Stockton Events, Things to Do and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Stockton, California - CA, USA)

Throughout the course of the year, various annual festivals, concerts and theatrical performances take place in Stockton, although the offerings are not quite on the same scale as those on the events calendars in nearby Sacramento and San Francisco.

There are always plenty of things to do and see at the city's various entertainment venues. The Bob Hope Theater is a good place to look for an evening show and is to be found along East Main Street, where it regularly welcomes seated audiences of more than 2,000 people. Even larger is the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium on North Center Street, which was built in the mid-1920s and can seat roughly 3,000 people.

At the Stockton Arena on West Fremont Street, audiences of between 8,000 and 12,000 people (depending upon the configuration of the seats) come to watch regular sporting events, such as professional ice hockey games between the local Stockton Thunder team and challengers from around California, including the San Francisco Bulls. Each December, the FAM Fest (Film, Art and Music) is also staged at the arena and incorporates art, music and film, while in January or February, a touring Disney on Ice show often makes an appearance and is always a big hit with children.

Stockton Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

Opened at the beginning of the 1970s, the Oak Park Ice Arena on Alvarado Avenue also plays host to numerous events each year in Stockton and has seating for approximately 350 spectators, as well as offering ice skating lessons and public sessions.

The Banner Island Ballpark on West Fremont Street is always busy during the summer season, when regular minor-league baseball games are in full swing. This ballpark serves as the homeground of the local Stockton Ports baseball team and can seat more than 5,000 people.

Local festivals and gatherings also take place at the DeCarli Square, including open-air summer concerts and seasonal farmer's markets.

Other notable yearly events in Stockton include:

• Chinese New Year Celebrations - late February or early March, with a parade through the streets of the city center and indoor events at the Civic Auditorium
• Earth Day Festival - mid- to late April, including yoga, a family fun bike ride and butterfly releases, based at Victory Park, on the corner of Picardy Drive and North Pershing Avenue
• Asparagus Festival - late April, first held in the mid-1980s and now taking place at the Civic Auditorium
• Soul Food Festival - early August, at the Weber Point Events Center, just off North Center Street
• Stockton Pride - mid-August, at Oak Grove Park, including live music and dozens of vendors
• Greek Food Festival - in early September, an especially historic event dating right back to the end of the 1950s
• Yoga and Zin Festival - late September, part of the National Yoga Month celebrations, based in previous years at the Hilton Hotel on the Grand Canal Boulevard