Patch Picks: Festival Season is Here!

With expectations of a perfect sunny springtime weekend, Mountain View opens up festival season with the annual A La Carte & Art and St. Joseph's International Festival.

Mountain View A la Carte & Art

In its 15th year, the Castro Street event will again showcase fine art and crafts, live music, a classic car show, kids fun zone, festive foods and drinks, on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A La Carte & Art is the largest fundraiser of the Central Business Association (CBA) of Mountain View, and it strengthens the relationship with the community as well as showcases the uniqueness of the downtown area.

The music line-up includes The Mystic Pilots, The Megatones, Drive!, The Ones, The Cocktail Monkeys, The Groove Kings, Bob Culbertson, RhythmShakerz, Ancient Winds, Emerson & The Growiser Band and Heartstrings Music.

If you’re into cars, you’ll love the classic and custom car show, with hot rods, muscle cars, sports cars and low riders, all customized by their doting owners. Kids will enjoy the 24-foot climbing wall, slides and bounces, NASCAR race track, face painting, temporary tattoos, bubble art, balloon twisters and police and fire department displays.

With more than 200 professional artists and craftspeople selling their crafts, you’ll have a full day of art exposure and maybe even go home with a one-of-a-kind treasure.

The food offerings will definitely satiate any hunger you might have. Vendors will serve gourmet sausages to veggie wraps, crab cakes and fish 'n' chips, hot dogs and corn-on-the-cob, shaved ice and smoothies. There also will be samples of specialty gourmet foods to try.

Most restaurants downtown are within arm’s reach and will be open for a nice relaxing refreshment break. The event will be at Castro Street between Evelyn and Church streets. For more information, call 650-964-3395. 

St. Joseph International Fiesta.

 will celebrate its 25th anniversary festival from Friday through Sunday. The times are 5-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

This year’s festival at St. Joseph’s promises to fill three days with plenty of exciting attractions, including dance and music entertainment, fun rides and games for kids, raffle drawings, and dancing to the music of the '80s, '90s and now. Be sure not to miss the food and drinks. 

Entertainment includes performances by Goldstar Dance and Hip Hop, WSP The Soul Providers, Ukulele Jams, Nathan Mijares, The Stanford Band, Rewind, St. Joseph Youth Group Choir, and SJMV’s own talent show and dancing music. The festival will be at school grounds, 1120 Miramonte Ave. Telephone: 650-967-1839. Cost: free. For details click here. 

More Festivals

There are several other festivals taking place this weekend, which you can check out after you’ve been to the ones in town. They are the Spring Celebration at Los Altos History Museum, Boogie on the Bayou in Campbell, The Kimono—Color and Couture in San Jose’s Japantown, and Sake San Jose later in the month on May 26.

Festivals to Come

Going forward into summer and fall, a host of festivals will hit nearby areas, and many of them can be of a cultural theme or of the art-and-wine variety, or both.

These are wonderful opportunities to get out with the family and friends to soak in the warmth of the season and enjoy the attractions and delicious gastronomic delights, each being different depending on the individual event. 

Stay tuned here to get more information on upcoming warm weather jaunts as they develop.

Happy festival going!