Art & Wine Festival

Please note, info listed below is from the 2011 event. Please return 3-4 weeks prior to the event when we post the updated festival info for the 2012 event.

Mountain View Celebrates 40th Annual Art & Wine Festival

Silicon Valley’s World-Class Art & Music Festival, “A Festival Like No Other”

It’s a festival like no other. An authentic and movable feast for the senses. The cool, vibrant, multicultural Castro Street vibe. Exceptional handcrafted work by 600 of America’s top artists and craftmakers. Stellar live music on stage and street throughout downtown. Fabulous food and drink. The new Comcast Pigskin Party Lounge with giant screen TV. Home and garden exhibits. Health and wellness displays. An organic and green products showcase. A special remembrance ceremony to honor the heroes from 9/11. Tons of fun and games for kids. An affordable, sun-splashed, memorable, leisure-filled weekend. There’s even a convenient booth to pay for drink tickets, glasses and t-shirts with credit cards! If all that sounds good to you, head to downtown Mountain View for the 40th Annual Art & Wine Festival, September 10-11. Considered one of America’s top art festivals, huge throngs of art lovers are expected to pour into Silicon Valley’s epicenter for this “Cultural Community Celebration” presented by the Chamber of Commerce Mountain View. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Admission is free.

The Beginning

The first festival was organized by the Chamber of Commerce as a fund-raiser in 1971. Today, the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival is considered one of the nation’s premier art festivals. Realizing the goal of its founders, the festival provides a consistent stream of revenue that helps fund Chamber programs throughout the year. Proceeds are invested in carefully crafted programs that help strengthen and bring together Mountain View’s diverse community. Among the programs sponsored by the Chamber are Yipee (Young Innovative Professional Entrepreneurs Etc), SOAR — a new Workforce Development pilot program, Business ConneXions and Leadership Mountain View.

Fresh, New Attractions in 2011

The festival continues to re-invigorate itself with fresh, new attractions. This year brings an infusion of emerging artists with fresh work and a variety of affordable price points, the new Comcast Pigskin Party Lounge with giant LED screen, several new food vendors offering a different slant with organic, fresh and exotic festival fare, a diverse and star-studded lineup of bands, the introduction of mojitos and sangria to complement the top shelf wines, microbrews and margaritas, plus you can pay for drink tickets, glasses and t-shirts with credit cards at a new booth. The festival also plans to step up its comprehensive Zero Waste effort, this year to include composting, through the involvement of community-based environmental group, Green Mountain View, and its team of dedicated volunteers.

Extraordinary Art, Fine Crafts

California Artists brings its highly-acclaimed stable of exceptional artists and fine craftmakers to the festival. “We have longtime festival favorites returning as well as many talented, new artists this year,” said Nancie Allie, founder of California Artists. “It’s the perfect opportunity to meet the artists that do the work.” Buyers and browsers will find thousands of handcrafted items by America’s best artists and craftmakers while browsing among 600 well-stocked booths featuring original work in glass, ceramics, metals, fiber, leather, wood, jewelry, and fine art. Beautiful vases, clocks, dishes, wall and table decorations, paperweights, stained and beveled glass, etchings, sculptures, photography, oil and watercolor paintings, beadwork, gold and silver jewelry, vests, handbags, hats, wallets, footwear, and waterfalls will be among the thousands of one-of-a-kind items available.

Groova-licious Musical Mix

Get your groove on to thirteen dynamite bands play a wide-ranging musical mix on the Solar City Music Stage and street locations throughout downtown … Motown, rhythm and blues, country, swing, rock ‘n roll, jazz, soul, world-beat, Celtic folk, funk, disco, Latin rock, rumba flamenco and party music. The lineup includes The Groove Kings, Department of Rock, Bump City, Mustache Harbor, Off The Record, Zoo Station, Emerson, Kaweh, Shabang, Bob Culbertson, Aryeh Frankfurter, HeartStrings Music and Ancient Winds.

