Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Lightning in a Bottle

    4.2 (25 reviews)

    Lightning in a Bottle Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Lightning in a Bottle

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Although I had some very beautiful moments and met some amazing people, Lightning in a Bottle was overall a very disappointing experience. It has become apparent to me that Dolab (the creators of LIB) care more about their bottom line than they do about the people that attend their festival. There are a number of issues I had with the way this festival was managed, however, for times sake, I am narrowing my list to the top 4 shortcomings of this festival and its management. 1. No trash cans in the camping areas. This creates a situation where even the best people feel pressure to throw their trash on the ground. Which is evident in the photos. 2. Charging your attendees to take trash.This encourages bad behavior and again creates a situation where people are just piling trash up. 3. Full porter potties / No toilet paper This is completely unacceptable. 4. Inconsistent hand washing stations (No soap, No water, No hand sanitizer) . Aren't we in the middle of a pandemic??? Gross. The photos above represent what LIB stands for and it's not something I subscribe to. Until this festival starts caring about the environment and the people that attend it, I will not be coming back. If you attended LIB and feel the way I do, I encourage you to write your own post, share this post or fill out the LIB feedback form. I have already contacted DoLab regarding my concerns and Kern County public health services. DoLab management will only change if we, as a collective, expect more from them. LIB feedback form https://forms.gle/oFwHR3siRyZWC8dCA Kern County Public Health service complaint form https://kernpublichealth.com/complaints/?fl_builder

    Recreating a movie cover for a card punch.

    LiB 2022 was hands-down the best festival I've ever attended. What made it so special for me this year was a place my gf and I called "Retro Row." The whole area was a cast of theater actors that created an immersive and very funny world that seemed to be out of the 1980s. Kathleen and Gerie at the Travel Agency were incredibly funny and always on point for every situation, especially when people would try to get into the VIP lounge. They gave tasks to do around the festival that got us to explore and enjoy every detail. I want to give a very special thanks to Kathleen who was incredibly understanding and accommodating after we'd had a challenging night at medical. We became Paramount Executive Exclusive Ambassadors! Video Hot Spot, The Sweat Box, the Prom, the jazz club, and the post office were all fantastically entertaining. VHS and The Sweat Box had such fun activities that we visited every night, sometimes more than once a day. We can't thank them enough for making our LiB so special and fun, we'll never forget those memories. Can't wait for next year!

    Lib 2016
    Vy N.

    This review is for LIB 2015 & 2016. This has to be my #2 favorite festival. It's conveniently located. Just far away enough from the city and light pollution. The Do Lab does their best organizing everything. My first year was life changing to say the least. It was my first camping festival. I was spoiled by going with friends in their RV. We all dressed up to express ourselves. Nothing was too weird or unacceptable. The people were beyond loving and kind. I lowered expectations and was met with happy circumstances. There was a lot of soul searching and discovering in 4-5 days. There's a little bit of everything for everyone. Art, dance, community, food, and all the self-discovery you could ask for! Lib will always give whatever it is you're seeking. The only con is overcrowding. Lib has grown in popularity so entry and exit could take up to 3-8 hrs. Plan ahead. Either leave early or later. Don't travel when the masses do, you'll just be in a parking lot for hours. Also, hydrate!!!! It can get up to 90s during the day. There's free water fountain. I can't wait to return this year! :)

    Kerry A.

    This creative festival assembles truly the best musical talent year after year (Tycho, Jamie XX, Chet Faker, Flume, Odesza, AlunaGeorge). It's a can't miss if this is your style of music. All the DJ sets you have heard online will come to life in a mind-blowingly artistic stage on the edge of a dried up lake bed. Not only is the main stage impressive, but the sets on it are predominantly live (band) sets. Beyond the music, LIB really has something to offer everyone. If you're a yogi, dancer, painter, maybe even runner... you can find your niche here. This is a great place for absolute creative expression with free face-painting, hammocking, dress up and more. If you aren't a big camper, you should be comfortable with the setting. The dried up lakebed means lots of bugs (including big big spiders), dirt, grass, and rocks to walk on. Five stars would be awarded except that it is a HUGE challenge to get out of here. It takes some people over 8 hours if you don't leave early enough on Monday (Memorial Day). Beware of this exit time!

    Ruth T.

