Hey Napa,

This week we’ve got a wildfire with messy origins, a beloved park in makeover mode, and a slate of events that ranges from Black musical excellence to Audrey Hepburn matinees and late-night sake pop-ups. Grab your planner — here’s everything worth your time.

The Pickett Fire May Have Been a Controlled Burn Gone Bad
The Pickett Fire is over 21% contained and mercifully, no major structural damage has been done, but evidence suggests it may have been started as a controlled burn gone wrong.

Fire, Then Water Concerns
Local officials are worried that the debris from the Pickett fire could contaminate safe water supplies and have declared a local health emergency in response.

Fuller Park is Getting a Glow-Up
The playground at Fuller Park is getting an upgrade. The Fuller Park Playable Art Project will swap the old equipment for something that doubles as sculpture and jungle gym. The new design, Leaves on a Line (inspired by a fallen leaf), comes straight from community input, a local artist’s vision, and a pro playground fabricator. Translation: it’ll look cool, be safe, and give kids a reason to climb, swing, and imagine. Set to be completed in February 2026.

29-31 | The Black Radio Experience @ Meritage Resort | Three days. One massive love letter to Black music, culture, and connection. Expect genre-bending sets, live performances, and panels that double as master classes. Friday GA passes are almost gone, but the real insider move would be to snag an RSVP for the afterparties, brunches, and satellite events scattered across the valley. It’s the kind of weekend that feels less like Napa and more like an A+ cultural takeover—with better wine. | $300+

28 | Matinee Classics: Funny Face @ Napa Library | Audrey Hepburn on a shared screen. Because your kids should know cinema didn’t always involve YouTube. | FREE | 2PM

29 | Read to Dogs @ Napa Library | Books. Dogs. Zero judgment. This is K9 talk therapy disguised as storytime. | FREE | 330PM-430PM

30 | Tokyo Calling: Breakfast Club Rally @ Sonoma | Vintage and modern Japanese cars slip and swerve through a 100 mile jaunt through Northern Cal backroads. Enter a car or just buy a ticket to check out the rides at the start point. | $50 | 9AM

30 | Historic Walking Tour @ Tulocay Cemetery | Old Napa secrets told among the gravestones. It’s history with a gothic edge. | $30+ | 1030AM-12PM

03 | Read to Dogs @ Napa Library | TK https://events.napalibrary.org/event/13795379 | FREE | 430PM-530PM

28 | Author Tasha Eurich @ Napa Virtual Library | Leadership wisdom from someone who’s taught thousands. Stream it, sip coffee, feel smarter by lunch. | FREE | 11AM

31 | Abalone Necklace Workshop @ Home or In-Person | Grab a kit and create your next favorite piece of wearable art. | $100 per kit | 1PM

01 | Photographer Bob McClenahan @ CIA Copia | The Valley through Bob’s lens: pastoral porn meets architectural crush. Last chance to catch it. | FREE | 9AM-6PM

03 | Author Hannah Nicole Maehrer @ Napa Virtual Library | TikTok’s fave romantasy author goes live. Expect chaos, charm, and probably a cliffhanger. | FREE | 4PM

03 | Paint Nite @ Marys Pizza Shack | Art + carbs + wine. What’s not to love? | $43 | 6PM-8PM

28 | Folklore Sessions @ Folklore | Live acoustic sets, zero pretension. BYO good vibes (and tip your artists). | FREE | 8PM-Close

30 | Sake Pop-Up Party @ Decant | Kaylee Daly makes sake approachable, then makes you obsessed. Bonus: her thing for tinned fish. | FREE RSVP | 2PM-6PM

30 | Sabrina Carpenter Listening Party @ Folklore | Yes, there are giveaways. Yes, they’re playing the album twice. Consider this your caffeinated pregame. | Free Admission | 4PM

30 | 2nd Birthday Bash @ Folklore | Two years, one killer DJ set, and plenty of reasons to dance until your shoes hate you. | FREE Admission | 8PM-Close

01 | Final Summer Garden Party @ Chandon | Bubbles, beats, and one last sun-drenched toast to summer. | $36 | 10AM-3PM

28 | Berryessa Highlands Town Hall @ Capell Valley Fire House | We’re talking fire mitigation, Margaritaville, and mussels (the invasive kind). Napa drama, but civic. | FREE | 6PM-8PM

28 | Business Literacy Class @ Expressions of Hope | Budget and business like a boss. Only 20 spots, so get on it. | FREE | 6PM-730PM

29 | Weekly Protest @ Soscol x 3rd | Friday plans include democracy. Show up, signs up, repeat. | FREE | 5PM

30 | Rally For Their Rights @ Old Napa Courthouse | LGBTQ+ solidarity isn’t optional. Bring love, not excuses. | FREE | 12PM-2PM

31 | Supplies Sunday @ Soscol x Kansas | Take what you need, leave what you can: food, water, clean adult clothes, and other basic needs items. | FREE | 12PM-2PM

THURSDAY 8/28
Jimmy Bruno @ Tonewood & Courage | 6PM
The Hunka Hunka Hula Revue @ Wilfreds | 6PM
Jen Swift @ Barnhouse | 7PM
Pacific Standard @ The Fink | 8PM

FRIDAY 8/29
Andrew Rannells @ RO Lounge | 530PM
Brett Matthews @ Silverado Mansion Bar | 6PM
Journeyday @ Levendi | 7PM
Jared Harper @ Jam Cellars | 9PM

