English

SUMMER EVENTS AND FESTIVALS IN SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

Report this content

SAN JOSE, CA (April 30, 2014) – With summer travel season just around the corner, travelers are looking for ways to keep friends and loved ones entertained. Whether you’re visiting the San Francisco Bay Area or live here, Silicon Valley’s Capital -- San Jose -- is upping the ante with events that are guaranteed to make summer memorable – from the Mexican Heritage & Mariachi Festival and San Jose Jazz Summer Fest to sporting events, agricultural and beer festivals, A-list concerts and performing arts.

Below are just a few highlights of events in and near San Jose, and you can find the full summer events list here.

FESTIVALS

  • SubZERO Festival First Friday (June 6-7) -- The festival, which takes place 6 pm to midnight, is a DIY, artistically bent, hi/lo-techno mashup where street meets geek. www.subzerofestival.com
  • Festival in the Park: Healthy Parks, Healthy People (June 7) – Learn to live healthy and have fun! Lots of exhibitors, Kaiser's Community Troupe, live entertainment, food court and a new Wild Zone natural play area! Free admission, free parking! 11 am - 3 pm at Hellyer County Park. http://www.parkhere.org
  • Dine Downtown San Jose Restaurant Week (Now – Jun. 29) –More than 20 restaurants will offer three-course meals including appetizer or salad, entrée and dessert during Dine Downtown. http://sjdowntown.com/dinedowntown/.
  • San Jose Mexican Heritage and Mariachi Festival (“¡VivaFest!”) – “¡VivaFest!” showcases Latin culture through music, film, theatre, and visual arts with an outstanding line-up of cultural events and activities throughout the summer. Events include: Mariachi and Ballet Folklorico Conference (July 28 - August 1), featuring a master class instruction in mariachi, ballet folklorico, accordion and workshop classes in festival production, marketing and sound engineering at the Abraham Lincoln Academic, Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School; Gala Mariachi Concert with Mariachi Sol de Mexico and Symphony Silicon Valley (August 1) at San Jose State University; Fiestas Patrias Community Festival (Sept. 14 ) at Discovery Meadow; and Artistic Meztisaje (Sept. 12), an online art exhibition featuring the work of San Jose muralist / artist Carlos Perez, curated with the Google Art Institute. A panel discussion about the fusion of cultures will take place during the SVC2 Festival at a venue in San Jose’s SoFA (South of First Area) District). http://vivafest.org.
  • OBON Matsuri (July 12 – 13) – Japantown’s largest festival features two days of game booths, food booths, cultural exhibits and demonstrations, the Chidori Band, San Jose Taiko and over 1,200 dancers in full costume each evening. http://www.japantownsanjose.org/.
  • Gilroy Garlic Festival (July 25 – 27) – The Gilroy Garlic Festival features three days of garlicky food, live entertainment, cooking contests and more. http://gilroygarlicfestival.com/.
  • Silicon Valley Beer Week (July 25 – August 2) – Silicon Valley Beer Week celebrates the region’s vibrant brewing and culinary traditions, including tap takeovers, food pairings, seminars, demonstrations, brewmaster’s dinners and other exclusive events. http://www.svbeerweek.com/.
  • Kraftbrew Fest (August 3) – This open-air festival on Post street in downtown San Jose features an exciting selection of craft brews, a homebrewers competition, craft root beer and soda tent, live music, and a craft beers speakers series. http://www.svbeerweek.com/events/kraftbrew-fest/.
  • San Jose Summer Jazz Fest 2014 (August 8 – 10) – San Jose Summer Jazz Fest, one of the most popular music festivals in the west, celebrates its 25th Anniversary season and boasts 11 stages of live music – from fusion and straight-ahead jazz to Latin, Salsa, R&B, and blues -- featuring a wide range of international stars, and emerging artists.  The event draws tens of thousands to downtown San Jose each summer. http://summerfest.sanjosejazz.org/.
  • San Jose Pride (August 16 –17) – San Jose Pride presents two days of entertainment at Discovery Park with performances on two stages, health and wellness pavilion, Leather Land, a Matrimonial Grove, microbrew tent, international food court, and an arts and crafts village. http://raven.svpride.com/.

PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS

California Theatre

  • San Jose Youth Symphony Concert (June 14) - The San Jose Youth Symphony's Philharmonic Orchestra, under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Yair Samet, presents works from Rossini/Respighi, Felder and Chadwick. http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/california-theatre/.
  • Assyrian Aid Society Mesopotamian Night 2014: The Little Lantern (June 21) – The Assyrian Aid Society of America celebrates the Seventh Annual Mesopotamian Night with a world premiere ballet theatre presentation by Presidio Dance Theatre. http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/california-theatre/.

Center for the Performing Arts

City National Civic

  • Nederlander Concerts presents “The Piano Guys” (June 27) –The Piano Guys’ highly original blend of classical music with pop has caused an Internet phenomenon. They have amassed over 1.9 million YouTube subscribers—and more than a quarter-billion views. http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/city-national-civic/.
  • Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan (June 28) –This mariachi group has starred in more than 200 movies, recorded dozens of albums of pasodobles, valses, bailables, polkas, and danzones, as well as collaborated with various artists including Juan Gabriel and Linda Ronstadt. http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/city-national-civic/.
  • Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band (July 13) – Ringo Starr and his current All Starr Band make a stop at City National Civic featuring a lineup that has played with Ringo since 2012 – Steve Lukather, Richard Page, Gregg Rolie, Todd Rundgren and Gregg Bissonette. http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/city-national-civic/.
  • Nederlander Concerts presents “Move with Julianne and Derek Hough” (July 24) – Superstar siblings Julianne and Derek Hough star in their own all-new dance production,  complete with sets, costumes and a cast of talented dancers, in styles ranging from ballroom and tap to salsa and hip-hop. http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/city-national-civic/.
  • “The Voice” Tour (July 30) – Fans of the hit NBC show The Voice can finally see their favorite contestants live as the season’s talented top finalists and favorite past stars hit the road on a huge summer tour. http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/city-national-civic/.
  • Nederlander Concerts presents “George Lopez” (August 9) – George Lopez’s multi-faceted career encompasses television, film, standup comedy and late-night television. His groundbreaking hit sitcom George Lopez ran for six seasons on ABC. Lopez currently stars in the multi-camera ensemble comedy Saint George.  http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/city-national-civic/.
  • Nederlander Concerts presents “American Idol Live!” (August 17) – This concert features American Idol Season 13 Finalists C.J. Harris, Jena Irene, Caleb Johnson, Jessica Meuse, MK Nobilette, Alex Preston, Dexter Roberts, Majesty Rose, Malaya Watson and Sam Woolf. http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/city-national-civic/.
  • Nederlander Concerts presents “YES” (August 19) – YES has created some of the most important and influential music in rock history, such as iconic pieces “Roundabout,” “Close to the Edge,” “I’ve Seen All Good People” and countless others. For 2014, the band is back to rock crowds with an amazing show that features two classic albums in their entirety: Fragile and Close to the Edge. http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/city-national-civic/.
  • Nederlander Concerts presents “Rock ‘N’ Blues Fest” (August 21) - Rock and Blues fans are certainly in for a tasty musical treat this summer as the popular Rock 'N' Blues Fest tour returns for a third consecutive year. This year's line-up features the Johnny Winter Band, the Edgar Winter Band, Savoy Brown's Kim Simmonds, Vanilla Fudge and Peter Rivera (formerly of Rare Earth). http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/city-national-civic/.
  • Nederlander Concerts presents “Crosby, Stills & Nash” (Sept. 19) – On the heels of their sold out March 2014 tour, the group will perform songs from their extensive catalogue as well as new material from each member.  http://sanjosetheaters.org/theaters/city-national-civic/.