    They just released the first set of 2016 tickets and I experienced some major withdrawals. What better way to relive it then by writing a review?! Lightning in a Bottle was unlike any music festival that I have ever experienced. It is more than just music...it's a "transformational" festival, because many go there and experience a cleansing of the spirit and the mind. I go to many events where there is just a party mentality, and this was a refreshing change -- not that I didn't party, but it was different. My friend described it as a stepping stone to Burning Man, and though I've never been, I can definitely see it. Lightning in a Bottle blends music, art, and spirituality into a beautiful five day event that will leave you seeing the world in a much more different light. Unlike other festivals where the main attraction is the music, you can do many other activities. There is so much going on that your experience can easily be tailored to fit your interests! There are a ton of yoga classes, workshops on how to better yourself, talks, and ohhh so much more. It's great to just walk around during the day and discover new things. I wandered into a tea house, and I spent a good time there chatting to friendly people while enjoying delicious tea. There was also a "sound bath" that I really wanted to experience, but alas...the line was too long. The amount of acceptance and friendliness here is unparalleled to any rave or concert you'll go to. There is definitely a sense that we have built a small, self-sustainable community on these campgrounds for a few days. Talk to anybody and they will have something interesting to tell you. It was especially fun to walk along the bridges connecting the campgrounds to other parts of the festival, and high-fiving the incoming traffic. You don't have to be a hippy to enjoy yourself, but it does help if you leave your comfort zone and let go of any pre-conceived notions you have about...anything. I wouldn't consider myself a hippy, but I definitely felt like my chakras were aligned after I left, haha. VOLUNTEERING: If you would rather not pay (though it's cheap for so long of a festival), they have volunteer opportunities. I decided to do that, and committed to a few day shifts during 4 of the 5 days. You can also choose to go there a week before and get all the work done pre-festival so you have the whole day free. It was extremely tiring since I tried to party all night and had to wake up at 7 am, so I'd rather get it over with before. PHONES: Yes, I got service most of the time. There are charging stations, but I strongly advise you to bring your own external battery because there were too many people crowding the area. WATER: Plentiful water stations around the campsites, which are not to be used for bathing! FOOD: There are many delicious offerings, most of which are vegetarian friendly, locally sourced, etc etc. Expect to pay a bit more for the convenience, but it's not too crazy. I even found a booth that gave me a free sandwich and smoothie in exchange for some labor! TOILETS: Port-a-potties at festivals are always gross. Bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer, because there is no guarantee they will have either. Also a HEADLAMP so you can see where you're going at night. Sanitation was pretty good with washing them out every morning though, so try to save your worst until you see them freshly cleaned. SHOWERS: I was lucky enough to get shower tickets with each of my shifts (go Green Team!), but otherwise you have to pay a whopping $8 or something for a shower. Their reasoning is that we are trying to be sustainable in a drought, so baby wipe/sponge bath away! PARKING: Horrendous! We bought car camping but the camp we were trying to get to had filled up, so we were stuck parking all the way on the other side of the grounds. That meant we lugged all our camping gear all the way across! Luckily, we discovered there was a shuttle going to our camp...but it was extremely disorganized. Going back, the shuttle was again disorganized and dropped us off in a completely different parking area that was miles away from our car. Cue me, waiting with our stuff while my friend walked to the car and took an hour to get back because of the line to go out of the campgrounds. Definitely could have done without that. There needs to be a more reliable shuttle next time around. If I missed any points, feel free to message me and ask! I wholeheartedly recommend this festival to anyone looking for an eye opening experience.

    Keepin' it Classy!
    Dale B.

    First off, I do have to agree with Amber P about the horrible situation with everyone exiting the festival through 2 lanes of traffic. Open the damn north gate already!!! I do believe we (everyone attending) created a prime example of the term clusterf**k. We waited for over 4 hours to get out, I got rear ended by another car, we saw people cutting out of sheer frustration, which caused several fights. The event was so amazing and then turned so ugly so fast. It did put a sour end to an otherwise stellar time. That being said, I'm still giving it 5 stars because SOOOOO much preparation went into every detail of this event, creating a world of magic that was both safe and adventurous. I'm not a fan of electronic music, nor do I consider myself a very "spiritually open" person, but I come here specifically to get out of my comfort zone and connect with awesome people, which is something this festival facilitates like no other. I would recommend coming with a good group of friends, but not being afraid to break away from the herd to explore on your own. Some highlights for me: -Sound bath meditation -Smaller stages like the Grand Artique and the Campfire pickup bands -The food (I try going vegan for the weekend) -Sunset fire shows on Saturday and Sunday nights on the main stages -Intimate talks with "spiritual professionals" where open dialogue is encouraged -So much art and beauty -Being in an environment that encourages you to come out of your shell I highly recommend this festival to EVERYONE, not just those into electronic music or modern hippy culture. It's a fun introduction to new things, and a great place to let go of your mundane habits and inhibitions.

    yummy tea
    William K.