School of Rock Stage & Kids’ Park

Tishman Speyer Properties Kids’ Park, located in the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot, will feature a host of family-style entertainment and amusements. Rock music fans will have a chance to strut their stuff in front of legions of adoring fans (and, who knows, maybe some paparazzi?) while competing for two Xbox 360 packages on this year’s Microsoft School of Rock Stage. Volunteers from the Alzheimer’s Association, a stage sponsor, will videotape performances and upload the videos to YouTube. Fans and festivalgoers will be able to tweet photos and post them to Facebook by using hashtag #MVAW10.Action-packed Kids’ Park will also feature a NASA exhibit, hands-on art booths, a 24-foot climbing wall, super cool body art, the Froghopper, Berry-Go-Round and Helicopter amusement rides, inflatable bounces, monster slides, whimsical sand sculptures, and thrilling virtual reality motion theater. Test your knowledge of the planets and see a real space shuttle tire at the NASA Ames exhibit. NASA Ames, located at Moffett Field, conducts the critical R&D and develops the enabling technologies that make NASA missions possible.

Fabulously Festive Food

Festival eateries will be serving up a world of flavorful fare — fresh corn-on-the-cob, souvlaki made with organic, locally sourced ingredients, meatballs of lamb, pork, red onions, parsley and spices, dolmas, Teriyaki chicken and vegetables, thin-sliced, barbecue chicken and pork cooked on skewers, plump smoked sausages, three varieties of paella, tamales, tacos, a stuffed-bread version of pasta with meat and sauce, grilled vegetable pizza along with cheese and pepperoni slices, garlic chicken and Cajun barbecue chicken sandwiches, Parmesan-sprinkled garlic fries, tri-tip and pulled pork sandwiches, smoked turkey legs, nachos with cheese and jalapenos, zesty fried calamari, kettle corn, Hawaiian shave ice, ice cream cones, root beer floats and fresh-squeezed, hand-shaken lemonade.

Delectably Delicious Drink

Thirsty yet? The wines selected by the discriminating tasting panel to be served include Torre Alta Pinot Grigio, San Elias Syrah, Sagelands Riesling, Columbia Crest Cabernet, San Elias Sauvignon Blanc, Crucero Carmenere, BV Coastal Chardonnay, Echelon Cabernet … truly luscious vintages from several outstanding winemakers. Making its festival debut this year, YIPEE will be pouring Morada Sangria, a perfect warm afternoon refresher. This year’s special festival brew from Tied House is a Vienna Lager. This is a clean and crisp beer, with hints of hops. It’s a chesnut colored lager with malty aroma and modest body. Think you’ve never heard of a Vienna Lager? Germans who emigrated to Mexico brought this style of beer with them. If you have ever enjoyed a Negro Modelo, you have tasted a Vienna Lager. Also on tap is Tied House’s New World Wheat, along with Kona Longboard Lager, Widmer Hefeweizen, Budweiser and Bud Light Lime. Enjoy a Sauza Original Margarita or Cruzan Rum Premium Mojito for a deliciously refreshing beverage alternative. Sip your favorite beverage in a beautiful, collector-item wine or beer glass adorned with this year’s stylish festival logo.

NEW: Comcast Pigskin Party Lounge

Sports fanatics will have a place to watch NFL and college football and MLB games on a giant LED screen in the new Comcast Pigskin Party Lounge. Centrally located at Mercy and Castro, there will be plenty of seating, festive food and drink — the perfect spot to take a break and cheer on your teams.

9/11 Remembrance Ceremony

On Sunday (Sept. 11) at 11 a.m., there will be a special remembrance ceremony to honor the heroes from 9/11. Members of all military branches, local police and fire officials and civic dignitaries will participate in a ceremonial walk down Castro Street to Civic Center Plaza followed by a singing of the national anthem, speakers, a moment of silence and lowering of the flag.

