1. Sacramento Bastille Day Waiters’ Race- July 10th
Bastille Day, AKA French National Day is a day that commemorates the Storming of the Bastille on July 14th 1789, the end of tyranny and the start of the French Revolution (Similar to the 4th of July in the US). On the corner of 18th and L street in downtown you will see waiters and waitresses (in Parisian garb) racing to the finish line while carrying a tray with glasses of water…with one hand…without spilling the water or dropping the tray…The race starts at 3:30 pm and there will be a street festival from 3:00-6:00 pm. This race is inspired by a similar waiters’ footrace that takes place in Paris. The race benefits The Alliance Française de Sacramento and the Sacramento French Film Festival. Come be a part of this historic day and dive into French culture!
2. Fantasy Food Truck Showdown (Round 2)- July 15th
This event sounds like something you could watch on The Food Network. Six gourmet food trucks battle it out in a cooking competition to for the title of top food truck. The trucks are given a mystery ingredient box and they have to pair it with a craft beer from one of the host breweries, Track 7 Brewery and Yolo Brewing Company. With two awesome host breweries and gourmet food, it really doesn’t get much better than this. Round two of this competition will take place at The Plant Foundry off of Broadway from 4:00-9:00 pm. There will even be celebrity judges and people’s choice voting! It is free to the public with no cover charge, but you have the option to buy tickets for food and drinks. It looks like there are even discount codes for Lyft so you can get to and from the event safely if you plan on drinking! Check out the Beers in Sac for more information.
3. Drag Queen Bingo- July 7th
Burgers, bingo, and drag queens, oh my! This event not only sounds like a ton of fun, but it is for a great cause. It benefits the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarships for LGBT and other supportive students for their education. The event runs from 7:00-9:00 pm at Mango’s Burgertown in downtown. You get eight bingo games for $15.00 and the bingo cards go on sale at 6:30 pm. They recommend getting their early to get your seat and grab a burger since they often sell out and the games start promptly at 7:00 pm. They have prizes for every game and two extra special prizes! You pay at the door and it is cash only. You’ll get great food and have a great time while helping out local students get an education.
P.S. They are having another bingo event at Mango’s on July 9th 12:30-2:30 pm benefitting the breast cancer foundation, Albie Aware, Inc. (there will be mimosas).
4. Sacramento Shakespeare Festival- All of July
Get down with some midsummer night’s fun with performances of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and A Love’s Labour’s Lost! The shows are held at The William A. Carroll Amphitheater at William Land Park. A Love’s Labour’s Lost will be set in an Ivy League Glee club in 1916 with songs and music. A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be set in mythical Atlantis. There will be performances of the two shows running Thursday through Sunday nights during the month of July. You can choose to go to either a 6:00 pm show or a 4:00 pm show. There is a lawn area to sit on and benches. Pack a picnic, cuddle up, and watch some quality entertainment. General admission tickets are $18 (see their website for ticket options/discounts) and children ages 6-12 are free, so bring the whole family! Don’t forget the bug spray!
5. Sacramento RiverTrain- July-September
While you may not be contemplating booking your next vacation via train, they are definitely making a comeback in the tourism world. Whether it is wine or beer tasting, murder mystery, sightseeing, or even traveling back in time to the old wild west for a train robbery, The Sacramento RiverTrain has experiences for everyone (17 different excursions and 3 different trains). Ticket prices and length of train ride vary depending on the excursion you go on, but you’ll have fun all the same. All aboard for a good time.
P.S. They are giving out FREE ice cream sundaes on their RiverTrain excursion for the entire month of July!
6. Gather: Oak Park- May-October (next event on July 14th)
I have been following the Instagram account for Gather: Oak Park for a while now and it looks like the coolest community get-together. According to the website “this unique food event includes communal tables for out-door dining, a craft beer area, artisanal food vendors, designers, food demos, interactive art, live music and a modular kids park”. Now if that doesn’t sound like a good time, I don’t know what is. It takes place on the second Thursday of the month with the next event happening on July 14th running from 5:00-9:00 pm. Gather around Broadway and 3rd Avenue for this free event and grab some great food and craft beer while you’re at it.
7. Old Sacramento Speakeasy Tour and Pub Crawl- July 16th
Travel back in time to prohibition with this bootlegging booze-filled tour of Old Sacramento. The tour starts at the River City Saloon and makes three other stops along the way, with a craft cocktail at each stop. Tickets are only $15, check in is at 4:30 pm, and the tour starts at 5:00 pm. It’s part pub crawl and part history lesson. Learning never sounded so fun!