SATURDAY 8/30
The Depeche Mode Experience @ Uptown | 8PM
Kenji Yoshida @ Jam Cellars | 9PM

SUNDAY 8/31
Bluegrass @ Armistice | 2PM
DJ Mike Awesome @ Jam Cellars | 2PM
Kenji Yoshida @ The Garden | 5PM
Lune Bleue @ The Fink | 6PM

WEDNESDAY 9/03
Celia’s Damn Band @ Blue Note | 730PM
The Cincinnati Ambassadors @ The Fink | 730PM

Broadway & Vine Music Series @ Various Locations | JUN-OCT
Festival Napa Valley @ Various Locations | NOW-OCT 

MONDAYS
Storytime @ Napa Bookmine | 10AM
Drop-In Wellness Workshops @ Mentis Wellness Campus | 2PM-5PM
Movie Mondays @ The Garden | 7PM
Karaoke @ Downtown Joes | 830PM

TUESDAYS
Farmers Market @ Downtown | 8AM-12PM
Finko Bingo @ The Fink | 6PM-8PM
Trivia (2nd and 4th) Tuesdays @ Heritage Eats | 630PM-830PM
Karaoke @ Downtown Joes | 830PM

WEDNESDAYS
Kids Eat Free @ Downtown Joes | 8AM-1AM
Locals 2hr Unlimited Play @ Marquee Pinball | 11-11
Bingo @ Trade Brewing | 5PM
Trivia @ Napa Yard | 6PM
Trivia @ Folklore | 7PM

THURSDAYS
First Thursdays @ Oxbow Commons | Through October | 5PM-9PM
Trivia @ Andaz | 7PM

FRIDAYS
Drop-in vaccine clinic @ Napa Humane | 930AM-1230PM
Storytime @ Napa Bookmine | 10AM
Fried Chicken Friday @ Southside | Order on THURS
Fried Chicken @ Addendum | FRI-SUN
Winston’s Wok @ Winstons | FRI-SAT
Street Soccer @ Sorin | 430/6PM | Sign Up
Buy a Bottle, Pick a Record @ Folklore | 5PM-7PM
Fridays in the Park @ Downtown | 6PM-10PM

SATURDAYS
Farmers Market @ Downtown | 8AM-12PM
Saturday Picnic & Live Music Series @ Beringer | Through SEPT | 12PM-4PM
Lobster Rolls @ Heritage Eats | SAT-SUN

SUNDAYS
Stanly’s Village Market @ Stanly Ranch Resort | Through OCT | 9AM-12PM
Sunday Series @ Juniper Station | 10AM-2PM 
R&B Soul Food Sunday Brunch @ Lil Sista’s Goody’s Soul Food | 11AM
Sunday Spins @ Jam Cellars | 2PM-5PM

Want to see your event in Among Locals? Fill out our Event Form!

Not gonna lie — the longanisa breakfast sandwich is in the running for a top breakfast sandwich anywhere.

First came the remodel, then came the drop-off, then came the heartfelt rethink-in-real-time Instagram trilogy (“Dear Napa,” you’ve read it). Now Heritage Eats is back with what the people asked for: a slimmed-down menu, one set for lunch, another for dinner, and the return of its choose-your-own-adventure DNA — bowls, wraps, and the rotating “Destination” flavors that made locals loyal in the first place. Check it out and tell us what you’re ordering.

This week’s clue: this new Napa art installation turns shattered memories from the 2014 quake into one stunning masterpiece.

Hit reply when you find it and get entered to win a monthly prize!

This four-bed, two bath in north Napa just pulled off the kind of kitchen flex that makes you rethink white cabinets forever. The bold hunter green (yes, it’s hunter green) against fresh brass hardware feels sharp, but then you step outside and wow.

A backyard straight out of a Napa daydream, complete with towering redwoods, a pond, and landscaping that’s more lush retreat than suburban lot. Inside, everything’s crisp and modern without losing the warmth.

📍2425 Creekside Ave. | $925,000 | Listing Here

From teeny bottle babies to almost-adoptables, these fluffballs need foster homes to grow, play, and learn how to be cats (and yes, social skills matter).

You bring the love and safe space; the shelter covers the rest—supplies, medical care, the works. Think of it as temporary kitten custody with maximum serotonin.

Ready to help? Call 707-253-4382 or email [email protected].

Napa Humane’s annual Pet Photo Contest is officially open, and yes, it’s adorable. But it’s not just about getting your pup or kitty into the 2026 calendar. Every single vote is a dollar that goes straight into Napa Humane’s programs: low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, and education that keep local pets healthy and families together.

Here’s how to enter:

Pet Photography 101 (aka Bribery With Treats)
Because not every iPhone snap is calendar-worthy, volunteer photographer Sally Seymour from Seymour & McIntosh Photography, dropped some insider tricks to make sure your furbabe looks less “random camera roll” and more “Napa Humane cover star.”

Deadline: September 30.
Translation: you’ve got one weekend to nail the shot, snag votes, and get your pet immortalized while raising funds that keep Napa’s animals healthy and families together. Win. Win. Win.

A huge thank you to Laticia Sahs, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Napa Humane Society, for sending us this great list of tips!

That’s it for this week! If you like what you see, consider sharing with a friend (or two).

Feedback? Hit reply and let me know what you’re thinking.

Until next week…