Festival Season on Catalina Island
Whether your tastes run towards art, blues, jazz, fine wines or all four, September and October on Catalina Island are bringing you exactly what you desire.
Beginning with the 51st annual Catalina Festival of Art, September 18th through 20th, Avalon comes alive. Festival booths will extend the length of the waterfront from Pebbly Beach Road to the Step Beach Plaza. The festival showcases hundreds of local and national artists from all disciplines with awards going to outstanding artists in several categories. The Catalina Island Performing Arts Foundation will be hosting musical performances throughout the day on Saturday.
The following weekend, September 25th through 27th, the Catalina Island Blues Festival brings you two of the greatest blues musicians of today, along with a selection of other fabulous blues performers. Two time Grammy winner Taj Mahal and five time Grammy winner Robert Cray headline in the world famous Casino Ballroom Saturday September 26th for a once in a lifetime combination you do not want to miss. The remainder of the weekend will be filled with free blues music in venues around Avalon during the annual Blues Walk and capped off with live performances on the lawn at Descanso Beach for the whole family.
For the wine lovers out there, don’t miss the 14th annual Catalina Women’s Forum Wine Festival on September 26th. This exclusive event features over 50 top wineries, delectable hors d’oeuvres and live Jazz in the courtyard at the Pavilion Lodge. The proceeds go to help support mentoring and scholarship programs on the island. For tickets and information, contact the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce at 310-510-1520.
Capping off the festival season on Catalina is JazzTrax. This three week long concert series features thirty of the world’s best smooth jazz musicians performing in the Casino Ballroom and at the Wrigley’s Rancho Escondido. Performers include greats such as Earl Klugh, Mindi Abair, Keiko Matsui, Najee, Jesse J, Eric Darius, and more!
With a festival lineup the likes of this, there is no better excuse to come to Catalina Island. Complete packages including hotel and boat transportation to the island are available for most of the events by calling 1-800-626-1496 or by visiting www.VisitCatalinaIsland.com
Posted by Jared Ruplinger on August 27th, 2009 | Posted in Avalon Events, Avalon Theatre, Concerts, Free Stuff!, Island Update |
My first time on twitter! I have a “bucket list” going with the Santa Catalina Island Jazz Festival being at the top of the list. Figured this would be the best place to start tweetn about it. Am coming in for the 1st weekend arriving on Thurs., Oct. 1. Have no way of getting a room reservation on the island and no one coming with me, so no one to share costs with. I would love to find someone who would be willing to let me rent a bedroom from them if they live on the island, or someone willing to share the cost of a hotel room. I am a 49 year old single female who just wants to fill a dream of mine. I’ve recently recovered from 5 spine surgeries but get around just great now. Don’t have any problem walking. Am really looking forward to seeing CATALINA!