    A "transformative" festival. This is the term that was said to me by a lot of my friends before I went and of course I was like, "oh sure yea" in mild disbelief. I figured it would just be like any other festival which everyone for the most part enjoys: fun with a bit of messiness, but largely the same. I was wrong. Here are my highlights. 1. The Community A button on my pants broke day 2 and this guy I just met fixed it for me right away. Everyday at sunset the entire campgrounds would start howling like wolves. Highfives 5ever on every walkway. Laughter. Crying. Connection. And a lot of love. 2. Yoga Om This yoga tent seriously is a healing place. I explored many of the healing practices at the festival such as sound healing, shamanic meditation, as well as others but definitely yoga om was what really resonated for me. I got to try out acro yoga so yes I actually got to FLY during this festival (I may have crashed a few times). 3. Tea House I could go on and on about this tea house. I spent a lot of time here drinking yummy tea and sharing stories with so many people. My tea pourer also let me color in her coloring book which was a fantastic combination with the tea. For some reason drinking tea here reminded me a lot of General Iroh's tea house from Avatar the Last Air bender. Very zen and this place has inspired me to look into the tea community in LA. 4. Environmental Consciousness They have tons of workshops on how to cook healthy and live a healthier lifestyle in addition to promoting a eco friendly festival by having a policy which states that any trash you bring into the festival to take it out with you. 5 stars for being so eco friendly! 5. Great music all throughout the entire day They have three different main stages (lightning, thunder, and the woogie) in addition to a few smaller stages that bump awesome music all throughout the day. What's there to complain about? Very pleased with my first time at LiB and I look forward to coming back next year!

    Really cool art throughout the festival.
    Tanner H.

    LIGHTNING IN A F****** BOTTLE... being a major Coachella person, this threw me off so much, but in a AMAZING way! We bought the early arrival pass, because it was our first year attending. I absolutely loved every moment of LIB. The live art throughout the venue was amazing, the tents where absolutely stunning, and every body we talked to where SO friendly and in such a good mood. I love that once you get here, you can wear what ever you like and all you will get is complements. The lake was really clean of trash and felt so amazing. I love that you don't have designated camp spots, and can use as much room as you need, (get there early because it goes QUICK!) Already can't wait for next year! The Green Team where so cool and on it with the trash that was left behind. ALSO, The BLACK BOX was extremely cool but entering was so weird!

    Gathered on the hillside of Meditation Lookout to watch the sunset.
    Kailyn T.

    Lightning in a Bottle is hands down my favorite music festival. To be able to leave a festival weekend feeling refresh rather than drained is incredible. It being a "transformation festival" means it expands beyond the music to include other elements of art, yoga, workshops, and awareness. Unlike some festivals that are about escaping and leaving responsibility behind, Lightning in a Bottle is about the opposite - bringing yourself closer to reality, a oneness with yourself and the world around you, as well as being responsible for the environment/yourself. One of the greatest examples of this for me is how spotless the stages are at the end of the night. Once the music is done a silly, cheesy little "clean-up, everybody clean-up" song plays - and as the crowd fades, you see an absolutely clean dance floor. A party where people actually pick up their OWN trash like responsible humans? If you've seen how absolutely disgusting dance floors are like after events like EDC, it's pretty incredible to see how clean they look after the night ends at LIB. Camping festivals are awesome in general, you create a temporary home and community. Your neighbors quickly become your friends, your friends build into even more of a family. During the day various workshops are offered on subject matters ranging from sustainable farming, to essential oils, to hip-hop in the Middle East, to being able to lucid dream. Yoga is happening all the time, as well as music. My group all divided during the day to go to workshops and explore what we individually needed, then all returned to camp around dinner. After dinner we would head up to the Meditation Look-out, a hill top designed for reflection and meditation, where we would watch the sunset with a crowd of others to usher in another night. After everyone broke into cheers and hugs as we watched the sun fade over the horizon, we'd all head out to dance for the rest of the night. This transition is one of my favorite parts of the festival. During the day we restored ourselves, educated ourselves, and explored new ideas. It made the dancing/partying at night so much more worth it. Some logistics: If you don't get car camping prepare for a major work-out setting up camp. The hills of dirt in the hot sun prove to be a challenge, especially since your little dolly wheels don't stand a chance with the sand. BUT, this whole escapade does almost make the camping experience more worthwhile. As you make the trek random passerby's will stop to help you up the hills or to cheer you on, and it's definitely a huge bonding/team building experience for your camp group. BUT GET THE PARKING PASS, seriously. Also, try to aim to get their earlier if you wanted a better camping spot. Getting up close makes it easy to come back to camp for meet-ups, additional layers of clothes, and food - otherwise you'll need to stock up for the night unless you want to make the trek back to the campsite. The parking situation sucks, but as does at every festival/event at literally every venue. I sat there getting frustrated sitting in three hour lines trying to leave but then try to think of what solution I could create for getting 20,000 people out of a dirt desert parking lot and can't think of any. If you stay calm and make a strategy for your exit (do some maze running out of the lines) you can get out in fair time. Make sure you save up some of your snacks for that car ride out!

