Festival Events
Great music and fun all weekend long. The following regular events will be happening during the festival. Make sure you check our Special Evening Event section for headliner events.
Thursday - April 5, 2018
A Taste of Main Street
Friday - April 6, 2018
A Taste of Main Street will be held on Thursday, April 5, from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. throughout Downtown and Old Town Eureka. A Taste of Main Street offers a chance to sample food from 24 local participating restaurants and food producers. Following Taste of Main Street is the Kick Off Dance at the Adorni Center, just down the block. Taste of Main Street ticket book holders receive a discount on entry into the Kick Off Dance. For More information call - 707-442-9054
Thursday Night Kickoff
The Hot Baked Goods
When - Thursday May 9 - 7:00pm - 10:00 PM Venue - Adorni Center
Kick-off the festival weekend with this dance on Thursday night before the weekend starts. We'll be featuring TWO sets by San Francisco's Hot Baked Goods - one of the dance bands on the West Coast. They've filled the dance floors in every swing dance venue on the West Coast for over a decade. Returning to Redwood Coast with the band this year will be special guest vocalist Chris Binnings!
A great way to start the Festival.
Included with all 4 day passes.
$15.00 without aAdditional Cost - $10.00
Experience Historic Old Town and Downtown Eureka!
One of the last preserved downtowns in California.
The center of commerce and culture since 1850.
When - Friday April 6, 1:00pm Venue - Adorni Center
Bands: Kris Tokarski Sextet, Dave Bennett Quartet
Join us for FREE opening ceremonies on Friday April 6 featuring two of the finest trad jazz bands in the country.
Opening Ceremonies - Free to the public
Saturday - April 7, 2018
Saturday Dance Contests
When - Saturday April 7, 10:30am - 1:00pm Venue - Municipal Auditorium
Warm up set and sign ups start at 10:00am
One of our most popular events! Warm-up set will be at 10:00am and the contests will go during two band sets. The contests are just part of the action and there will be an open dance floor in between. These swing dancers put on a show and you'll want to come catch the action. Bands performing for the contest will be Stompy Jones, Joe Smith & The Spicy Pickles, and the Candy Jacket Jazz Band. These are some of the favorite dance bands in the country, so everyone will have a chance to show their best moves!
Sponsored by Wildberries
Sunday - April 8, 2018
When - Sunday April 8 - 5:30pm - 8:00pm Venue - RJ Grinns at the Red Lion Hotel
The last event of the festival is also FREE to the public.
Join us at the wind-down after party at the Red Lion Hotel.
Everyone is invited to come out, order dinner and a cocktail and hear some great jazz, swing, and blues. Two festival headliner bands perform for the evening
Bands - TBA
Festival After Party
Music Festival Grand Finale
When - Sunday April 8, 3:00 - 5:00 PM Venue - Municipal Auditorium
The grand finale is a two hour - 7 band - non stop party! Headliners from the festival join together to mix it up, play back-to-back, and jam in this rollicking show. The other venues shut down and everyone gathers at the Muni to bring the festival to a close.
Who knows which combinations will take the stage? You'll have to come out and see for yourself - there's no other event like it!
Appearing in 2018: Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Gator Nation, The Spicy Pickles with Jeff Barnhart, Cocuzzi Courtet with Justin & Brandon Au, Dave Stuckey & The Hot House Gang, Kris Tokarski's Sextet with Brian Casserly, and the Dave Bennett Quartet.
Sunday Morning Free Community Gospel & Concert
When - Sunday April 8, 2017 - 10:30am - 11:30am Venue - The Adorni Center
FREE community Gospel and Concert.
The ARMACK Jazz Band, made up of music students from Arcata High School, McKinleyville High School, McKinleyville Middle School, Dow's Prairie Elementary and Morris Elementary, will start off the morning. This festival youth band features some of our county's finest young musicians.
They'll be followed by the amazing gospel set of the full 60-voice Arcata Interfaith Gospel Choir (AIGC). Since 1992, the AIGC has been singing out its mission to inspire faith, hope, love, unity, and joy. The AIGC exemplifies the principles of equality, unity and cooperation through multi-faith and multiracial choir membership, and are a festival favorite.
Saturday - Bounty By the Bay!
When - Saturday April 7, 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Venue - Eureka's Historic Old Town Waterfront and Boardwalk
Saturday night in 2018 the festival will coincide with Arts Alive Eureka. In celebration, Redwood Coast Music Festival is partnering with Morris Graves Museum to present an evening of FREE music during Arts Alive! Festival headliners from around the country will be appearing during the evening.
Scheduled to appear: Gabriel's Trumpets led by Brian Casserly, the Dave Bennett Quartet, and local favorites, The Yokels.