BottleRock 2020: Everything You Need to Know BEFORE You Get Here - FAQ's, Tips, Discounts

BottleRock 202 in Napa is May 22 - 24

QUICK BOTTLEROCK INFO

WHAT IS BOTTLEROCK?:

Napa Valley is a 3-day music, wine, food and brew festival in Napa, California May 22 -2 4, 2020. There are five music stages, a culinary stage and more. Basically it’s Woodstock done Napa Style, which means lots of food, wine, and great bands. Crowd size? 120,000 people! It’s big!

WHEN IS IT AGAIN?:

The three day festival is on Memorial Day Weekend, May 22 - 24. The 3 Day Tickets are all SOLD OUT but you can still buy individual days.

TICKETS? HOW DO I GET TICKETS TO BOTTLEROCK?:

Go to the official BottleRock site to buy tickets - here is their link.

HOW MUCH DO TICKETS COST?

General Admission single day tickets are $159. You’ll get access to all stages and all the bands that day, can view celebrity chefs on the culinary stage, and purchase food, wine and beer from the various vendors. Upgrade to the VIP tickets which are $359 and you gain access to the VIP Village with premium bars, more food, comfy seats, up-close prime viewing near the stage, and Yes, VIP only bathrooms. That might be worth it right there!

PRO TIP: Ticket Prices increase as the event gets closer so buy them as soon as you know you are going. The prices quoted are valid as of Jan 9, 2020.

DANG IT! TICKETS TO BOTTLEROCK ARE SOLD OUT. NOW WHAT?

You waited too long, didn’t you? If you want tickets you can go to their link above and be put on a waiting list.

GETTING TO BOTTLEROCK AND WHERE TO STAY

WHAT AIRPORT SHOULD I FLY INTO?

You have options - Oakland International is probably the top choice, followed by Sacramento, Santa Rosa and then San Jose. And yes, you can fly into San Francisco but my experience there is to expect flight delays if the fog rolls in, which is often.

WHERE SHOULD I STAY?

The key location is downtown Napa but be ready for sold out hotels and high rates. As of this writing there is only ONE Napa hotel that I could find that still has availability - the Motel 6 Napa. It’s nearly $400 a night, way more expensive than it’s worth but book it or you might be wishing you did. You can move out farther to the outlying areas like Fairfield where the Motel 6 Fairfield is currently $220 a night. Figure an Uber will set you back around $60 to $75, maybe more if they surge the prices.

WIN VIP ACCESS IF YOU CARPOOL

Attend with four or more people and you might be randomly picked to a VIP upgrade. That’s cool.

PARKING

Parking is free in the surrounding downtown area - head over to Fuller Park area as a starting point. It’s about a mile away. Look, parking is going to be tight so just grab a space there an walk past the line of cars searching for that one last elusive spot.

BottleRock Festival in Napa

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GO WINE TASTING ON A BUDGET IF YOU CAN’T GET INTO BOTTLEROCK

Have a bit of extra time and want to go wine tasting? Tried to get tickets and could not? Whether you’re a Bay Area local who comes to Napa and Sonoma multiple times a year or an out-of-towner who is just here for the weekend, if you want wine tasting discounts you need a Priority Wine Pass. The PWP gets you two for one tastings at a ton of Napa and Sonoma wineries, saving you $25 or more at every winery stop. The pass is just $39.99 using my promo code localwally and you only need one pass per couple. Basically you hit up two wineries and you more than break even and then you save again and again, enough for a nice dinner at the end of the day.

Click here for the complete 2020 updated list of deals on the Wine Pass.

Napa Wine Tasting

Napa Wine Tasting Tips During BottleRock Weekend (aka Memorial Day Weekend)

1. Wineries will be busy - try to find wineries that require reservations and book in advance. Make sure you keep your reservation, too. Many of the Napa wineries are small businesses who count on you showing up.

2. Hire a Driver! Uber can be tough during BottleRock so hire a driver and be treated like the VIP you are. Figure a driver will cost you $45 an hour, chump change when compared to a DUI. I’ve just started a new driving service called Nick + Wally’s Wine Tours where my driver can take up to 14 people in his vehicle. Interested? Email me for more info.

3. Groups of 8 or more are tricky! A lot of wineries, especially on a busy day like Memorial Day Weekend, will turn down large groups if you try to crash in without a reservation. If you are trying to do a day of tasting even with a group of over four email me and let me help you pick wineries and plan out your day. I don’t charge - just give me a shout and I’ll get right back to you.

