The 12th annual BottleRock Napa Valley festival commenced on Memorial Day weekend from May 23 to May 25, transforming the Napa Valley community into a vibrant hub of music, gourmet food and exotic wine.
The festival began on Friday, featuring a diverse lineup of performances across multiple stages. Early acts included California-based heavy rock band The Alive and DJ UMAMI, mixing tracks that energized the crowd. Green Day closed out day one with a fired-up, politically charged set that lit up the night. Earlier in the day, the second headliner, Sublime, brought a laid-back SoCal vibe with Bradley Nowell’s son, Jakob, at the mic, honoring the band’s legacy while giving it new life.
Redwood junior Charlie Poser noted the enthusiasm the crowd brought during Green Day, making it his favorite performance of the night.
(Mason Garbo)
“I thought the best act by far was Green Day. The venue was packed and everyone brought such great energy and [the Green Day] performance really ended the day on a great note for me and my friends,” Poser said.
Saturday continued the weekend’s momentum with a packed schedule of performances and culinary showcases. Redwood senior Tyler White emphasized the amazing food that the festival offered, which is often overlooked by festival-goers.
“I thought the most underrated aspect of the festival was the food. There is so much variety, and I feel like the chefs are bringing their a-game, ” White said.
Daytime highlights included rising pop and indie artists like Benson Boone and as the sun set, the main stage came alive with a sleek, crowd-pleasing set from Justin Timberlake, who delivered a mix of new hits and nostalgic favorites.
“‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ was for sure my favorite hit song that he played. It’s so catchy and the whole crowd was singing along,” White said.
The final day of BottleRock was held on Sunday. Headlining the JaM Cellars Stage, Noah Kahan captivated the audience with an emotionally driven set, featuring his biggest hits like “Stick Season” and “Northern Attitude,” as well as an unreleased track, “The Great Divide.”
(Mason Garbo)
“Honestly, heading into this [Kahan’s] performance, I wasn’t too excited because I am not the biggest fan, but after watching, that was without a doubt the best performance of the weekend,” Poser said.
The biggest shock of the three-day festival was that rapper Flo Rida unexpectedly canceled his scheduled performance just a couple of hours before showtime.
“I still have no idea why he canceled, and it ruined the day for me,” White said.
A BottleRock staff member mentioned that “transportation issues” were a possible cause of the late cancellation. However, aside from the unexpected cancellation, the festival was jam-packed with iconic music and delicious food, leaving attendees with memorable experiences.
