I want to preface this by saying it's very expensive to get in. I understand it's a fundraiser for Sonoma Farm Trails, but the cost of entry and parking together is extremely steep when food and vendors inside are also pricey. Only Apple Alley had some affordable items. I did really have a good time! There was an area to pet farm animals, a kids play area, see really cool old tractors, great variety of music, and interesting events. I learned a ton! I really liked that they had a variety of fair merch. The heat was not fun but it was fine under the shade. There was a variety of food options which were pricey. I like that there were water stations, and many attempts to be eco friendly (metal utensils, compostable places, etc). It's a cute fun fair, but tickets need to drop to at least $10 for adults, $5 for kids, $7 for seniors and vets. That way people can spend more money inside. read more

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When I mentioned to a friend that I'd recently gone to the Gravenstein Apple Fair (GAF) she asked "what's that?" As I started to explain she cut in, "so it's like a county fair?" I explained that yes, a county fair is the closest equivalent but I live in Marin County and the fair in my county goes on longer and for the price of admission includes rides, fireworks, bands you've heard of, art, and a whole lot of more. So the Apple Fair is similar to a county fair but offers less than many with which I'm familiar. It also sports a hefty $30 per person admission fee: Make it make sense. Full transparency: I had comp tickets for two so I couldn't complain about the price but I also kept imagining how I'd have felt about the experience had I paid full admission fare. There simply isn't enough here to merit that hefty entrance fee. If I'm going to complain about that I should mention that you can lessen the pain in a few ways: * Many shops in town sell advance-purchased tickets at a reduced price ($20 apiece); * Rates are reduced for seniors ($23), veterans, and children; and * Their web site indicates that "deeply discounted" tickets may be available for those on limited incomes. Still. Inside, you'll find livestock, arts and crafts for sale, apples for sale (and also anything you can make with apples), live music, food, beer, wine, cider, apple harvesting equipment, and more. I enjoyed my time here and would happily return but only if I again got my entrance fee comped. I certainly can't expect such a perk and neither can you, thus my 3-star rating for this perfectly pleasant but wildly over-priced fair. read more

This was my first year going to the apple fair and I will say I do not regret it! There was a pretty good amount of things to do/see at this event but I will say for what it is I think the entrance tickets should be a tad cheaper. They had a lot of good food and samples of apple juices and ice cream and many more things. Please be weary as the prices on things are going to be a bit high! It was family friendly and we ended up staying longer than we thought. I also thought the location was great and we found parking very easily. I definitely would go again read more

Gravenstein Apple Fair - Festivals Near Me - Sebastopol, California

Parking was free because we had the Sonoma County Parks pass We paid for entry $60 We paid for an empty glass $20 We paid for cider and beer, twice $40 We paid for food $30 We stayed from 3:30pm - 5:00pm The only thing free here is the dust and air. My husband reminded me of the festivals in Europe, where you pay the entrance fee. Sigh... Tons of local vendors from hat makers, honey producers, olive oil, and a number of other items related (and unrelated) to apples. For the kids there is a small area with baby animals young ones can explore and learn about. Dutton Ranch was the big star of the day, which is funny, I thought they were in Montana (wink). The saving grace for this event is the music. We closed out the afternoon dancing to La Gente SF and they did not disappoint! Would I recommend? No, the total price of the ticket should at the very least pay for parking or include a beverage or meal. At the very least, their webpage should state "you will pay for every little thing." read more

