Sure, some other festivals might get a lot of shine for "kicking off festival season," but BottleRock Napa Valley certainly seems to have a hold on the honor of kicking off summer, as it has settled into its traditional, Memorial Day Weekend slot.
Minus a few outliers (such as in 2021 when the fest was postponed until September as live events recovered from the pandemic), BottleRock has become a destination in the last week of May. And that was the case this year, the music, food and drink event's 11th installment, with a wide roster of guests, including Stevie Nicks, Pearl Jam, Megan Thee Stallion, My Morning Jacket, Ed Sheeran, Queens of the Stone Age and more.
All of that on top of a stacked Culinary Stage lineup, with José Andrés, Bradley Cooper, Cameron Diaz, Steph Curry, Tommy Lee, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Nelly, T-Pain, Action Bronson and others.
With a full summer of festivals ahead, BottleRock is setting the "bar" high—from wine, specialty cocktails and craft beer, to unique desserts and globe-spanning food options. And then of course there's the music.
This year's lineup also included Cold War Kids, BoyWithUke, Jessie Murph, Holly Humberstone, Cannons, Norah Jones, The Offstring (with Ed Sheeran!), Royal Otis, St. Vincent, Dominic Fike, Stephen Sanchez and others.
See photos from this year's BottleRock, by Dan DeSlover.