BottleRock Napa Valley Tickets

Three days of music, food and wine in downtown Napa

BottleRock Napa Valley is a three-day music festival held each Memorial Day weekend, Friday through Sunday, at the Napa Valley Expo, a fairground on the edge of downtown Napa, California. The festival's site lists the next edition for May 28 to 30, 2027. It is a day festival rather than a camping festival: the music ends each night, and attendees stay in hotels, rentals or campgrounds around Napa and travel in each day.

What separates BottleRock from other major festivals is its setting. The music lineup runs to 75 or more acts on five stages, but the food and drink program carries equal weight. The Culinary Stage pairs chefs with musicians and celebrities for live cooking segments, and the bars pour wine from Napa Valley producers alongside beer and cocktails. The audience skews a little older than at an EDM or hip-hop festival, and the lineup reflects that, mixing legacy rock acts with current pop, hip-hop and electronic headliners.

How BottleRock started and how it has grown

The first BottleRock ran five days, May 8 to 12, 2013, with three stages and 60 bands. It was the Napa Valley's first large-scale music festival, featured 40 local wineries and drew more than 120,000 attendees over its run. The debut was also a financial mess: creditors, including the City of Napa and the Napa Valley Expo, claimed millions of dollars in unpaid wages and services. New ownership took over for 2014 and moved the festival to the three-day Memorial Day format it still uses; the festival is organized by Latitude 38 Entertainment.

• 2020: the festival was first moved to October and then called off in July 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 2021: it returned in September 2021, a one-time break from the Memorial Day slot.
• 2022 onward: back to Memorial Day weekend, with lineups of 70 to 80 performances.

Headliners by year

BottleRock books big, mainstream headliners and mixes eras on purpose. A sample from the festival's history, as recorded on Wikipedia:

• 2013: Kings of Leon, The Black Keys, Zac Brown Band, Jackson Browne and The Flaming Lips.
• 2014: The Cure, OutKast and Weezer.
• 2016: Stevie Wonder, Florence + The Machine and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
• 2017: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Maroon 5 and Foo Fighters.
• 2018: Bruno Mars, The Killers and Muse.
• 2019: Imagine Dragons, Neil Young and Mumford and Sons.
• 2022: Metallica, Twenty One Pilots, Pink and Luke Combs.
• 2023: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Post Malone, Lizzo and Duran Duran.
• 2024: Stevie Nicks, Pearl Jam, Ed Sheeran and Megan Thee Stallion.
• 2025: Green Day, Justin Timberlake and Noah Kahan.
• 2026 (May 22–24): Foo Fighters, Lorde, LCD Soundsystem, Teddy Swims, Lil Wayne, Zedd and the Backstreet Boys.

The 2027 lineup had not been announced as of October 2026. BottleRock typically reveals its full lineup in one announcement early in the year, and single-day passes go on sale with day-by-day schedules.

Ticket tiers, from GA to Platinum

BottleRock sells more premium tiers than most festivals, and the gaps between them are real. The festival's ticket page for 2027 lists:

• General admission (GA), as a three-day or one-day pass, covers all five music stages, the Culinary Stage and the food and wine vendors. Three-day GA holders get in-and-out privileges.
• VIP, three-day or one-day, adds fast-lane entrances, shaded and raised viewing lounges, the VIP Village, premium bars and upgraded restrooms.
• Skydeck, three-day only, adds raised, shaded lounges facing the Main Stage, the Culinary Stage and the second stage, with beverages included.
• A card-branded VIP Viewing Suite for eligible American Express cardholders, plus private suites sold to groups of 40 to 60.
• Platinum, three-day only and very limited, adds on-stage viewing, backstage parking and concierge service.

Demand is shaped by the headliner on each day. Single-day GA for the day with the biggest name usually moves first, and three-day passes hold their value because buyers also get first access to the next year's renewal presale. For most fans, GA is enough: the Expo is compact, and the walk between stages is short. VIP earns its keep on hot afternoons through shade and shorter restroom lines. Every GoodSeats order is backed by a 100% guarantee.

Getting to the Napa Valley Expo

The Napa Valley Expo sits at 575 Third Street, a short walk east of downtown Napa. Most attendees come from the Bay Area or Sacramento, and holiday-weekend traffic into the valley adds time, so plan to arrive early.

• Walk or bike from downtown. Hotels and rentals in downtown Napa put you within walking distance. The festival has run a free bike valet near the grounds in past years.
• Festival shuttles and charter buses. BottleRock has offered shuttle and charter bus service from Bay Area cities in past years; check the festival's transportation page for the current routes.
• Parking. Parking near the Expo is limited and sold in designated lots; plan to walk a half mile or more.
• Rideshare. Pickups use designated zones, and the end of the night brings long waits and surge demand.

Napa lodging for Memorial Day weekend books up early. Staying in a nearby town widens the options but adds a daily drive or shuttle ride, and three-day GA's in-and-out privilege matters less when your room is far away.

Bag rules, kids and what to bring

The rules below come from BottleRock's festival information and a 2025 NBC Bay Area guide. Policies change from year to year, so check the festival's current FAQ before you go.

• Bags: clear bags of plastic, vinyl or PVC up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches, small clutches or fanny packs about 6 by 9 inches with one pocket, and empty, transparent hydration packs. Non-clear backpacks are not allowed. Every bag is searched at each entry.
• Kids: a ticketed adult may bring one child 5 or under free with proof of age; children 6 and older need their own wristband.
• Allowed: small blankets, empty reusable water bottles, non-aerosol sunscreen up to 3.4 ounces and non-professional cameras.
• Not allowed: outside food or drink, chairs, coolers, umbrellas, drones, professional recording gear and smoking or vaping.

Late May in Napa usually means warm, sunny afternoons and cool evenings. Bring sunscreen and a layer for after dark, and wear shoes you can stand in for ten hours, since gates typically open late morning and music runs until about 10 p.m.

Sources

• Wikipedia – BottleRock Napa Valley
• BottleRock Napa Valley – Official site (2027 dates)
• BottleRock Napa Valley – Tickets
• BottleRock – Child ticket policy
• BottleRock – Bag policy
• NBC Bay Area – BottleRock 2025 FAQ
• Napa Valley Register – BottleRock transportation plan (2015)