SeeCalifornia.com

Pick two famous California wine destinations (Napa and Santa Barbara) and guess how each celebrates “Sol”. You will be amazed!

1. Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Celebration (pictured) June 19-21, 2015 is the biggest art event on the Central Coast. The highlight of the festival is a parade on June 20 at State & Cota, with concerts, wine & beer gardens and family events taking place three days in Alameda Park.  Check adulthood at the door when you enter this fantasy-filled extravaganza which promotes the arts in a grass roots manner. It is funded through registration fees, sponsorships and donations.

2. Napa Valley Festival del Sole July 17-26, 2015  couldn’t be more different than Santa Barbara’s festival, yet at the core of its existence is same soulful passion. With the goal of offering programs that celebrate the art of life, the 10 day festival roster is filled with free concerts, Taste of Napa, and options to become a patron, a premier  experience featuring world famous entertainers such as Herb Alpert, Deborah Voigt and Kevin Spacey. Patron passes include fine dinners and stage performances starting at around $1,000 per day.  In 2014 a marquee festival event, Gala at Meadowood Napa Valley, raised $1.45 million with a single auction item fetching $270,000.