Excellent experience, but don't know if we'd go again, mostly due to how crowded and hot it was. 1) It was extremely crowded. We arrived around 10:30am and there was a 15+ minute traffic jam to get into the parking lot. We got extraordinarily lucky, and snagged a street parking spot just outside the park because someone just happened to leave. Plan ahead to park further away (Pleasant Hill Ave or earlier) and walk or deal with the traffic jam. 2) Cars continued to stream in throughout the day and it just got more and more crowded. Around noon, there were wayyyy too many people in the park. They needed more space for the amount of people. Super dusty. 3) All the food stands hand out metal utensils. This is a sustainability effort, but I'm not sure the energy / resources it takes to manufacturer metal spoons that are only used once a year is better for the environment than compostable utensils. If the fair organizers thought about this angle, I'd love if they published more information. It would be great if they reuse them for other events the rest of the year. 4) I came to listen to a local band called MaMuse, who are incredible singers / songwriters with amazing voices. But the sound of people talking next to me meant I couldn't get lost in the experience of listening to them. I haven't really been to outdoor concerts before, and I guess I realized I'm not a fan. 5) Mom's Apple Pies was totally sold out by noon. Get your pies early! 6) The line for apple fritters was extremely long and not very shady. 7) I enjoyed my brisket $18 from the BBQ Smokehouse! It was a generous portion and came with cole slaw. The mac & cheese was okay, a bit cold. 8) Really enjoyed the presentation on backyard chickens from Tiffany of Wise Acre Farms. Made me want to visit her farm! 9) Chicken pita $14 was very small, says my boyfriend 10) Really enjoyed the ice cream from Dave's. The chocolate was super rich and the Apple ice cream tastes exactly like Apple Pie and is made from Gravensteins! 11) Pick up a bag or box of Gravenstein's on the way out! 12) Bring sunscreen and a water bottle. They don't sell bottled water. 13) By 2pm it was 90 degrees and we were ready to go! 14) The blackberry honey from Sola Bee Farms was soooo tasty 15) We forgot to try the applesauce!!!! 16) Damn, didn't realize Bayou on the Bay had so many cool Gravenstein-themed food items. Guess we will have to come back after all! read more

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Its fun but the price to enter is what ruins it. $30 just to get into a street like fair? Oh ya add on another $20 plus for food. Easily spent over $50 at minimum lol. Nothing here that made me think the money was worth it. Still enjoyed it but its not a $30 event!!!! read more

This fair is fun . 2020 , well they seriously modified it , to a drive thru pick up . Still fun , volunteers all super pumped . We were here a few years ago , really cool & tons of different foods and other stuff . Live music , good vibes , great apple ciders . Hard ciders also that taste so fresh . This year we ordered a pie , amazing , and freshly made apple sauce , a case of fresh juice & apple ciders . Love the applesauce w pork , we last did it w pork cutlet sandwiches & icy cold applesauce. Posting a few Picts from other yelpers of last year , And some from this year . Is it possible to imagine we could attend next year ? It's a lovely hope I pray can manifest . A lofty goal . Hang in there all you beautiful people . Someday , Someway ..... A new day . Inspired by you , Geoff ! read more

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3.5 STARS! Ahh, another amazing summer festival success! I'm so happy I was able to attend the Gravenstein Apple Fair which was held at Sebastopol in Ragle Ranch Park starting on the 17th and 18th of August. You can certainly tell that there was some great deal of organizing that went into effect; everything about the fair was organized! The event went from 10am-6pm both Saturday and Sunday. I arrived at the fair around 1 PM and noticed a line full of cars trying to enter. The parking fee was $5 and it was a great amount of parking! There were volunteers that did a wonderful job navigating the traffic. Once I parked, I walked to the entrance and seen two ATM's where people can take money out for the event. To enter the charge was $15; Children (ages 6-12) were $10, and kids 5 and under were FREE! I thought this was pretty steep taking into consideration you still have to spend money when you get inside. I just hope the money went to a good cause or was split with the volunteers. :: Shrugs:: I entered the event was quite surprised at the attendance! It was such a great turn-out! It was great to see all the families getting together eating; playing on the playground; checking out the bee's and honey section, and enjoying the tasty apples! YUMMY! I thought it was a great idea to have an Artisan Tasting Lounge inside the fair. The pricing was $25 at the entrance and $20 if you purchased in advance. The fair also accommodated people who just wanted to purchase apples. If the guest just wanted to purchase apples, they were let into the event for 30 minutes just to purchase apples. The food vendor selection was great! I enjoyed the handheld apple pies and the burger vendor; the food was delicious indeed! I truly enjoyed my weekend at the fair and would definitely be back next year! read more

