Bodega Seafood, Wine & Arts Festival returns after 2-year pandemic hiatus

Standing at the very end of a long food line at the Bodega Seafood, Art & Wine Festival, Scott Miller of Oakland had quite a bit of time to decide whether he’d get crinkle garlic fries, a shrimp po’boy sandwich or lobster nachos.

Those at the front of the line, meanwhile, couldn’t decide whether they’d been waiting half an hour, an hour or an hour and a half.

A cheerful Miller, who had been invited to the festival by friends who live in Sebastopol, said he didn’t mind. The cider took the edge off the wait, he said.

“The longest line means you’re waiting for the best thing,” Miller said.

On Saturday, long lines and big crowds at the popular, two-day festival were as abundant as the variety of fried seafood, wine, entertainment, beer and handmade crafts and artwork.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the outdoor event — like many others this summer — was bustling with festival-goers eager to shake the doldrums of the previous 29 months.

Started in 1993, the festival has been held every year except 2020 and 2021, said Janet Ciel, the event’s producer and organizer.

Ciel said this weekend marks the 26th year of the event, which is partly a fundraiser for the Stewards of the Coast & Redwoods and the Bodega Volunteer Fire Department. She said she does earn some money on the event.

This year, she said, the event cost $200,000 to put on, about $20,000 more than what it cost two years ago. That’s because she had to contract new tenting and electrical service providers, she added.

“I had apprehension going into the event,” Ciel said Saturday afternoon, as festival-goers continued to steadily pour in. “It’s looking great. We’re super excited with all the great artists and new wineries.”

Wineries participating for the first times, she said, include Dry Creek Vineyard and Rodney Strong Vineyards, as well as Modern Times Beer and Parliament Brewing Co.

The site, a dusty lot at 16855 Bodega Highway, is just east of the town of Bodega. Organizers point out that the site is not in Bodega Bay or on Highway 1.

Most of the serpentine lines at the dozen food vendors often meshed together. People seemed eager to get plates of barbecued oysters, steamed hot artichoke in garlic butter, fish and chips, shrimp tacos, baby lobster salad, lobster fries, key lime calamari and more.

More than 80 vendors sold artwork and handmade crafts, as well as clothes, jewelry, books, leather crafts and pickled olives. In a large tent near the entrance, hundreds of festival goers sampled local wine and beer from 23 wineries and 15 breweries in the North Coast.

At the main entertainment stage, Greg Kirchoff and Patti Cisco of Santa Rosa listened to the offbeat sounds of Lee Presson and the Nails, a musical group that sounds like a fun cross between retro-big band swing and Looney Tunes or Merrie Melodies music.

Kirchoff said he liked the diversity of the crowd and entertainment at the event, which he’s attended before. “I like that it offers a lot of food, the vendors and it’s outside,” he said.

The festival continues Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 at the gate; $20 for seniors, first responders and military; and $15 for youths 12-18. Kids under 12 are free.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.