Events

Virtual WineFest: Tasting Fundraiser by the Los Gatos Rotary!

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Los Gatos Rotary Club Virtual WineFest & Auction 2022While the annual CrabFest is postponed another year, the Rotary Club of Los Gatos is continuing a new tradition with their 2nd annual Virtual WineFest & Auction! Save the date for Saturday, January 29th at 5pm!

This year’s event centers around gourmet bites and Argentinian wines (or try the non-alcoholic selection) guided by sommelier Joe Chiodo. Tickets include a Wine Tasting Kit for 2 with curbside pick-up from Rootstock Wine Bar prior to the event. Evening entertainment includes a live performance by Lavender Fields.

And as always, the main event is the charity auction! Proceeds benefit the Rotary Charities foundations, and this year the “Raise the Paddle” auction item benefits Los Gatos House of Hope, West Valley Community Services, and Peninsula Food Runners to help fight hunger and food insecurity locally.

Virtual WineFest & Auction

For ticket sales, event details and updates, contact the event team, or donate directly check the Los Gatos Rotary website and Virtual WineFest & Auction event page. Each ticket is for a 2-person tasting experience at a cost of $150.

The event is also posted on the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce event calendar with easy links to save the date on your virtual calendar and view a video promotion for the event.

Los Gatos Park for Parks

This Saturday, experience the Los Gatos Park for Parks event at Belgatos Park from ten a.m. to one p.m.

Enjoy live music from Alex Lucero & The Live Again Band (several music genres), learn about hiking, mountain biking, birdwatching and more. Meet the members of the Los Gatos Parks Commission and check out the many booths.

Do bring your own lunch – the town’s event website does not suggest that the Los Gatos Park for Parks event includes any food or beverage booths.

Please click the link above to get all the specifics.

Belgatos Park is a large and gorgeous open space with a playground, restrooms, and trails. If you’ve never been, this is the perfect time to visit!

 

Belgatos Park - Los Gatos park for parks

 

Los Gatos Park for Parks:

Saturday, Oct 23, 10 – 1
Free event, bring your lunch!

Magical Glass Pumpkin Patch

The Magical Glass Pumpkin Patch is returning to Los Gatos! This is a one weekend only event, so mark your calendars for the first weekend in October so you don’t miss it!

Normally this is an annual event, and we are delighted that it’s back in 2021. You’ll find gorgeous hand blown glass pumpkins and more – wonderful craftsmanship!
See the gallery of glass pumpkins and more HERE.

All the fun happens on the lawn of the Los Gatos High School on Main Street.

Their Facebook page (link below) states “We have raised over $250,000 for high school art and English programs via this annual event!”

You can get an advance look, but not purchase, the art on Friday Oct 1 from 5 – 7 p.m.

The items will be offered for sale on Saturday October 2 9a.m. and Sunday October 3 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Go early for the best selection!

Learn more and see all photos at the Magical Glass Pumpkin Patch website. They also have a Facebook page for this event.

Fiesta de Artes in Los Gatos

Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival poster (formerly known as the Fiesta de Artes) for S ept 18-19, 2021The annual Los Gatos Fiesta de Artes is back and has a new name: Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival. (I don’t see Fiesta de Artes anywhere on the festival’s website except in the URL) In 2020 it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but we are delighted that it returns this weekend!

If you’ve never been, it’s a fabulous opportunity to mill around the Civic Center lawn and enjoy art of various types. It’s free! If you’d like to partake of food and wine, the proceeds all go to a very good cause.

What happens at the Fiesta de Artes or the Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival?

Think food & drink, art & shopping, dancing & socializing! Once again, there will be more than 150 vendors with a huge variety of artists and vendors displaying and selling their artwork, plus booths with food and wine and of course loads of music throughout both days. Please check out the musical lineup and food offerings info here:  Fiesta music and food

Fiesta de Artes will be at the Civic Center lawn across the street from Los Gatos High School – 110 E Main Street, Los Gatos CA 95030

Please check out all of the details at the event’s website:

https://losgatosfiesta.com/

 

The Promenade: Strolling Downtown Los Gatos with Live Music this Summer! 7/1 – 8/12, 2021

Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce: The Promenade Thursdays poster
Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce poster for the Promenade!

The Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce invites the community to celebrate summer together with free live music all summer!

Thursday Promenades in Downtown Los Gatos

There’s a party in downtown every Thursday Promenade beginning this week! Every Thursday evening, 3pm to 8pm from July 1st to August 12th, the stretch of North Santa Cruz Avenue in downtown Los Gatos between Main St and Bachman (that’s from Dolce Spazio to Andalé for the foodies) will transform into “the promenade.” The street will be open to foot traffic, and two stages will bookend the promenade with live musical entertainment!

Bands will begin performances at 4:30pm on the North Stage (Bachman), and at 5:30pm on the South Stage (Main), with entertainment from a different group each week. See the lineup (and any changes) on the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce calendar, the Thursday Promenades page linked above, or Camber of Commerce social media pages.

Drivers, plan to reroute around this stretch of N. Santa Cruz Ave on Thursday nights. While there is usually plenty of parking along the old rail line behind the shops, it tends to fill up with festival traffic, so schedule in some extra time for parking. If you’re coming for the event, consider traveling by bike, or using a ridesharing service if you plan on patronizing any of the bars or brewery!

As someone who regularly attends free summer concerts in Los Gatos, which were mostly canceled earlier this year (and the Fiesta de Arts / Wine Walk postponed until September), the Promenade is music to my ears!

So invite your friends to eat, drink, play, and stroll the night away!

Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce: Thursday Promenades Live Music Schedule 2021
Musical lineup, taken from the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce Facebook page. Click to see the original post.

Los Gatos Election: Virtual Candidate Forum

Patriot Cat Vote the Los Gatos ElectionIt’s an election year for the Town of Los Gatos! The Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce is hosting a virtual seminar for voters to meet the candidates. This is a free event, but you must sign up to receive the link to view. Public questions can be submitted at registration (one question per registration) and all questions will be curated for relevance to the topic of focus:  local business and economy. This is not a town-hall style meeting, but a moderated forum presented in a Zoom webinar.

Wednesday, September 30th, 2020

7pm – 8:30pm

For information, changes, and registration, please go to the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce page for this event, called Candidate Forum or through the URL listed below.

https://www.losgatoschamber.com/events/details/candidate-forum-14798

 

If you missed the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum for the Town of Los Gatos that happened on September 21st and you would like to view it, a recording of the session is available on the LWV Southwest Santa Clara Valley Youtube page through this link.

And remember to cast your vote on November 3rd or sooner!

Garden Against Fire!

Landscaping for Wildfire ProtectionThe Los Gatos Library will host an online class, Landscaping for Wildfire Protection

Coming up Thursday, September 24th from 6-7pm Pacific.

Does your garden fight fires? With fire season growing longer and fiercer each year with devastating losses, you might be wondering what you can do to lower risks and protect your property against wildfires. Especially if you live near one of the Bay Area’s beautiful greenspaces! Join the Los Gatos Library with speaker Barbara Hunt, UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County, to learn about how wildfires spread and how to landscape to protect your home, from hardscapes to fire-resistant plants. This is a free lecture aimed at California homeowners but open to all.

For more information and the Zoom link, please view the event page.

Join the event on Facebook and set a reminder.

Want to learn more about fire in Los Gatos? Check out some of my other posts on this topic:

Los Gatos Fire Risk

Wildfire Evacuation Route Signs Being Installed (2016)

Fighting Fire With … Wine

A History of Los Gatos Fires and the Los Gatos Fire Department