California's oldest wine festival is back on Sonoma Plaza this weekend, and it's bringing more than a century of harvest tradition with it. Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival events are scheduled for Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26, drawing crowds to celebrate the region's grape harvest with theatrical history, communal dining, and no shortage of local wine.
Robyn Sebastiani, executive director of the Sonoma Valley Vintners \u0026 Growers Alliance, joined Roberta Gonzales on The Nine to preview the weekend, according to KTVU.
The festival traces its roots to 1897, when local school principal Ben Weed staged a theatrical pageant called The Vintage Festival, centered on Bacchus, the Greek god of wine — a production that makes Sonoma's celebration the state's oldest wine event, according to the Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival. Even Prohibition couldn't kill it: from 1920 to 1933, Sonoma residents kept the tradition alive with public dances and feasts, swapping in grape juice for wine, as reported by Radio Misfits. The event later paused only during the Great Depression and World War II, before returning in 1947, per the same account.
A Wedding Re-Enactment and a Communal Table
One of the festival's signature moments is a re-enactment of the “Double Wedding of the Century,” according to the Historical Marker Database. The re-enactment brings a piece of Sonoma history to the modern festival schedule.
Friday's centerpiece is a communal Harvest Dinner, where hundreds of guests will dine along a single long horseshoe table wrapped around Sonoma City Hall, according to the City of Sonoma. The seasonal meal is catered by local restaurant the girl \u0026 the fig, the city notes.
An Early Harvest Adds Urgency to the Celebration
This year's festival lands amid an unusually early winegrape harvest. Sonoma County winemakers began picking grapes in July 2026, one of the earliest starts in regional history, driven by unseasonably warm March weather and lighter crop yields, according to Sonoma County Winegrowers. Cooler spring weather during bloom contributed to those lower yields, though it also produced fruit with high concentration, the group notes.
The festival is organized by the Sonoma Valley Vintners \u0026 Growers Alliance Foundation, whose grants and scholarships have contributed more than $900,000 since 2010, according to Sonoma Valley Vintners \u0026 Growers.
Industry Consolidation Reshapes the Backdrop
The festival's return also arrives against a backdrop of structural change in the local wine trade. In July 2026, Sonoma County Winegrowers and Sonoma County Vintners announced a strategic merger, as Wine Business reported.
Roots Reaching Back to California's Mission Era
Sonoma Valley has a long winemaking history, according to Sonoma Valley Vintners \u0026 Growers. The festival's historical focus, along with today's vintners navigating an early harvest and industry consolidation, converges once more on Sonoma Plaza this weekend.