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This was our fourth year going, and it has become very expensive to just get in. $30 a person to enter, and $15 to park. Extremely crowded and over priced inside. We waited 45 min for some apple fritters, they were cold and soggy. This fair use to be a fun event for the family and affordable, no more. read more

We purchased our tickets on line in advance but when we got to the fair, we still had to get in a lonnnng line to get in. After a bit, it began moving quickly. Maybe a line for those who pre purchased would be good. This fair is HUGE. It wouldn't be fair to base our review on the heat and need for more shady spots when the apples arrive in August and the fair is held in a huge park. However. It's a factor. Before we got to the food vendors, we shared a small apple slushee (GET IT - SO GOOD), pure apple juice and checked out a few of the fair offerings. We also bought a bag of apples that the vendor held on to for us until we were ready to leave. Our experience and review is based mostly on the length of time food vendors take to place and deliver orders and how if affected our day. Some of the lines were so long and with the heat bearing down, it was pretty uncomfortable. Some had the food waiting and/or ready quickly and others took some time prepping. We mostly chose shorter lines that were moving quicker than others. We got in the Bayou by the Bay line because Randy really wanted the beignets the web site said they'd be offering. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I was intrigued by the bbq macaroni and cheese so while he left this line, I stayed. I wasn't sure if I'd like the spice level in their bbq sauce (I'm whimpy in this way) so I got the sauce on the side and added some brisket on top - it was AWESOME. We also got a (large!) slice bourbon Bundt cake to share and it was full of flavor although a bit dry. Randy got a chicken gyro from Mommy's Yummy's and it was delicious. So fresh and so much flavor. It took about 25 minutes to get it once he ordered (after waiting in line about 25 minutes to place the order) which sucked because there wasn't a shady spot to wait. He also got a tiny slice of baklava, also yummy. Corina got chow mein with teriyaki chicken on a stick from Sonoma Teriyaki. Full of flavor and she walked away with it when she ordered it, so quick and because the line moved quickly she didn't have to wait too long. We walked around another 15'ish minutes to find a shady spot to sit and eat and after eating, we were just done with the heat and decided to leave. We stopped by Bob Saxon Studio and picked up lots of metal garden art on our way out. We are bummed that getting lunch took so long and the heat we did it in wiped us out that we didn't check out any other vendors before leaving and there were many we wanted to visit. We wouldn't go back but it seems like it could be a really cool event if configured differently somehow. read more

Good heavens, what a zoo! We decided to stop on a whim, and it took about 45 minutes to get in and to get a parking space. Then, we paid $20 dollars a piece as an entry fee, and waited 25 minutes at least to get something to eat for lunch. The euros were not all that good either, As they were a ground lamb and beef sausage that was a little over spiced. It was an "oh well" we learned experience! read more

APPLES.....APPLES AND MORE APPLES.... Everything apple imaginable! A packed day at the Gravenstien Apple fair in beautiful Ragel Ranch park. Parking is $5 in the soccer field with a small hike to the festival. It's really not much of a hike. I'm kidding. The price of admission has been at a steady $15. Most have issues with the admission fees. Just a friendly reminder that admission fees help support our local regional park systems for your family to enjoy them. FYI---- THIS IS A DUSTY EVENT !.!.!.! There is plenty of shade as well. The vendors are the same regular people every year. The food appeared to be a lot of hipster food. In fact, we chose not to eat there. We blew that popsicle stand and went to the Hop Monk for Mac n cheese and a cold beer instead. ***** THIS IS NOT A PET FRIENDLY EVENT. Although, I'm sure I could of snuck my Bearded Dragon in. read more

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Our first time at this fair, had been on our list to try for years. What a charming fair, we felt like we had stepped into a Nancy Meyer film. Massive oaks shade most of the fair grounds. Lots of friendly vendors, bouquets of flowers everywhere, at all the booths and tables. Packed full of families having an absolute blast with no rides, no carnies, just good old-fashioned fun. Just as one would imagine the "good ol' days". We enjoyed every minute and plans to go each year. The line is long to get in but it goes FAST! We parked on the street a five minute walk away. read more

