Visitor Information
Car Rentals in Boulder Creek

Boulder Creek Festivals

Boulder Creek Art, Wine and Music Festival

Oops, They Id It Again: Freud would certainly have something to say about the Dirty Butter Jug Band, who performed at the Boulder Creek Art, Wine and Music Festival in 2003.

Memorial Day has come a long way since the '60s, baby. The 1860s, that is. Not that I'm some authority on the history of Memorial Day, but I'm pretty sure there weren't any beer-filled barbecues involved when people were trying to honor dead soldiers back in the day. Does the shift in the meaning of Memorial Day reveal some fundamental truth about human nature? Not really, besides the fact that most of us are overworked and free to be depressed 365 days of the year, so why the hell not take a load off?

And what better way to appreciate our way of life than to hang at an art and wine festival? Answer: Stay in bed eating grapes and watching old Arnold Schwarzenegger movies while lazily loving your partner all the livelong day. But for the rest of you, get your ass to Boulder Creek. Do it now!

Because once you've made your way up into the mountains and successfully parked your car, a festival awaits you that amounts to nothing less than the sublimation of all our basest impulses. If Freud were alive today, he'd be the first to note that art, wine and music festivals are modeled after that infamous hedonist mantra from the 1960s, "sex, drugs and rock & roll," the former being a watered-down, family-friendly version of the latter.

To wit:

Sex = Art. Two words--Edgar Degas. And who hasn't heard stories of the lonely artist pouring all of their pent-up passions into their work? Same as it ever was ...

Drugs = Wine. Just because we can talk about tannins and volatizing esters, we must not be distracted from the Dionysian possibilities of the pagan gods' nectar.

Rock & Roll = Music. Duh!

And then there's that whole skewered meat/greasy food aspect of every outdoor festival that appeals to the caveperson in us all. But being an event designed for the whole family (except dogs, which aren't allowed), the festival offers all manner of attractions for Homo Erecti of all ages.

—Dr. Steven Sanchez, Ph.D. (from the May 21-28, 2003 issue of Metro Santa Cruz)

If it weren't for the single stop sign in the middle of town, motorists traveling along Highway 9 would have little need to take notice of tiny Boulder Creek. But on Memorial Day weekend, there are plenty of reasons to stop aside from the obligatory red sign. Each year, the Boulder Creek Art, Wine and Music Festival promises food, fun and a taste of mountain culture for the whole family.

"It's a major fundraiser for our little town," says festival coordinator Gary Walker. "We use the money that we raise from the event to do things like pay for our local garbage service, put up Christmas lights downtown during Christmas, and put on all the other community events we do throughout the year." According to Walker, the art, wine and music festival typically draws between 4,000 and 5,000 people over the course of the three-day weekend, temporarily doubling the population of Boulder Creek.

In 2006, the festival featured a juried show of fine artists as well as the work of local craftspeople, plus live music by several Monterey Bay area bands. Former Bo Diddley band mate Lady Bo and the BC Horns as well as the ever popular Red Beans and Rice headlined on the main stage. There were also face painters, jugglers, a bounce house and other family-friendly acts and games that amused and delighted even the youngest of festival fans.

In previous years, festivalgoers have been free to sample wine as they meander from booth to booth around downtown Boulder Creek. However, following a decree from Caltrans insisting that alcohol cannot be served along the highway, festival planners have had to scramble to comply with the mandate and still put on an event that people will want to attend.

For its decision, Caltrans cites safety concerns and general common sense that booze and a major highway are probably a bad mix, although, according to Walker, "There has never been an incident in all the years of the event. We've done everything exactly to code and have never had a problem."

But fear not, those attending the Boulder Creek Art, Wine, and Music Festival will still have a chance to sample wines from over 12 local mountain wineries as well as the Boulder Creek Brewery from the comfort of festival-sanctioned wine and beer gardens. These centrally located drinking stations will provide wine enthusiasts with safe and comfortable places to sip. Although it is no longer possible to enjoy all aspects at the same time, prompting some to jokingly refer to the 2006 event as the art, music or wine festival, organizers are confident that attendance numbers for the festival will remain high.

"It's still going to be a wonderful day in the mountains," insists Walker. "This event has really been the keystone of bringing people to Boulder Creek for the past 17 years, and I don't think that's going to change."

The Boulder Creek Art Wine and Music Festival, Downtown Boulder Creek, Memorial Day Weekend. For more information, call 831.338.2578. The festival is free to all.

—Leyna Krow (from the May 24-31, 2006 issue of Metro Santa Cruz)