BottleRock music festival to kick off in Napa
NAPA, Calif. (KGO) -- The BottleRock music, wine and food festival in Napa is set to welcome 40,000 people each day this weekend as 86 different musical performers take the stages.
This year, organizers say to expect an upgraded experience with more food, drinks and more seating than in years past.
CEO Dave Graham says he felt very proud to see the record-setting ticket sales this year. The VIP three-day pass sold out in seconds. "When ticket sales go online and you look at the numbers and wonder is something wrong? It's done? It is a really good feeling," he said.
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There's a tech-twist to this Bottlerock, now in it's 6th year. Guests can skip the long lines and pre-order their food drink and pay for it via Apple Pay. Any merchandise can be paid this way as well, and shipped direct, so festival-goers don't have to carry their belongings around all day.
Brianna Ludwick has such a good time last year, this year, she asked for a 3-day pass. "I asked for this for Christmas...the fact I'm here is unreal!"
The festival has worked hard to keep a good relationship with the community and will pull the plug on headliners at 10:00 p.m. as promised to the residents of Napa. "We will pull the plug on Bruno Mars if he goes a second past 10:00 p.m. We don't want to do it. We will. It's tough," he said.
Wine is also a star of the festival. The CEO of JaM cellars John Truchard says they have wine stashed offsite and ready to go in case they run out. "We'll sell somewhere between 800 to 1,000 cases of wine that we'll pour out during the festival. People drink a lot of wine," he said. His tent, which includes a giant disco ball, is in front of the main stage, which JaM cellars is sponsoring.
A tip for festival goers? Organizers say the Bernell Street entrance never has lines as long as on 3rd Street. Which means less time waiting to get in and more time rocking out.
Tickets to the festival are sold out.