I volunteered this year and had a wonderful time, both while helping out and while exploring after my shift. The vendors are friendly and offer some nice local products and gifts. The coordinators are pretty scattered... took a few people to figure out where I was volunteering, then someone just ended up asking if I could help his area so I stayed there. Food selection is pricey and portions are huge, so some smaller meals would be nice - but this is perfect for a family to share a couple things. Good fair for families - lots kids would love. Maybe not for young adults looking to drink and flirt like they can at other festivals. Definitely worth experiencing - next time, volunteer too! read more

Gravenstein Apple Fair - Just finished my volunteer shift in the Peanuts children's activity area. So fun! Now, going to use my free drink coupon. - Festivals Near Me - Sebastopol, California

The Gravenstein Apple Fair is an annual event that has been going on for decades. After reading the reviews it seems like many people had different expectations which I'll address. Parking can be a serious issue during peak times. I believe staff and volunteers do their best to get cars in as fast as they can but there are clear bottle necks and traffic can be bad around the fair. The cost to enter is on the higher side of fairs. The California state fair, for example, is about $12 to enter while the Gravenstein Apple Fair is $15 to enter. The food costs are also a little higher than the standard fair food but this is partly because the food options are better. The food is in large part from local higher end vendors that offer better and often healthier options. In this sense your get more for paying more. The event has two stages of live music and lots of various Sonoma County like displays such as bee keeping or presentations on how to manage backyard chickens. In many ways this fair is very different than your typical State or County Fair. This has a hippy authenticity to it that you'd expect from a place in Sebastopol. The attendees are also more a farmer hippy type crowd and the displays or food therefore reflects this. There was a section on local samples such as figs with blue cheese or craft whiskey or oysters. So you get the picture of a lot of the target audience. The event organizers do a good job to water the ground in advance of the event to prevent it from getting too dusty. I am happy I attended and hope to go again. My main suggestion is to understand what kind of fair this is and plan accordingly. I suggest arriving early when parking is not as bad and the weather is not as hot. Attendees should also know this is a niche Sonoma County/Sebastopol like Fair. I hope the Gravenstein Apple Fair has a good future ahead of it. read more

Gravensteins ripen in summer when you're still eating fresh strawberries. Never having tasted one of these, I figured on heading up to this event. Parked in the free lot and was waiting on the shuttle when I asked a couple coming back what it was like. Not good, was the answer. So having fought through traffic this far I figured best thing to do was drive on to the best apple grower left in the state: Walker Apples. Called first, sure enough they grow this variety (along with about 30 others). For what it cost for two to get into the fair, I bought 25 lbs of fresh Gravenstein apples and chatted with the guy who grew them. That's the way to support Sonoma apple growers, go out and buy some of their apples. This fair is a joke, if you think attending helps anybody but the food concessions and craftsfolk. Apple farmers grow and sell apples. read more

It was "okay". I'm a big fan of arts/wine/craft fairs... but this one just didn't do it for me. They had lots of "apples", but not that many vendors, not many food booths, or arts/crafts. Watched a demonstration on how to make applesauce. That was probably the most interesting part of the entire event. Been there, done that. Only needs to be done once. Imho. read more

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Set your expectations accordingly and you'll have a great time. I went to this fair every year as a kid, and then took a decade-long hiatus in adulthood. Came back the last two years and love it all over again! First of all, this fair is tiny. Like, if you were in a hurry you could do a loop looking around the whole thing in 30 minutes. But think of it like an afternoon at the park where the entertainment comes to you. Great local music on two stages, pie eating contests, a museum of old machines, turkey legs, pies, organic crafts to buy or create yourself onsite, petting zoo, an agriculture educational stage for kids and much more. The last couple years I've very much enjoyed the Artisan Tasting Lounge. It costs extra ($20), but includes unlimited food and alcohol pairings all made in Sonoma County. I didn't need to buy any other food because I emerged stuffed on delicious small plates served by local favorites-- Union Hotel, a cheese maker, and a couple of fancy caterers specializing in locally sourced foods (also, honey!). It was also a great way to try some new drinks without buying a whole bottle-- side by side apple cider pairings, other ciders, wine, aperitifs, and even this year's favorite, a slushy made with fresh apple juice and Chardonnay. That's going in my mental Pinterest board of tasty summer beverages for sure. Bring a bag to carry home your goodies (usually that you can't get anywhere else but the farm), remember a hat for the sunny parts, and wear clothes you don't mind getting dusty. read more

