Below you’ll find answers to some of our most commonly asked questions about the festival. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for here, feel free to get in touch using our contact form.
Attending the Festival
Absolutely!
While some streets are closed to vehicle traffic, all of Downtown Half Moon Bay’s sidewalks remain open to pedestrians, and we encourage you to shop and visit the many independently run shops, galleries, and restaurants that make up our downtown.
Tickets are required to participate in wine tasting, and come with a commemorative wine glass.
We encourage attendees to use public transportation whenever possible, consider carpooling with other attendees, and have a designated driver if you’re going to be tasting wine. There is a significant amount of free street parking available in Downtown Half Moon Bay, see the parking guide here.
Downtown Half Moon Bay is a family-friendly environment. Kids do not need a ticket.
To visit the wine tasting stations, attendees must be at least 21 years of age, with a valid event wristband. The VIP lounge is adults only.
We strongly discourage bringing your pet to the festival. As you know, amplified music, large crowds, food preparation and consumption can create a stressful and potentially dangerous environment for our furry friends.
However, dogs are legally allowed in the public areas of Downtown Half Moon Bay where the event takes place. Please make responsible decisions for your pet.
The check in station is on Main Street in Downtown Half Moon Bay, near the intersection with Mill Street, in front of It’s Italia restaurant. Check in is scheduled to begin at 11:00am.
Half Moon Bay is home to 16 excellent hotels and inns, and we’d enthusiastically recommend any of them. You can browse and search available rooms at https://stay.visithalfmoonbay.org
We’re not issuing tasting tickets or other means of counting your tastings, but we ask everyone to please drink responsibly. California law prohibits serving alcohol to any person who is “obviously intoxicated”, and our servers take this very seriously (it’s their livelihood, after all).
There will be a dedicated ADA parking area in a private lot at the intersection of Kelly Ave and Purisima Street, in addition to the ADA spaces you’ll normally find on the streets of Half Moon Bay.
The event itself takes place along the center of Main Street, so expect lots of flat, paved, asphalt surfaces for getting around.
The seating area by the stage is comprised of individual folding chairs, which we can easily move to accommodate wheelchairs so groups can sit together, and there will be volunteers manning the seating area to assist as needed.
If you’re interested in wine tasting, all of the wine pouring stations are set up behind standard 30” high tables.
Participating in the Festival
We only have room for a limited number of California wineries each year, but we’re always on the lookout for new wineries to partner with. To see if we can squeeze you in this year, or get on the list for next year, reach out to our winery coordinator using the contact form.
We’re only able to feature 4-6 breweries and cideries each year, and preference is given to local businesses (Coastside, Bay Area, Santa Cruz). To see if we can squeeze you in this year, or get on the list for next year, get in touch using the contact form.
If you’re interested in becoming a food vendor for the event, get in touch using the contact form.
Space for musical acts is extremely limited and they are usually booked well in advance of the event. If you’re interested in participating at a future event, get in touch using the contact form.
We’re not an arts & crafts festival like some of the Bay Area festivals you may be familiar with. We only have space available for wine, food and beverage vendors. If the event expands to include others offerings in future years, we’ll post more information on this web site.
