Media Releases

Festival Napa Valley’s 2025 Summer Season is set to take place at venues throughout Napa Valley Saturday, July 5 - Sunday, July 20. The season offers a diverse lineup of  international stars and emerging talent in productions highlighting the natural beauty of California Wine  Country, paired with Napa Valley’s unparalleled food, wine, and hospitality.

Festival Napa Valley, globally recognized for its innovative artistic, educational, and professional development programs, announced the launch of a multiyear artistic exchange with China. Unveiled December 6 with the signing of a MOU with Beijing Poly Theatre Management Company and a celebratory concert at the U.S. Embassy’s Beijing American Center, the Festival Napa Valley / China Cultural Exchange aims to foster collaboration and dialogue through music, education, food and wine events, and cultural tourism.

Festival Napa Valley’s touring production of its 2023 Manetti Shrem Opera — Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale — debuted to great success at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at UC Davis on Friday, November 15.

Festival Napa Valley is introducing a "Choose Your Price" ticket model for the 2025 Summer Season, a first in the region. This new option, launching in March with single-ticket sales, advances the Festival’s Arts for All mission by allowing attendees to select ticket prices that fit their budgets.

Festival Napa Valley announced today the appointment of Steven Stull as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and the election of Tim Busch to the Board, joining an impressive roster of vintners and community leaders who guide California wine country’s flagship festival, the largest nonprofit cultural institution in Napa County.

Jan Isaac Shrem, a founding benefactor of Festival Napa Valley whose generosity and passion for the arts helped shape the organization and its mission to bring the arts to all, peacefully passed away at the age of 94 after a long illness. Jan was a tireless champion of the Festival, and he and his wife Maria Manetti Shrem played an instrumental role in transforming Festival Napa Valley into one of the world’s premier cultural destinations.

Festival Napa Valley raised a record-setting $4.5 million at its Arts for All Gala on Sunday, July 14. Proceeds fund inspiring education programs, free and affordable concerts, and scholarships. To date, the annual Gala has raised over $28 million, making it one of the nation’s most impactful fundraisers for education and the arts. 

As a centerpiece of Festival Napa Valley’s Arts for All Gala, taking place July 14, 2024 at Nickel & Nickel Winery, the Festival is auctioning off a bespoke all-electric Maserati GranCabrio Folgore “Tignanello”. The luxury automobile was created for Marchesi Antinori exclusively for Festival Napa Valley’s Arts for All Gala.

The lineup of Festival Napa Valley’s annual Taste of Napa has been announced. Festival Napa Valley’s signature celebration of exceptional food, wine, and music is set to take place on Saturday, July 13 from 12pm to 3pm on The Meritage Resort's Grand Reserve lawn. The event features offerings from more than 70 wineries, breweries, restaurants, and culinary artisans, plus live music, games, activities, and the chance to explore wines of the world through a special international showcase of wines from Great Britain and Italy.