Residents of Concord, California don’t need to go far for entertainment year round. This city offers a multitude of diverse festivals for people of all ages. Annual festivities can be a great tradition to start with your loved ones, here are the best festivals in Concord.
MomDay in the Park
All moms deserve celebrating and what better way than to celebrate them with live music? A combination of events, celebrating moms as well as the Bay Area Music Education. Live performances by student musicians happen in early May in Todos Santos Plaza. Treat your mom to lunch at one of the amazing restaurants in the plaza and then take a stroll listening to all the live music.
Bay Area KidFest
This amazing three-day event includes live entertainment for the kids, as well as activities, sports, as well as arts and crafts, all aimed to promote health and wellness for children and families.With a donation of a canned good to the Food Bank, the event is just $6 per person, $7 without a donation. In the past seven years, this event has generated over 30,000 pounds of canned donations for the Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano. All children two and under, and seniors 65 and older receive free admission.
For additional costs, there are also over 15 rides, including a zip line, ferris wheel, pony ride, petting zoo, and Xtreme Laser Tag! Once you’ve worked up an appetite, head over to the delicious food vendors for meals and snacks.
Concord Jazz Festival
Back in 1969, a resident of Concord by the name of Carl Jefferson decided he wanted to hold a jazz festival. He thought the citizens of Concord would like it as much as he and his friends, so he went to the city with funds for a festival and the city matched it. He was right about the thirst for jazz, as the first festival drew in more than 17,000 people. Six short years later he built Concord Pavilion, a place for casual and formal performances, and in May of 1975, it was complete, with a price tag of 4.5 million dollars.
Today, the Concord Jazz Festival is held annually in June and is free to the public. It is still held at the Concord Pavilion and features 4 twenty-piece big bands and more on two different stages. It is truly a festival for all ages and one that Carl Jefferson would still be proud of.
Independence Day Festival and 5K Race
An all-day event, the Concord Fourth of July celebration starts with a 5K race and a Kid run at 8 am. Followed shortly by a parade through the city at 10 am. The festival takes over from there, and a kid carnival with bounce houses and games, along with food and music entertainment starts.
The kids’ carnival has tickets available for $1 each, or all day wristbands can be purchased for $15 each. A military discount is available for $12 for all-day wristbands.
The night ends honoring our country with a fireworks celebration!
Bay Area Beer and Slider Fest
This is a newer celebration to our area, but one we cannot wait to see repeated this year! November 4th at the Clarion Hotel in Concord the second annual Bay Area Beer and Slider Fest will take place.
This 21 and over event will feature local restaurants and breweries like:
For $30 at the door, you get unlimited beer and food, and for the designated drivers, it is $20 for unlimited food. A portion of the proceeds from this event goes to The Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano.
Concord Annual Turkey Trot
This year Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 23rd and to start off the holiday season, a 5K and a 10K are run in the morning. To keep it a fun run, only the first 1500 people will be registered. There is also a free Kid Dash around Todos Santos Park for children 10 and under. This event starts just before the Turkey Trot at 7:45 a.m.
The run is a benefit for Compassion Outreach, a program to meet practical needs for the underserved in our community.
All participants receive a t-shirt and custom medal for running in the race, start this fun tradition with your family this year!
Concord’s Official Tree Lighting Ceremony
The holiday season will be in full effect on December 2 of this year with the tree lighting and Santa’s grand arrival in Todos Santos Plaza!
Take your family and see Santa’s entrance at 4 p.m., followed by local school choirs and community entertainers taking stage at 5 p.m. The mayor will be hosting a holiday sing-a-long and free carriage rides will be sponsored by the Todos Santos Business Association.
At Sequoia Signs, we proudly serve Concord’s community and businesses, as well as the residents of the greater Bay Area region. Call us today and see how we can serve your company or next event!