    See all

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jessica N.
    147
    20
    12

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sean K.
    403
    3
    4

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of C S.
    0
    5
    0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Vy N.
    257
    33
    82

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ruth T.
    1208
    1000
    2695

    10 years ago

    Helpful 14
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of William K.
    249
    44
    31

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 13
    Thanks 0
    Love this 8
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Colby D.
    627
    1072
    15261

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jose Q.
    185
    3
    0

    8 years ago

    This was an unforgettable experience; that showed me how beautifully mankind would coexist if good vibes where all that is welcome.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 2
    Photo of Debbie M.
    9
    224
    142

    11 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Eric J.
    511
    1
    0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Lightning in a Bottle

    Review Highlights - Lightning in a Bottle

    LIB is pretty chill and you can catch the artists, speakers etc enjoying the festival as well over the week.

    Mentioned in 10 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Festivals 301 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Philippine Weekend - Thai food from Philippine Weekend

    Philippine Weekend

    5.0(1 review)
    38.1 mi

    This festival takes me back to my childhood. It brings me happiness to know that this festival…read morecontinues to strive and continue to grow every year. It's nice to see the Filipino youth & locals participate in this festivity, so they can learn and understand the Filipino culture/heritage. The cultural dances continue to stay the same and passed down from generations. I remember participating in the cultural dances and performing on stage. It definitely feels like yesterday. I'm happy to know that a little bit of my culture is being celebrated. This event happens every year on the last weekend of July. The festivities takes off with the adobo cook off on Friday evening while everyone else is setting up their booths. I'm guilty to have NEVER attended this part of the event. I hope one day I'll be able to check it out. The following day the festivities kick off with the parade downtown Delano usually at 10am and back to Cecil Park for the festivities. They usually have tents with Filipino food and halo-halo as well as other booths. I usually grab food from the Thai food tent. I know it's a Filipino festival then why buy Thai food haha. I eat Filipino food almost everyday and that Thai food stand has been part of Filipino weekend for as long as I can remember. They also have bounce houses for the kids, a train ride and even rock climbing. There's also a designated area for 21yr olds and over to grab a drink. End of July is always super hot and usually the weather is over 100°, so if you're not used to that temperature then I wish you the best of luck. Shade usually helps; however, if you're not from here then you should know that we have dry heat. Wind doesn't usually blow a whole lot, so you're literally sitting in the heat under the shade. Bring lots of water and possible a tent or umbrella to stay cool. Or be like me and come extra early or when it's almost over haha, but then you'll miss all the cool entertainment. I don't think you should miss it because the kids practiced all summer to get their dance down. The park is open to the public with no admission fee. They have a basketball tournament going down across the street at Delano HS and they have the Bingo going too. Those are two ways to stay cool. I recently found out they have a tennis tournament going also, so look out for that. Prior to the festival they usually post the pageants on their website for Tiny Tots, Miss Philippine Weekend, Mrs. & Mr. Philippine Weekend. You should check it out to support our local event.

    Photos
    Philippine Weekend - The kids watching the performers

    The kids watching the performers

    Philippine Weekend

    See all

    Bakersfield Craft Beer Festival - Drunken Noodles + Beef. Yuuuumm!!!

