Eat Drink Play Los Gatos
Celebrating all that Los Gatos has to offer and part of the Experience Los Gatos initiative, the third annual Eat Drink Play street festival is coming to Downtown Los Gatos all along North Santa Cruz Avenue on Saturday, September 28th. Lined up along the pedestrian-only avenue, local wineries, boutique breweries, restaurants and eateries fulfill the ‘eat and drink’ aspects while live music, a community stage, shopping, and an area specifically designed for kids appeal to those looking to ‘play.’
EAT
A dozen local eateries will have booths lining Santa Cruz Avenue and will be serving everything from burgers from Main Street Burger, pizza from Willow Street or Blue Line, Mexican from Baja Fresh, Italian dishes from The Pastaria and tapas-style comfort food from Flights. For those desiring dessert, stop by Maui Wowie for a fresh fruit smoothie or Kona Ice for a refreshing frozen treat, both sure to be a big hit for the younger crowd. At Nox Cookie Bar, sink your teeth into a fresh chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, or snickerdoodle cookie confection.
DRINK
Wineries
Testarossa, Wright’s Station, Left Bend, Rootstock to name a few of the premier vintners offering a variety of their featured wines at the street fair.
An “Elevated Wine Tasting Experience” consisting of four to five tastings and small bites will be offered at Rootstock and at the new Pastaria & Market location, formerly Opa!
Breweries
Local boutique breweries including Loma Brewing, Hapas, Camino Brewing, Santa Cruz Mountain, San Francisco Brewing, and Highway 1 Brewing Company will have some of their finest craft brews on tap.
The parklets set up along parts of Santa Cruz Avenue offer ideal places to enjoy your glass of wine, tapas, pizza, or beer while socializing with other festival attendees or simply people watching.
PLAY
Live Music
From the start of the street festival to its finish, live music will fill downtown. Three local bands will perform, offfering a variety of musical genres from jazz to high energy rock and dance tunes.
Don Olivet Quartet will kick off the event at 1pm with an hour of modern jazz followed by Given To Fly from 2:15pm to 4pm playing popular rock, pop, and soul. Wonder Bread 5 takes the stage from 5pm until 7pm with their lineup of infectious dance and high energy rock topped by an incredible stage performance.
Community Stage
Gymnastics, singers, ballet performances and dance groups will take the stage throughout the event. We encourage you to watch their performances and cheer on these amazing performers.
Vendor Booths
A number of non-profits and other local businesses will have booths offering information on their products and services. Downtown businesses and boutiques will stay open late, welcoming festival-goers to shop their wares.
KidsZone
Eat Drink Play isn’t just for adults. The event is family-friendly and the KidsZone is the perfect place for children—or the young-at-heart—to jump, explore, get their face painted, and just have fun.
Put on by the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, admission to Eat, Drink, Play Los Gatos is free and open to residents and visitors of all ages. Tokens for wine, beer, and the Elevated Wine Experience are available online in advance or can be purchased at the event. Tickets for food are not required; food vendors will handle payment directly. There are a variety of limited parking options as well as complimentary bike valet hosted by the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
As summer winds down, enjoy all that Downtown Los Gatos has to offer at the Eat Drink Play festival. It is a wonderful way to experience the distinct charm of Los Gatos as well as amazing, locally produced foods, beers, and wines.