Best Walk In Wineries That Accept the 2 for 1 Wine Pass (4 or less per group)

• Sterling: Normally $35 per person, get two for one and save $35.

• Beringer: Normally $25 per person, get two for one and save $25.

• V. Sattui: Great deli, normally $20 per person, get two for one and save $20.

• Grgich Hills: Come in without a pass and pay $40 per person, come in M-F with a pass and get a special flight, two for $25.

Downtown Tasting Rooms that Accept the Priority Wine Pass

• Gustavo Wines: Across the street from Oxbow Market, get two for one tastings, save $18.

• Krupp Brothers: Free upgrade from Signature flight to Reserve flight for two, save $40.

• Outland Wines: 2 Free tastings with a 4 bottle purchase, save $50. These are great wines at a nice price, recommended.

• JaM Cellars: 2 for 1 tastings, save $25, open late. No tasting flights on nights that have live music so call ahead.

• Wines in First: Happy Hour glasses of wine all the time and two free tastings with the purchase of one bottle, save $15.

• Cornerstone Cellars: M-F, two for one tastings, save $30.

• Ancien: Special price of $40 per person gets you a VIP tasting with cheese and charcuterie, make reservations, save $40.

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Best Food at BottleRock - Don’t Miss!

Here’s the complete list of food offerings at Bottle Rock 2020 in Napa! OFFICIAL SITE

Fried Chicken from Ad Hoc

La Calenda

What sets BottleRock apart from other music festivals is that the food and wine are elevated to, well, Napa level. No crummy hot dogs that have been warming under lights for 5 hours, you can expect incredible food and drinks. My recommendation is to hit the Thomas Keller options - a bucket of Ad Hoc Fried Chicken is an absolute must. Don’t think about it. Do it. And for a snack later get the tacos from Thomas Keller’s new Mexican inspired restaurant, La Calenda. Is this the hip version of The French Laundry? Ha, I bet by the end of the day it costs just as much but what they hey, you only live once.

DID SOMEONE MENTION THE FRENCH LAUNDRY? HERE’S A VERY POPULAR ARTICLE I WROTE ON MY EXPERIENCE THERE.

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Who’s Playing at BottleRock Festival 2020?

FRIDAY BOTTLEROCK LINEUP, MAY 22

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Miley Cyrus, Brandi Carlile, Foals, Jimmy Eat World, Local Natives, Finneas, Milky Chance, Amos Lee, Village People, Muna, Ripe, The Frights, Digable Planets, Atlas Genius, Oliver Riot, White Reaper, Meg Myers, Tessa Violet, Uncle Blazer + DJ Ango from Workaholics, 99 Neighbors, In the Valley Below, Ryland James, Chris Pierce, Pacific Radio, The Haden Triplets, Grass Child.

SATURDAY BOTTLEROCK LINEUP, MAY 24

Stevie Nicks, Khalid, Janelle Monáe, Maggie Rogers, Blondie, Of Monsters and Men, Empire of the Sun, Tegan and Sara, CAAMP, Grace VanderWaal, Eric B. & Rakim, Hamilton Leithauser, Ra Ra Riot, Jack Harlow, MAX, DJ Z-Trip, TWIN XL, DeVotchKa, Reignwolf, slenderbodies, Smith and Thell, Madison Ryann Ward, JJ Wilde, Hembree, almost monday, Peter Harper, Lily Meola, Sam Johnson, Napa Valley Youth Symphony.

SUNDAY BOTTLEROCK LINEUP, MAY 25

Dave Matthews Band, Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, Zedd, The Avett Brothers, Maren Morris, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Iration, Jon Bellion, Matt Nathanson, Trampled by Turtles, The Band Camino, Turkuaz w/ Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew: Remain in Light Turns 40, Mandolin Orange, Hobo Johnson & the Lovemakers, Big Freedia, Absofacto, Eliza & the Delusionals, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Evie Irie, KOTA the Friend, Full Moonalice: The THC Revue, Buffalo Gospel, The Alive, Lily Meola, Obsidian Son, Silverado Pickups.

THANKS TO BOTTLEROCK NAPA WEBSITE FOR THEIR LINEUP PHOTOS. VISIT THEIR SITE AT https://www.bottlerocknapavalley.com/.

Plan Your Own Netflix Wine Country Getaway in Napa... on a budget!

