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Time to get your fest gear in order: music-festival season is upon us. From San Francisco to Mill Valley, Oakland to Napa, the Bay Area loves an outdoor music-food-drink situation. Live jazz, pop, reggae, punk, and classical music are warm-weather traditions that never gets old—especially when the musical acts are H-O-T.

With a fine vocal cast and a tense production, Gaetano Donizetti's first French opera has made a successful entry into the repertoire. On view through April 12, it will be revived on July 18 at California's Napa Valley Festival.

Napa Valley’s namesake festival is set to present its 2025 Summer Season, July 5 – 20. Jon Batiste, Joyce DiDonato, Versailles Royal Opera, Stéphane Denève, and Tiler Peck lead a lineup that showcases over 200 international stars and emerging talent across classical, jazz, opera, contemporary, and dance productions, paired with Napa Valley’s unparalleled food, wine, and hospitality. 

Richard “Dick” Kramlich passed away at his Napa Valley home on February 1. A groundbreaking leader in international venture capital and contemporary art collecting, Kramlich was also a dedicated member of the Festival Napa Valley board of directors. His warmth and passion for the arts left an indelible mark on countless individuals and institutions.

The occasion was the Lunar New Year, and Festival Napa Valley celebrated the Year of the Snake by marking the first stateside program of its newly launched Festival Napa Valley/China Cultural Exchange. The intimate performance by the Beijing Guitar Duo featured acclaimed guitarists Su Meng and Wang Yameng. The duo’s virtuosic performance was part of the FNV’s Olivia Decker Power of Music series and seamlessly fused Eastern and Western musical traditions.

To find the best, our panel of music festival aficionados nominated essential festivals from coast to coast, where music fans can enjoy several artists (and even genres) in one place. Then, readers voted to crown the winners. Here are the 10 best music festivals in the U.S. for 2025.

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste plans to celebrate Festival Napa Valley’s summer season with a charity concert. The organization has tapped Batiste to headline its annual Arts for All Gala on July 13, which helps to raise funds for arts programs, scholarships and other education initiatives. 

Best of Unfiltered 2024. From a 170-year-old Champagne hoard to George Clooney's Provence wine estate to LeBron James sipping Opus One courtside, these are our top 12 pop-culture wine moments of 2024.

“Festival Napa Valley is a celebration of the very best Napa Valley has to offer – outstanding performances, stunning venues, exquisite food and wine events, and a welcoming spirit that draws people together,” said Robin Baggett, Chairman of Festival Napa Valley's Board of Directors. “Mark your calendars now and join us this summer.”