It's game on for Village Fest
Sep. 6—Second to the Kern County Fair, Village Fest is where you're likely to see the most people you know who like to have a good time. Dubbed the "party of the year," this annual event has the bona fides to back it up: 15 bands on five stages over 16 acres with 30-plus restaurant/food vendors, 60 breweries and 25 wineries.
"People who come to Village Fest know that from the moment they enter they'll have a quality experience," said Miranda Whitworth, a board member for Village Fest.
This year, the popular event is leaning into the idea of recreation.
Whitworth said, "The theme is Fun and Games, think classic board games and game pieces, family game night and all the nostalgia that comes along with it."
Accents of classic board games will be on display across the venue and the VIP area (for sponsors) will be decked out like family game night.
A key component of the evening is live music with 15 bands playing a variety of genres including alt and indie rock, jazz, country, R&B, Americana and more.
"You're going to find a stage that fits your vibe. ... There is something for everybody and it's going to be something cool and different."
Festival favorites Mento Buru (which has played at every event since 1994), Velorio, Dub Seeds, Mr. Trimble & Unique Soul, Dirty Pool, Orphan Jon & The Abandoned, Foster Campbell & Friends and No Stringz Attached will be joined by seven bands new to the event.
The Kris Tiner Quartet will play at Vino Village, Lupine and Modern Wives can be found on the Kahunaville Stage and Grupo Abigeo will play the Village Lawn.
The Craft Brew Stage will include three new festival acts.
"Each stage has its theme and is going to carry a consistent vibe through the night," Whitworth said. "The Craft Beer Stage is rock and American country. We have this young band, Dancing Tommy, a family of musicians out of North High School who are in their late 20s now. A really great, fun, cool alt rock band.
"Motley Who? are children of musicians in town who do rock covers. We've had '80s before but they do harder stuff and glam rock. Angels Roost is a country band in town. We've seen their name more and more over the last year."
Along with a brewer's dream selection of beers and enough varietals to appease any oenophile, the festival is known for serving up an ample sampling of some of the city's tastiest dishes.
New restaurants Brazas Cocina Latinoamericana and Mas Bella Restaurant & Lounge have joined the lineup along with vendors including 18th Street Bar & Grill, Bakersfield Pizza Co. & Bar, Barrington Jamaican Kitchen, Camino Real Kitchen & Tequila, Cold Stone Creamery, Countryside Market, Don Perico's Mexican Grill, El Portal Mexican Grill, Frugatti's Italian Eatery, Honeybox Bakersfield, Howie's Micheladas, Just Wing it, Kona Ice, La Rosa Fruit Bars & Ice Cream, Luvspun, Maggie's Sunrise Cafe, Mr. Clamato, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Paleta Company, Chef Lino's at PourHouse Bar & Grill, Red Zone Sports Bar & Grill, Ruben's Mexican & Seafood, Salty's BBQ & Catering, Straw Hat Pizza, Sugar Twist Bakery (Brimhall), Tacos Medina, Vida Eatery, Wiki's Wine Dive & Grill, Wood-dale Market, Brazil Hot Dogs and Carnie Kettle Corn.
After more than two decades, the event is a well-oiled machine with more than 30 committee members and hundreds of volunteers.
"As someone who has worked in events for years, the scale and quality of this event can be hard to believe," Whitworth said. "From the outside looking in, you'd expect a giant for-profit production company to be pulling the strings but it's all driven by volunteers and a core group of committee members who have been on board since the beginning 27 years ago.
"We've learned through trial and error and because the community has always supported us we've been able to make this one of the premiere events in California where people will travel from the coast or Los Angeles to attend because it is so fun and such a great value."
Along with a good time, Village Fest is also driven by a good cause.
Proceeds from the event benefit CAREforKids.org, which funds the Children's Advocates Resource Endowment. Since 2005, it has granted $1.2 million to children's charities in Kern County.
That endowment fund receives 60% of proceeds from each event while the other 40% goes directly to grants for local groups.
Recent grants funded the purchase of a van and baseball equipment for League of Dreams shoes for Bakersfield Angels' back-to-school event Every Sole Matters, kids backpacks for CASA of Kern County, tennis equipment and shoes for Kern Community Tennis Foundation, toys and playground equipment for the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, easels for the Bakersfield Museum of Art, sleep equipment and kids clothing for Bakersfield Homeless Center, specialized riding equipment for M.A.R.E. and cafeteria tables for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County.
Other recipients included CALM (restoring the Central Valley Children's Railroad), Bristol Hospice Foundation (Bereavement Camp), Bags of Love Foundation, Kern County Cancer Foundation (pediatric transportation program), Bakersfield PAL (for Shop With a Cop), Kern Partnership for Children and Families (for its Holiday Cottage), Friends of Mercy (Healthy Kids in Healthy Homes) and Thumbs Up — Cancer Down (Power Up Packs).
Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.