    Bakersfield Craft Beer Festival

    4.0(7 reviews)
    12.5 mi
    $$$

    This was a very good event. The vendors had a great variety of beers to drink and they were well…read morespread out. The lines were not too long at any vendor. Everyone was very friendly and the food and water for sale were very reasonably priced for a closed-in event (water was only $1 per 16 oz bottle). Free parking too! They could improve the event by providing some live music and adding more places to sit.

    I won tickets for this event off of Instagram from @yelpbakersfield (McKenzie), a huge thank you to…read moreher. I have always wanted to attend such an event but either didn't have the time or didn't feel like spending on something I was unsure of liking. We parked on the east parking side which was one heck of a walk, we didn't know where the entrance was to be honest. Once we arrived, we were greeted by a few ladies to check IDs & get stamped and then entering the gates to present our tickets & get our glasses. I brought my wife with me, though she does not drink she likes trying stuff and the food vendors was also a plus! The tastings: I will admit, I know I didn't try every single offering but I have some new found loving for beer I never knew existed. I've been a fan of "805" since I first tried it so I knew what they were about. There were some that were not great and some that were very good. One so good to me, I asked where I could purchase their beer in Bakersfield since they are from San Diego. It was Karl Strauss' beers, just loved the Mosaic beer. All in all a great experience! The food: The vendors were Moo Creamery, Jake's Original Tex-Mex and Eureka, even though I am not sure Eureka served food because their stand was small, might have been their beer. All items for sale were $5-6 and went well with the beer and atmosphere. Whoever chose the food vendors, Thumbs Up! The atmosphere/environment: Everyone was having fun, friendly and it was a little warm but if you sat in the shade the breeze made it so relaxing. I just wish I knew to bring my own chairs to lounge on while hanging out. Great experience at an excellent event, I need to be a "Volunteer for Beer".

    Photos
    Bakersfield Craft Beer Festival - I came for the food!!! Ok, the live bands too but also, more so, the food! ;)

    I came for the food!!! Ok, the live bands too but also, more so, the food! ;)

    Bakersfield Craft Beer Festival - Small stage. So fun!

    Small stage. So fun!

    Bakersfield Craft Beer Festival - Won these on Instagram. Thank you Yelp & Mckenzie!

    See all

    Won these on Instagram. Thank you Yelp & Mckenzie!

    Village Fest

    Village Fest

    4.3(16 reviews)
    17.9 mi

    Bakersfield Village Fest is definitely the party of the year. I was fortunate to obtain VIP access…read moreto the venue. We were able to park at the VIP lot and avoid crowds, enter the VIP entrance, and access to the VIP lounge with snacks, drinks and most importantly, clean restrooms. The VIPs were also welcomed in an hour early for dinner. At the entrance there is a metal detector and bag check. The website said clear bags only, so I prepared accordingly but they weren't too strict with enforcing it. We were given a village fest cup and a stamp card. The event sponsors Big Wave Kona had a large booth with ample staff pouring our first drink to get us started. We definitely felt the aloha! We started off in the VIP area to eat dinner. Then it was party party for the rest of the night. There were 4 different stages of live music, 100+ brews, 70+ wines, and unlimited food and snack samples from the local businesses. I have been to many food and spirits type of festivals and this one is without a doubt the best one I've been to. Loving the VIP life. Can't wait to come back for next year's Village Fest!!

    So great in so many ways. Fabulous food, great music, outstanding beers and wine, clean outhouses…read moreetc. One HUGE problem though. The massive amounts of second hand smoke. Especially cigar smoke. Folks can smoke ANYWHERE. In food lines, on the dance floors, in front of the high powered fans etc. And there is a LOT of it. Really quite unbelievable. And while someone might argue a good cigar is pleasant, this is definitely not true of second hand cigar smoke! It's stomach churning putrid nonsense. Why not have designated zones for this? I have no problem with designated zones. It is truly remarkable that this can occur.

    Photos
    Village Fest
    Village Fest
    Village Fest

    See all

    Holiday Lights at C.A.L.M. - More light!

    Holiday Lights at C.A.L.M.

