Lodi Grape Festival opens Thursday with free concerts and family deals

The 2026 Lodi Grape Festival runs Sept. 17-20 in Lodi, Calif., with free concerts, carnival rides, exhibits and daily admission specials. Organizers are leaning on discounted tickets, themed community days and a long-running harvest tradition to draw families to the four-day event.

Why it matters: - The Lodi Grape Festival is one of San Joaquin County’s longest-running community events, with more than 80 years of grape-harvest tradition behind it. - The four-day festival gives families a lower-cost mix of live music, rides, exhibits and kid-friendly attractions. - The event also supports local food access, with admission discounts tied to canned-food donations for the Lodi Salvation Army.

What happened: - The 2026 Lodi Grape Festival opens Thursday, Sept. 17, and runs through Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Lodi Grape Festival and Event Center. - Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center presents the festival. - This year’s theme is “Out of this World.” - The festival features free concerts on the Sky River Casino Stage, plus entertainment, food vendors, grape and commodity murals, competitive exhibits, carnival games and rides.

The details: - Rodney Atkins headlines Saturday, Sept. 19. - A Flock of Seagulls performs Thursday, Sept. 17. - Friday’s free concert features Dream Like Taylor, a Taylor Swift tribute act, and a Travis Kelce lookalike contest starts at 7 p.m. - Sunday’s show pairs Grupo Bryndis with Ezequiel Pena Jr. Y Banda Vallarta. - All Sky River Casino Stage concerts are free with fair admission. - Concert seating is first come, first served. - Most concerts start at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday’s show starts at 6 p.m. - Free family shows include the Swan Brothers Circus, Jack Spareribs Pirate Show, The Drumheads, The Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show and the Serpentarium Reptile Show. - Kid-focused activities include Tractor Town and a petting zoo. - The festival dates to 1934, when the event featured a downtown parade, carnival and queen contest. - Grape murals became part of the festival in 1950. - The Ole Mettler Grape Pavilion includes past queen dresses, grape murals, commodity murals and other historical displays.

Between the lines: - The festival is using a dense schedule of free entertainment and discounted entry to keep turnout broad and family-oriented. - The lineup blends national acts with local and novelty programming, a sign the event is trying to appeal across age groups and music tastes. - The history displays reinforce the festival’s identity as both a celebration and a heritage event, not just a fair.

What's next: - Discounted pre-sale tickets and carnival wristbands are available through Wednesday, Sept. 16. - Pre-sale admission is $8 per person. - Unlimited carnival wristbands cost $30 in pre-sale and are valid for one day of rides. - Regular admission starts Thursday at $15 for adults 13 and older and $10 for youth ages 6-12. - Children 5 and under get in free. - Thursday-only unlimited ride wristbands cost $25 at the carnival ticket boxes. - Friday through Sunday unlimited ride wristbands cost $38. - Tickets are available at the festival website. - To avoid online convenience fees, tickets and wristbands are also sold at Food 4 Less and Rancho San Miguel stores in Lodi and Stockton, plus the festival office at 413 E. Lockeford St. in Lodi through Wednesday. - Parking costs $12 in official lots and must be paid by credit or debit card. - Thursday is Clark Pest Control Value Day, with free admission for kids 16 and under. - Friday is California Waste Recovery Systems Free til’ 5 Day, with free admission from noon to 5 p.m. - Saturday is F & M Bank Community Day, with $2 admission from noon to 2 p.m. for people who bring two cans of food for the Lodi Salvation Army. - Sunday is Habanero Hots Variety is the Spice of Life Day, with the same canned-food admission deal. - The festival is about 45 miles south of Sacramento in the northern San Joaquin Valley. - Event details are available at festival information and tickets.

The bottom line: - The Lodi Grape Festival is betting on free entertainment, discounted entry and a deep local tradition to fill the grounds from Thursday through Sunday.