Elk Grove Spring Palooza Weekend Festival
- Elk Grove Spring Palooza is scheduled for May 1 to May 3, 2026 at Elk Grove Park, reviving the city’s spring festival with a carnival, live music, vendors, beer garden and family activities. - Organizers say the event replaces the long-dormant Western Festival, last held in 2019, and now includes a $5 general admission fee, free entry for children under 12 and students with school ID. - The relaunch follows a six-year gap after Covid and other disruptions halted the old festival, with tourism officials billing Spring Palooza as its successor. (exploreelkgrove.com)
Elk Grove is bringing back its big spring festival on May 1 to May 3, 2026, under a new name: Spring Palooza. (elkgrovespringpalooza.com) (exploreelkgrove.com) The three-day event is set for Elk Grove Park at 9950 Elk Grove Florin Road. Organizers list a carnival, craft and food vendors, a beer garden, live entertainment, an art show and a family kids zone. (elkgrovespringpalooza.com) (elkgrove.gov) Friday’s schedule starts with carnival hours from 4 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., open mic karaoke from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and main stage music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. by Long Time, a Boston tribute band. (elkgrovespringpalooza.com) Saturday’s lineup includes the Art of Excellence show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the kids zone from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Western Idol contest from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and main stage sets by the California Cowboys and Pub Kats. (elkgrovespringpalooza.com 1) (elkgrovespringpalooza.com 2) Sunday closes with more art, vendors and carnival rides, plus InnerSoul on the main stage from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The kids zone is scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. and includes pony rides, face painting, a petting zoo and a reptile show. (elkgrovespringpalooza.com 1) (elkgrovespringpalooza.com 2) The event marks Elk Grove’s first return to this format since 2019. Explore Elk Grove says the old Western Festival had been sidelined for six years by Covid and other issues before reappearing as Spring Palooza. (exploreelkgrove.com) (cbsnews.com) That rebrand is not just cosmetic. Tourism officials describe Spring Palooza as “formerly the Western Festival,” while organizers are pitching it as a broader community event built around Elk Grove’s agricultural roots and current growth. (exploreelkgrove.com) (elkgrove.gov) Admission is set at $5 per person, with free entry for children under 12 and students with a school identification card. Organizers also say the festival grounds will be fenced in 2026 with two public entrances and a clear-bag policy. (elkgrovespringpalooza.com) One detail has shifted close to the event: the parade page still advertises a 10 a.m. Saturday parade with a Children’s Literature theme, but the home schedule now says the parade was canceled because of low participation. (elkgrovespringpalooza.com) (elkgrovespringpalooza.com) For Elk Grove, the bigger point is that a festival missing since 2019 is back on the calendar, even if the return looks different from the old Western Festival residents remember. (exploreelkgrove.com) (elkgrovespringpalooza.com)