If you haven’t seen the Netflix film Wine Country with Amy Poehler you need to stop what you are doing, open up a big bottle of wine and watch it… Now! OK, spoiler alert, it’s a bit of a chick flick but there are plenty of hilarious moments. “What do you taste? There are no wrong answers…” Tip: Never answer that question.

So now you want to plan out your own weekend getaway to Napa. You want to get silly drunk, roll down hills, maybe even renew some old friendships? Well here’s the reality check - Napa is expensive. Super expensive. Like $50 per person to taste at some wineries expensive! But I can help. Yes, I can definitely help.

GROUP SIZE MATTERS IN WINE TASTING

A group of 4 or less, Napa is all yours. Once you hit 6 you need to think about reservations. And once you go over 8 you should know that some wineries just don’t want you, especially if you’re laughing and giggling and just having a great old time. The trick is to call ahead and make reservations. They might charge you more but at least you know when you arrive that they are expecting you, have a server ready for you, and have space set aside for you. Yes, some wineries are totally cool with large groups coming in unannounced - Castillo di Amorosa, Chandon, Sterling, and a few others. But even if you do get in it means long lines waiting for wine, a major buzzkill. No one wants to wait for wine so make reservations if you have a group over 5 people.

If you are coming with over 8 people just email me and let me help you. I don’t charge for this - I try to help the wineries and in turn they help me and my readers. In the end you get a deal cheaper than you could get yourself. If you are trying to ballpark wine tasting fees for any group over 8 use $40 per person, per winery, as a starting point. It can be less but for planning it’s best to be realistic.

HOTELS ARE EXPENSIVE AND BOOK UP FAST

In the movie they had this great house all to itself. Well, that’s a tall order in Napa. If you want that experience you should expand your search to Sonoma. But if you want Napa then start with hotels. You want a hotel that is close to restaurants. That’s because at the end of the day you don’t want to be driving to eat dinner. This means find a place in either downtown Napa or Yountville. Use this link to start browsing the deals - https://arestravel.com/hotel/list/3035/m211 - If you wanted that private estate in the vineyards email me - I know some wineries who have villas where you can stay. These are not published so just ask.

GET A PRIVATE CHEF EXPERIENCE WITHOUT A PRIVATE CHEF

One of the very cool things in the Netflix movie Wine Country was that they had a private chef. But if you aren’t staying in a farmhouse or just can’t afford your own chef then check out Long Meadow Ranch’s Chef’s Table. I’ve done this - it’s incredible. There’s a private communal table in the winery that seats around 10 people. Next to the table is a kitchen with your own chef who carefully and skillfully prepares a 2 hour dining experience for you, course by course, with wine pairings. It’s totally indulgent and so much fun, especially for a Wine Country getaway. I also have an offer for my readers that adds on a private cave tour if you book the dinner so make sure you email me to get that.

On an even tighter budget? Go to The Bounty Hunter for dinner where there’s great BBQ and a killer Happy Hour and tons - I mean TONS - of wines by the glass. Top notch food and authentic Napa experience.

SPA EXPERIENCE IN NAPA… ON A BUDGET

A Wine Country weekend should mean some relaxing experiences as well and Napa has no shortage of top notch, high end spas. But for those looking for a budget spa experience do something that is uniquely Napa and go soak in a mud bath. Calistoga is home to plenty of options to soak in natural spring waters filled with soothing clay and peat. Couples welcome, even threesomes (um, OK), and it’s a spa experience that you will remember for a long time.

GRAPE STOMPS, CAVE TOURS, HOT AIR BALLOONS, NAPA WINE TRAIN, NAPA HAS IT ALL

If you’re coming in Fall make sure you book a Grape Stomp. Grgich Hills has a good one where you stomp away and take home a wine stained t-shirt. Cave Tours are great during off season when it’s raining outside or on a super hot summer day when you want to get out of the heat. Hot Air Balloons start early so decide if you really want to get up early and do not plan on this after a night of fun wine drinking. And who can resist the Napa Wine Train? With lunch and dinner excursions, an excursion that drops you off at wineries, even a Wine Train and Castle trip, there’s something for everyone and a totally unique experience. And guess what, I have discount tickets so make sure you ask before booking.

OVERWHELMED? JUST EMAIL ME!

A big part of what I do here is help visitors find the Best of Napa on a Budget. All honest advice, no tricks or gimmicks, I’ll help you plan it all out and it’s all free of charge. All I ask is that you tell all of your friends about me and you follow me on instagram! Here’s to a great weekend Wine Country getaway!