Montgomery Theater

San Jose McEnery Convention Center

  • Hadoop Summit 2014 (June 3 – 5) – Hadoop Summit North America 2014 features three days of content dedicated to enabling the next generation data platform. http://hadoopsummit.org/san-jose/sponsors/.
  • 2014 INFORMS Conference on the Business of Big Data (June 22 – 24) – 2014 INFORMS is a power-packed conference that includes case studies and tutorials, organized by a “who’s who” of big data in business, academia and consulting. http://meetings2.informs.org/.
  • Anthony Robbins’ Unleash the Power Within (June 26 – 29) – Join Anthony Robbins and learn how the reach the pinnacle of success in life through the power within. http://www.tonyrobbins.com/.
  • USA Taekwondo 2014 Junior/Senior National Champions (July 1 – 7) - USA Taekwondo offers events in Olympic Sparring, Poomsae, Board Breaking, Weapons and Demo Team, while providing the best experience possible for all involved. http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Taekwondo/.
  • Northern California Fitness Expo (July 12 – 13) – Muscle Fitness Expo Contest features NPC bodybuilding, figure and bikini contests, the Gracie Jiu Jitsu tournament, the All-American Strongman Challenge, an amazing MMA demonstration and performance area and more. http://www.thefitexpo.com/TFESJ_exhibitors.asp.
  • BlogHer 2014 Annual Conference July 24 – 26) – BlogHer provides something for everyone and is open to all who consider themselves part of the blogosphere. http://www.blogher.com/conferences.
  • WEKFEST Summer 2014! (August 10) – WEKFEST provides a common place for car enthusiasts to explore their passion. http://www.wekfest.net/.

San Jose Repertory Theatre                                                                                 

  • Landscape With Weapon (June 19 – July 13) – Ned, a genius aerospace engineer, wrestles with moral responsibility when he develops drone aircraft technology that claims to revolutionize modern combat, eliminate human error and lessen civilian casualties. http://www.sjrep.com/.
  • The 12 (August 28 – Sept. 21) -- Pulitzer-prize winning playwright, Robert Schenkkan and award-winning composer Neil Berg’s new rock musical tackles one of most powerful stories in history: What happens when twelve ordinary people are torn apart by the unthinkable death of their leader, Jesus Christ? http://www.sjrep.com/

SAP Center

  • Super Freestyle Explosion II (June 28) – The Super Freestyle Explosion II is coming to the SAP Center in San Jose starring: Lisa Lisa, Stevie B, The Original Cover Girls, Company B, JJ Fad, Seduction, Lil Suzy, Connie, Suzy Carr and Freestyle Evolution. http://www.sapcenteratsanjose.com/.
  • Queen + Adam Lambert (July 1) – Queen + Adam Lambert will reign over a highly anticipated North American tour this summer;. Brian May, Roger Taylor + Adam Lambert will come together for the first time in San Jose. http://www.sapcenteratsanjose.com/.
  • Cher and special guest Cyndi Lauper (July 2) – Cher’s “Dressed To Kill” tour with special guest Cyndi Lauper makes only one appearance to the Bay Area in San Jose. http://www.sapcenteratsanjose.com/.
  • UFC (July 26) – The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the SAP Center on Saturday, July 26. http://www.sapcenteratsanjose.com/.
  • Justin Timberlake, 20/20 Experience World Tour (August 11) – Justin Timberlake brings his 20/20 Experience World Tour to the SAP Center in San Jose. http://www.sapcenteratsanjose.com/.
  • Bruno Mars (August 15) – Bruno Mars makes an appearance to the SAP Center in San Jose. http://www.sapcenteratsanjose.com/.
  • Katy Perry, the Prismatic Tour with special guest Tegan and Sara (Sept. 22 -23) – International superstar Katy Perry will visit San Jose in support of her new album PRISM. http://www.sapcenteratsanjose.com/.

Other Events

  • Rotary Centennial Fireworks Downtown San Jose (July 4) -- The Rotary Club of San Jose will host a spectacular 4th of July fireworks display to celebrate their 100th anniversary.

For more events, check out the full summer events list here.

Team San Jose (TSJ)

Team San Jose, Inc. is an economic development organization and San Jose’s official Convention and Visitors Bureau, unifying the destination, hotels and venues to deliver an exceptional visitor experience. San Jose offers all you would expect from a big city destination with small town charm and serves as the gateway to Northern California attractions. Our company provides full management services for seven venues on behalf of the City of San Jose including the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, Parkside Hall and South Hall and Arts and Entertainment venues including the California Theatre, the Center for the Performing Arts, Montgomery Theater, and City National Civic.                                                        # # #