wristbands are available for all-you-can-ride at $30.. Regular admission is $12 for adults and $8 for ages 6-17. Children under age 5 are free. Join the Grand Tasting featuring award-winning wines! For more information and complete schedule https://www.seemonterey.com/event/salinas-valley-fair/

 Joshua Tree Music Festival

May 15-18/JOSHUA TREE – The global and eclectic music theme feels right at home at this camping-friendly, twice-a-year festival just outside the desert national park. Intriguing acts this spring include Oakland-based Brontez Purnell, Salinas band Qiensave, and techno-accordianist Graysokker. The fall version happens in October. For more information, visit https://joshuatreemusicfestival.com/

 L.A. County Yarn Crawl

May 15-18/LOS ANGELES – Knitters, this is your weekend. The annual festival stitches together a dozen specialty yarn shops and women-owned small businesses located in every corner of Los Angeles County. Visit and browse as many stores as you can, getting your festival “passport” stamped and picking up free knit and crochet patterns along the way. At the end, you could win one of the prize gift baskets. https://layarncrawl.org/ 

Strawberry Festival

May 17-18/VENTURA – 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. A whopping 1.5 million strawberries are typically consumed over the two days here. Expect plenty of strawberry margaritas and chocolate-dipped strawberries, as well as creative renderings such as strawberry tamales, strawberry beer, strawberry nachos, strawberry pizza, and deep-fried strawberries on a stick. Traditionalists can build their own strawberry shortcakes with a variety of toppings, while hardy strawberry fans can enter the strawberry-pie-eating contest (no utensils are allowed—your mouth does all the work). For more information and tickets, visit https://castrawberryfestival.org/buy-tickets/

Art & Wind Festival

May 25-26/SAN RAMON – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Let’s go fly a kit! Kick off summer at the Bay Area’s best free two-day festival. A weekend filled with high-flying kites, hands-on activities, live entertainment, and family-friendly fun. Professional choreographed kite flying demonstrations and free kite making workshop. It’s the perfect way to kick off summer — and admission is free. For more information, visit https://discoversanramonca.com/summer2025/