    4.4(71 reviews)
    25.6 mi

    I have lived in the valley all my life and I had never been to CALM during their holiday light…read moreexperience (or otherwise). Thanks to Yelp and Garrett, I was able to see all the beautiful Christmas lights. Over 3 million lights are on display. We went on Tuesday at approximately 6:30 pm. We drove right in (warning: the drive into CALM is a service entrance that's a bit rough and dark (some road erosion and some potholes)). We had good parking (all parking is free). Due to the cold weather, we bundled up and literally walked right in. Oh my gosh!! Everything was so beautiful and every staff member was super friendly and helpful. Here are some musts: 1. Picture with Santa (using your personal phone/camera) 2. Train ride (Candy Cane Lane). Train ride takes you through a western town 3. Take your time strolling through and make the most of your experience 4. Dress warmly and wear comfy shoes 5. Support Teen Challenge booths. We purchased some yummy kettle corn, hot chocolate and coffee 6. Make sure your phone is fully charged Based on my conversations with CALM staff, the closer we get to Christmas, the busier it will be. Mid-week is a perfect time to visit to avoid large crowds. I highly recommend the holiday lights at CALM and look forward to making this an annual tradition.

    Been coming to CALM Holiday Lights for well over a decade and always such a special visit to have…read morememories! Went yesterday evening and the lights were stunning and loved the Tree light show! All the employees and staff were incredibly kind and helpful! Lots of photo op's and a cute photo op with Santa and his sleigh! The Candy Cane Train is a must and I love the lights and decorations set up for this attraction! Great for families or a date night! Recommend the kettle popcorn and hot cocoa from Teen Challenge!

    Photos
    Holiday Lights at C.A.L.M. - The lights!!

    The lights!!

    Holiday Lights at C.A.L.M. - Holiday Lights at CALM 2023

    Holiday Lights at CALM 2023

    Holiday Lights at C.A.L.M.

    See all

    Bakersfield Wing Festival - Souvenir Glass from the 2019 Bakersfield Wing Festival, I put that bad boy to use and more.

    Bakersfield Wing Festival

    4.6(5 reviews)
    16.4 mi

    This was the 4th annual Bakersfield Wing Festival and our first time going. The event was worth it,…read morethe downside is the long lines, but they have plenty of wing stands, so choose your line wisely. This year there was approximately 15-16 wing vendors and I didn't get to try them all, but of all the wing vendors my favorite was Bucky's. Bucky's chicken wing was crunchy, moist, and had good flavor. They had their levels of heat in "Mild-Smooth Smiling", "Medium-Heating Up", "Hot-Loco Loco" & "X-Hot-Get Buck". A lot of the other vendors had 1 or 2 flavors, and even Costco made it out there to give wings out. Winner of this years best wings went to Hooters. I think they were 2nd place in my books, but there was more votes for Hooters. I honestly feel that Bucky's was the best, but people didn't vote (Rolling my eyes). I don't want to say which vendor, but I waited in line for chicken which is fine, but when I got the wings they were chewy and then when we reached the center it was bloody, hope that was just because they were under pressure because the line was long at the time. I would definitely like to try it again next time. The atmosphere is pretty casual and we brought our folding chairs, I also saw some people bring their canopies and tents. What started off at 91 degrees changed in a matter of 2hrs. It got really cloudy, windy and even sprinkled a little down to high 70s, but it's Bakersfield so you never know what kind of weather it's gonna be like. They played good music on stage with live singers and live bands. They even had contests so you can win tickets to go to Vegas and they had that wing contest so you can get your Wingfest entry free next year. I happened to be in line during the contest, so I missed out on that cool contest. I would definitely like to come again, I think if I went alone then it wouldn't be worth it for me because I don't drink beer, but going with my husband he gets to get two beers at a time, so it evens out for us. The downside for the beers is that they fill it up half way. I'm not a beer drinker so I don't care, but the lines are already long, so drinking your beer then having to refill it takes some time. Waters are free so that's cool and I liked that. I brought my water bottle with ice in it and my ice lasted the whole day with the free waters because they were cold.

    It's hot dog!!!!! Alright, Buffalo Wild Wings bomb!! I had…read morethe blazing and it's delicious and definitely not for the fate of heart. Next was Denweed's Heart and Soul had amazing real fresh meat the wing full of buffalo sauce. Then came KVS southern style was so worth the long line. I had a BBQ that was absolutely amazing their meat was grilled and tender and so juicy. At BLVD we had garlic wings absolutely delectable a must try. Next stop I had Dickey's BBQ , I had two BBQ wings that were pretty good. Lastly, we had the Barrington's Jamaican Kitchen had mild and spicy very juicy wings with lots of flavor. All the drinks were standard and hit the spot in the heat, I recommend the experience!!

    Photos
    Bakersfield Wing Festival - Hooters

    Hooters

    Bakersfield Wing Festival
    Bakersfield Wing Festival

    See all

    Lightning in a Bottle - festivals - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...