 | | | Photos Jeff Heyman | | | | | | Tens of thousands of people from Lamorinda and beyond filled the streets of Lafayette this past postcard-perfect weekend for the city's ever-growing annual Art & Wine Festival, always a regional favorite that has grown ever more popular in the last two years.
It's not just about art and wine, actually. Lafayette's festival, put on by the city of Lafayette and the Chamber of Commerce with help from a host of generous supporters, is about food, music, dancing, crafts and games, and dogs - so many well-behaved dogs! And if you didn't come with a dog, you could have certainly gone home with one, thanks to the many animal rescue organizations joining the festivities.
Kids areas provide activities ranging from miniature golf to gold mining and face painting. Food offerings included made-on-the-spot gourmet sandwiches, wood-fire pizza and traditionally made paella, served steaming hot. All this, plus multiple stages providing dramatic entertainment and - what Art & Wine is known for - fantastic bands that rocked the crowd with Tom Petty and Tower of Power covers, in addition to country and alternative rock favorites, much to the delight of the dancers who swayed to the rhythm and played air guitar in front of the stages.
What about art? Colorful booths featured a plethora of handcrafted tchotchkes as well as fine art sculpture, painting and photography. Local public agencies also staffed booths with giveaways aimed at providing festival-goers with information on safety, transportation, sustainability and free city and county services.
But in the end, the Art & Wine Festival is what it has always been about: having good, old fashioned fun - something Lafayette does very, very well. Next up in Lamorinda? The Moraga Pear & Wine Festival is just around the corner, and will feature food, wine, live music, kids' activities and community booths from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Moraga Commons Park. |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA