Grape Festival at Lake Lodi

The Grape Festival is Lodi's most popular annual event, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each September to celebrate the grape harvest. Today, it's held at the Lodi Grape Festival grounds, but did you know that it used to be at the lake? Originally called the "Tokay Festival," the event began in 1907 to celebrate Lodi's incorporation as a city and its famous Tokay grapes, which were known for their reddish-yellow color and sweet, crisp flavor. The first official Grape Festival was in 1934, just after Prohibition ended. In 1949, the festival moved to its current location at the Grape Festival grounds.