I wish I had read the reviews before! I agree with most of them. First of all, we got to pay $15 dollars to get in and we didn't get anything for what we were paying for. For a family of 4 that's already a lot of money. Plus, we paid more $5 to park the car in the middle of an open area (not a parking area) where they basically just set up a toll for it. Inside, there were little tents selling overpriced food and drinks, many of them not even having anything to do with apples. What else? Oh you got to hear some very loud machinery, seat in hay and get dust from head to toes. There were a lot of bugs too and that's how you get the farm feeling. Not what I was expecting from an apple fair. Hey, we didn't even got home with a single apple, the bags they were selling didn't seem to be any better deal than I would get at the store. So back to the car after paying a lot to enter and too much for a bit of food. The car was dirty, so were we. And home we went to get a good bath to remove all the memories from this 'fair'. It was not fair. An experience not to repeat on the following years. 41 years doing this? Really? Our bet is all visitors are first time goers! read more

Gravenstein Apple Fair - Festivals Near Me - Sebastopol, California

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Such a fabulous Fair! Great for kids, really good vendors of products and food. We'll be back again next year and thanks to all those who make it possible. read more

Not sure what I should have expected with a title like Apple Fair, so perhaps my expectations were too high. I found most of the vendor booths to be completely unrelated to apples. I would have liked to learn more about apples and the various apple businesses and commercial production. Take the apple name out of this fair, and the name might be more apropos. Nonetheless, the kids had fun in the playground, the live music was good. Oh, and prepare for significant dust and dirt. Doesn't seem like an event worth repeating. read more

Gravenstein Apple Fair - Playground with booth background - Festivals Near Me - Sebastopol, California

Good ol' country fair. We took the kids so, there was alot to do there for them. It looks like buying food will run you about $8-12 a plate of various great selection from gourmet burgers to corn dogs. Many different vendors there. We brought our own food and had a picnic there even though this is probably different than most people since it's much easier to buy there. Looks like there were beers on tap like Lagunitas and other (I didn't get a chance to participate in much of this). Situated on dry grass and dirt so make sure to bring comfortable shoes that may get dirty. Parking was packed and shuttles are available if you park at the free parking lots (see their website). There were to stages for bands, vendors of crafts...and of course apples for sale. Heard about the apple fritters but I saw the long line and didn't really want to wait. This post sounds like a ramble but, if your ok with a bit of dirt on you and can appreciate farm life then, this event may be for you. Bring your bike and it's only a $10 entrance.e read more

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America at its best. Bands food beer wine cider and oh yeah the apple pie all in one great park setting

