What Big Events are coming up in Ventura?

It’s important to live in the moment, but it’s also good fun to look ahead too. As many a wise sage — and a ketchup ad — have pointed out, anticipation is half the fun.

From the biggest craft beer festival on the Central Coast, to some serious, heart-stopping scares, to the chance to run the fastest marathon of your life — the upcoming months in Ventura offer honeymoon anticipation.

Surf ‘N Suds Beer Festival

Date: Saturday, October 9th

Surf ‘N Suds is rated one of the country’s best beer festivals, and it’s coming to Ventura’s San Buenaventura State Beach on Saturday, October 9th (11:30 am to 4:30 pm). Plain and simple, it’s the biggest craft beer festival on the Central Coast and the only craft beer festival in Ventura — which in two craft beer epicenters, well, that’s saying something. The Festival will feature over 65 craft breweries — and seltzers, kombucha, ciders, micheladas, and wine. Perhaps consider an early admission (11:30 am) ticket, and sampling some beverages that won’t be available after 12:30 when everyone else comes in.

Plato, Abraham Lincoln, Henry David Thoreau, and Winston Churchill all enjoyed a cold (or possibly warm) one and gave the matter of beer serious thought. Decreed Plato; “He was a wise man who invented beer.”

And with local craft breweries performing nothing short of tasty alchemy, much the same could be said of those who drink it.

Need another nudge and a few reasons why this might be one of the best times you haven’t yet had? Read on.

Sublime with Rome, the Dirty Heads and Hirie

Date: Saturday, October 9th

Surfer’s Point LIVE brings live music to the Ventura County Fairgrounds yet again. This time it’s the High and Mighty Tour — Sublime with Rome, the Dirty Heads and Hirie for a full day of electricity (2 pm to 10 pm). Fans of Sublime — and there are thousands of them — know the band has a long and storied history, from backyard (and everywhere) Long Beach parties to international acclaim, their music fusing reggae, punk and ska energy, hip-hop swagger, and, beneath it all, a large dose of sage-wise introspection. The Dirty Heads and Hirie each offer something wholly unique.

But until the first chords ring in your chest those are just words.

Click here for a few words from Rome Ramirez.

Ventura County Fear Grounds

Date(s): October 1-3 / October 7-10 / October 14-17 / October 21-31. Hours: Thursdays 6pm-10pm / Fridays 6pm-11pm/ Saturdays 6pm-11pm / Sundays 6pm-10pm

These days, Halloween is no longer for the squeamish or the faint-hearted. Some seriously hair-raising stuff. Opening Thursday, September 30th, the aptly named Fear Grounds at the Ventura County Fairgrounds beside the sea offers, well, not your County Fair fare. Accommodating for current times, there are three open air haunts, but they aren’t without risk. The Fright Train, The Terror Trail, and The Cage are as good/bad as they sound. CBF Productions — who hosted Concerts in Your Car throughout the pandemic — knows much of sounds systems, technology, and startling light. These — and a twisted imagination — are now applied to Halloween fright. The motto for The Cage is simple. “Your job: survive. Their job: to stop you.” The Terror Trail and The Cage are walk-throughs. The Fright Train is a ride.

Either way, keep your defibrillator handy.

Ventura County Farm Day

Date: November 6, 2021

As organizers rightly put it, this is the chance to “meet the hands that feed you.” On Saturday, November 6th, more than 20 Ventura County farms, ranches, and agricultural organizations throw their doors wide and invite you to experience a day of agricultural activities and tours. It works in simple fashion. You choose your own itinerary — which farms you’d like to visit — and you visit them at your own pace; they’re closely spaced, and it’s easy to get around by car. Perhaps best of all, Farm Day is free. It’s a sincere effort to connect the community with its farmers. Added plus, Farm Day also brings attention to the event organizer. SEEAG — Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture — is a nonprofit that educates both students and the local community about the farm origins of their food, and, in these days of skyrocketing childhood obesity, how you can eat better.

Ventura Winter Wine Walk & Holiday Street Fair

Date: Saturday, December 11, 2021

Who says a Southern California beach town can’t do Winter? Ventura’s downtown Main Street is closed to traffic and bands play and elves dance and vendors sell their wares and, yes, over 80 tasting sites pour wine, sparkling wine, and craft beer. Note to self — most of the pours are local, and some you won’t find outside Ventura. Additional note to self — several Ventura wineries and breweries have won national and international awards. And then, as the evening deepens, it’s time to hold your face up to the snowfall. Yep, snowfall.

Stay and make it a weekend. It’s what memories are made of.

The Ventura Marathon

Date: Sunday, February 27th

Yep, February is a long way off. But by definition — and distance — this one requires a little advance planning. After all, we are talking 26.2 miles. Start now, and you’ll have enough time to train for what might just be the run of your life.

Why? Well, for one thing, running a marathon is something very special. As cardiologist/philosopher/writer Dr. George Sheehan once said, “Of all the races, there is no better stage for heroism than a marathon.” Also, the Ventura Marathon course is F-A-S-T. Much of the course runs from Ojai down, quite literally, to Ventura — a long, gradual downhill (along a safe, traffic-free path). Not so steep a downhill to shock your legs — but maybe more than enough to shock the clock.

Don’t feel like running a marathon? There’s also a 5K through downtown Ventura.

Oh, right. And a Brewfest held the day before the race at Ventura’s Mission Park from 12 pm to 4 pm.

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