Warriors In The House

Meet members of the Golden State “Warrior Girls” dance troupe, find out about tickets for the 2010/2011 season and check out the latest Warriors merchandise — hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts and more — featuring the recently released Warriors retro “bridge” logo.

Zero Waste Initiative

This year’s Zero Waste Initiative has been stepped up with the Chamber of Commerce, Recology Mountain View, Green Mountain View and the City of Mountain View joining forces to promote and encourage recycling and, for the first time, composting. Festival organizers are also encouraging the use of public transit, bicycles and car pools to cut down carbon emissions and vehicular traffic. “Every day we talk about ways to reduce, re-use, and recycle,” said Oscar Garcia, President/CEO of the Chamber of Commerce. “We’re on a mission to make this a Zero Waste festival — it’s a major priority for us and something we diligently plan for and try to improve upon every year.”

Organic, Healthy & Green Products Showcase

This year’s festival will feature the latest and greatest exhibits featuring Organic, Natural, Healthy and Eco-Friendly products. Festivalgoers can enjoy free product samples and gather information while experiencing first-hand how these products and organizations can help you live a better, healthier and “greener” lifestyle and be a positive catalyst for change. Sponsors include Solar City, Farm Fresh To You, Larabar, Cascadian Farm, PG&E, Kashi, Heavenly Greens, Sunlight Concepts, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, El Camino Hospital, Laser Eye Center of Silicon Valley, American Laser Centers, University Chiropractic, Peninsula Laser Eye Medical Group, SunWize Technologies, and Sunnyvale Chiropractic.

KMVT Broadcasts Live!

See your local High School SPORTS Heroes and KMVT anchors doing interviews on LIVE TV! KMVT Community Television will be broadcasting live from the festival, interviewing coaches, players, and fans from the sports teams of Mountain View High, Los Altos High, and St. Francis High Schools in anticipation of their 2010-11 sports season. The broadcast booth will be located at Church and Castro Streets, in front of Wells Fargo.

NEW: We Take Credit Cards!

For your convenience, pay for drink tickets, glasses and t-shirts using Visa or Mastercard at the new booth in Civic Center Plaza at Mercy and Castro. Viva Plastic!

Street Closures

Castro Street will be closed to traffic from El Camino Real to Evelyn Avenue for the two-day festival.

Bicycle Parking

Avoid the traffic congestion and ride your bike. Bicycle valet parking will be available at the corner of Castro and Church Streets.

Vehicle Parking

Some free parking is available in the downtown area. Paid parking ($5) will be available at the 400 Castro Street garage (use Bryant street entrance), 444 Castro Street garage (use Bryant Street entrance), and the Kaiser Permanente garage (555 Castro Street, use Hope Street entrance) and Chase Bank (Castro/El Camino Real). All paid parking lots will be operated by Community Health Awareness Council as a fund-raiser. Parking fees benefit the Community Health Awareness Council, creating healthy lives for children and families in Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills.

Public Transportation

Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) will be running its normal weekend schedule with Bus and Light Rail service to Downtown Mountain View. Ride VTA Light Rail (exit at the Mountain View Transit Center) or VTA Bus Lines 22, 32, 35, and 522 to the Festival. Please note Bus Lines 32 and 522 do not operate on Sundays. For your free trip plan, call (408) 321-2300, or visit http://www.vta.org. For Caltrain information, call 800-660-4287 or visit http://www.caltrain.com. Caltrain, VTA Light Rail and bus service drops riders off at the Mountain View transit center, the primary festival entrance at Evelyn Avenue and Castro Street.

No Pets, Please

Pets are not allowed at the festival. For the safety, comfort, and courtesy of your pets and festivalgoers, please leave your pets at home.

Festival Dates/Hours/Location

The festival is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on September 10-11. It is held on Castro Street from El Camino Real to Evelyn Avenue. Admission is free.

Info-Line

For festival information, call the Chamber of Commerce Mountain View at 650-968-8378.