Gravenstein Apple Fair is a MUST SEE. We will definitely return. Such a unique, 'feel good' fair. And the scent of incredible tasting, fresh picked tart-sweet Gravenstein apples is everywhere. Most fairs have food, music and vendors. The Grav Apple Fair has all that and so much more. Fair is full of surprises every where you turn. From the moment you walk in you're met by the large playful Patrick Amiot art sculptures-- to when you leave and delight in the old timey Burma Shave-type poetry signs as you drive out. Music wasn't too loud, it was perfect volume. And what bands: Poor Man's Whiskey brought down the house. Who doesn't thrill to the hot CA Honey Drops or Zydeco Flames. There were sexy stiltwalkers, fortune teller, apple jugglers, real cowboy storytellers and The Bubblesmith--blowing huge bubbles (with people following him shrieking with uncontrolled glee). What a hoot. You know what really sticks with you? The hands on, homegrown Fair brought you back EMOTIONALLY to a simpler, safer time. There were adorable farm animals to pet , old-timey horse and buggy rides and apple pie judging contest. The Fair has deep CA roots. We learned that the Fair originated in 1910... stopped...and was revived in 1970s. Some fairs assault you with carney rides and loud speakers and guys shilling cheap junk. This Fair let you be....let you explore as you wandered the incredibly beautiful oak grove. No concrete fairgrounds here. Real artisan vendors--and not too many. Here's the kicker. The entire fair has an intimate footprint in an oak grove of old, gnarly shady trees. Perfect to walk around without being overwhelmed like a lot of large, by-the-numbers fairs. You know how many fairs seem to tilt to women; all about shopping and jewelry etc. This Fair really had fun stuff for the guys too. There is a huge display of antique engines, Luther Burbank's original cars, 3 blacksmiths--and even a steampunk Maker art car! The fair also engaged your mind with 3 terrific panels on Food Trends, Anti-Aging Foods and an incredibly engaging "Meet Your Farmer's Panel. Parents even got a break with a fun hay bale maze the kids could run thru to blow off steam and a dedicated Children's Village. There were healthy, UNPLUGGED hands-on activities for the kids, run by the Schultz PEANUTS Museum folks with a teacher and face painter on hand. Everywhere we went we saw happy people talking to each other, laughing, relaxed, and bonding over silly stuff like apple juggling or pie eating contests. I don't know what the sourpuss Monterey reviewer ABOVE THIS REVIEW was drinking with her sad review but she she needs to clean her glasses. She missed the magic of the Grav Fair. Sometimes when you look behind the curtain, you don't like the sponsors. This fair is put on by Farm Trails, dedicated to connecting the public with the source of their food--farmers. Before farmer's markets, before there were U Pick or CSAs. there was Farm Trails. Farmers: what a great cause to support. We'll definitely come back next August. read more

We had a great time at the fair. There was so much fun stuff for kids to do. We had our 4 year old granddaughter who delighted in patting all the animals, climbing the tractors, jumping around in the hay bale maze, making lots of crafts for free, and dancing like a wild woman to the live music. We went for both days and felt like we truly got our money's worth. I love the education part too, about food, bees, farming, and what not. Maybe I am simple, but this is exactly the kind of fair I love. read more

I drove over from Berkeley with two friends on 8.8.15 and we had an absolutely lovely day trip to this Gravenstein Apple Fair. Everyone was so friendly and pleasant. Food was excellent. There was a long line for one of the food vendors (sorry, I forget the name, it is a local restaurant on Highway 12 I believe) and we waited patiently, getting into conversations with local folks, and finally had delicious buttermilk chicken sandwiches with unusually tasty coleslaw, watermelon lemonade (very tasty and I could taste the watermelon), and fried green tomatoes that were really good, tart and warm with a tasty coating. First time having fried green tomatoes, I had wanted to try them since seeing the movie of that name many years ago. We found seating at the long tables that had been set up with white and red checked tablecloths, and haystacks and boards for benches. We sat under the shade of graceful live oak trees. A gentle breeze wafted through and the weather was perfect. A good selection of vendors with beautiful, high quality crafts at reasonable prices. I bought a very attractive handpainted batik bag perfect for carrying groceries for $45, and the vendor threw in free small pouch that can be attached to carry phone, keys etc. The vendor was Mila Design Studio. Milling around, hearing live music, watching very skillful and beautifully attired stilt walkers, watching an apple juggling contest, throwing darts at apples on a dart board (prize was a bag of apples but we didn't win), having a lovely taste of ice cold Gravenstein apple juice, and eating delicious spicy chocolate ice cream, were other enjoyable activities. We enjoyed chatting with local folks and I found people to be friendlier and more approachable then in the urban area I live in where people are more guarded when interacting with strangers. A bit of a wait to drive in, but overall a great experience. Parking was well organized with lots of helpful volunteers. Well worth the trip from Berkeley and admission charge of $15 per person plus $5 per vehicle for parking for a very enjoyable afternoon. Bring cash, it's useful to have as the handy ATM on site charges a fee of $4, a friendly stranger told me. Some vendors accept charge cards but food vendor was cash only. read more