Things to Do in Sonoma CA in August 2026
Long golden evenings on the Plaza, music drifting from the Grinstead Amphitheater, and vines heavy with the Valley’s 201st harvest. This is how Sonoma says goodbye to summer.
August is Sonoma at its most golden. The hills have turned the color of straw, the Plaza stays warm well past sunset, and every week feels like one last chance to soak up summer before the school bells ring and the crush pads fire up. Farmers markets are overflowing, Broadway-caliber theater is playing under the stars, and the county fair is just up the road.
There is one more sound to listen for this month. Since 1897, harvest season in the Valley has officially opened with the ringing of the Harvest Bell at Mission San Francisco Solano on the Plaza — and this year’s bell will mark the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers’ 201st winegrape harvest. The exact date follows the grapes themselves, so as August winds down, keep an ear toward the Mission.
Here is everything real, local, and worth your time in Sonoma this month — from the city and the schools to the parks, the wineries, and the tavern down Broadway.
Every Week in August
These favorites run all month long. Pick a day of the week and Sonoma has something waiting for you.
Spirit Guides at Sonoma Botanical Garden
Eight monumental, brilliantly patterned sculptures of fantastical hybrid animals from the Oaxaca workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles are tucked along the Garden’s California Oaks Trail. Inspired by the Zapotec calendar, they turn a summer walk into a treasure hunt — and the Garden’s Acoustic Sunsets concert series continues through the season as well. August is one of the last full months to catch it all.
Plan Your VisitHarvest Market at Sonoma Garden Park
The Sonoma Ecology Center’s Saturday Harvest Market runs late March through December, with produce, flowers, and eggs straight from the 6.1-acre sustainable garden, plus local honey and olive oil. Bonus for gardeners: the Native Plant Sale happens Fridays from 12:00 to 3:00 PM at the park’s nursery.
Market DetailsSonoma Sundays on the Plaza
Music in Place and the City of Sonoma keep the free Sunday concert series rolling through October 4, with a new act every week — blues, jazz, Americana, swing, and more. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, pack a picnic, and settle in for a lazy afternoon of music and dancing in the heart of the Plaza.
See the LineupSonoma’s Tuesday Night Market
The Plaza’s beloved weekly party runs through September 8: farm-fresh produce, food trucks, local artisans, and free live music starting at 6:00 PM. Jazz fans, circle Tuesday, August 11 — The Jazz Mafia takes over the Grinstead Amphitheater with “The Birth of the Cool and Beyond.” And do not forget to tip the band.
Market InfoSonoma Valley Certified Farmers Market
Serving the community since 1985, the Friday-morning certified market is the year-round workhorse of Sonoma’s food scene — peak-summer produce, baked goods, locally made products, and crafts, all before lunch. August is stone fruit and tomato season at its absolute best.
Farmers Market GuideLive Music Weekends at HopMonk Tavern
The 1888 farmhouse brewpub a few blocks off the Plaza keeps the beer garden humming all August with free live music — Friday evening and weekend afternoon sets outdoors, plus Tavern Stage shows on Friday and Saturday nights and an open mic on Wednesdays. Pair a local act with tavern fare and one of 16-plus taps.
Music CalendarMark Your Calendar: August Day by Day
The month’s big dates, in order. From council chambers to star parties, this is August in the Valley of the Moon.
Sonoma City Council Meetings
The City Council meets the first and third Wednesday of each month. August agendas post at least 72 hours ahead on the City’s meeting portal, and meetings are broadcast live on Channel 27 and streamed online. If you have something to say about how Sonoma runs, this is where you say it.
Agendas & InfoSonoma Art Walk
On the first Thursday of the month, downtown becomes a self-guided gallery. Shops, tasting rooms, galleries, and restaurants around the Plaza host local painters, photographers, jewelers, and musicians — just look for the Art Walk flags, grab a map at the host venue, and wander at your own pace.
Art Walk MapSonoma County Fair
The county’s biggest summer tradition returns with carnival rides, live music, wine country horse racing, livestock shows, fair food, and the famous Hall of Flowers. It is a short drive up Highway 12 and an easy full-day outing for the whole family before school starts.
Fair Tickets & ScheduleThe Lowdown Drifters at Beltane Ranch
The Fort Worth country-and-Americana outfit — a self-described rock band with a fiddle problem — plays an open-air show on the historic ranch in the heart of the Valley. Estate wine and food are available for purchase on site; bring a blanket or low chairs and check the ranch’s site for tickets.
Concert DetailsFree Shakespeare: “Caesar” at Sonoma Community Center
Jacobethan Theatre Workshop brings its fourth-season “Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot)” tour to Sonoma with a modern-dress Julius Caesar — elections, ego, and a fractured republic in a brisk 95 minutes with no intermission. Admission is free; reserving seats in advance is strongly encouraged.
Reserve Free SeatsBroadway Under the Stars: Mamma Mia!
The global ABBA smash hits Sonoma for the very first time, closing out Transcendence Theatre Company’s 15th anniversary summer season. Performances run select Thursday through Sunday nights, and the full pre-show picnic is back — local wineries pouring, food vendors, and live music on the lawn before the curtain. This is the marquee event of Sonoma’s August.
Get TicketsPublic Star Party at Robert Ferguson Observatory
Northern California’s most active public observatory opens its doors under some of the darkest skies in the Valley. Docent talks run through the evening while three massive telescopes — plus a field of volunteer-run scopes — reveal planets, star clusters, nebulae, and distant galaxies. Adults $17, seniors $12, students $10, youth $6, kids 5 and under free, plus the state park parking fee.
Star Party TicketsFirst Day of School: Sonoma Valley Unified
Summer officially hands off the baton: students across Sonoma Valley Unified head back to class today, with the school year running through June 3, 2027. Families, double-check site schedules and supply lists — and everyone else, slow down and watch for kids in the school zones again.
District CalendarRosé All Day Farm Games at Beltane Ranch
One last big gulp of summer: an afternoon of old-fashioned farm games on the ranch, glass of estate rosé in hand. It is exactly the kind of low-key, sun-soaked Sonoma Valley day that makes late August worth savoring. Reserve ahead through the ranch’s website.
Reserve Your Spot
Soak It Up, Sonoma
By the time the Harvest Bell rings at the Mission and the first fruit comes off the vines, August will already feel like a memory — the Tuesday market crowds, ABBA echoing off the Field of Dreams, the smell of fair food drifting down Highway 12. This is the Valley’s golden hour. Get out in it while it lasts.
A Note About These Events
This guide highlights a selection of what’s happening in and around Sonoma in August 2026 — not every event may be listed. Hosting something we should know about? Submit it through our contact page for consideration in future guides.
Event dates, times, prices, and details can change without notice. Please confirm all information directly with the event organizers before making plans.
This website is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any of the event organizers, venues, or businesses listed above, and inclusion does not imply endorsement.
