Kick off Your Shoes at Julian’s Grape Stomp Festa
There are festivals that ask you to watch, and there are festivals that ask you to take off your shoes and climb into the vat. The Julian Grape Stomp Festa is firmly the second kind, and this year it turns 28.
Twenty-Eight Years of Purple Feet
The premise has not changed in nearly three decades. You kick off your shoes, roll up your pant legs, and let tons of blessed grapes squish beneath your feet. It is an old-world tradition, and it is a lot more fun than it sounds on paper.
Entertainment runs throughout the day, and kids get their own setup with a jumper and games. New for 2026: additional shaded seating areas, which matters more than you would think in Julian in early September.
Your $25 Ticket, Broken Down
Regular admission is $25 and includes a commemorative wine glass, one tasting for anyone 21 and over, stomping, and entertainment. Additional tastings start at $2.
Kids ages 6 to 20 are $8. If you are bringing a group, that is a full day of mountain air, live entertainment, and grape-stained feet for less than most Saturday afternoons in the city.
Bring Cash, Bring Your ID, Bring a Lawn Chair
Cash in small bills is the move. The internet is spotty at this location, and card payments can take a while. Bring your ID no matter your age, because event licensing requires every ID to be checked before you can get the 21+ wristband for tastings.
Lawn chairs are welcome and encouraged. Outside coolers are not permitted, though you can bring your own water. All sales are final, and the festa runs rain or shine, with no weather refunds.
Make a Weekend of it in the Cuyamacas
Julian sits about an hour east of San Diego, and the drive up is half the appeal. Gold mine tours run daily, and Town Hall has the self-guided history walk map.
Since you’re up there on a Saturday, the weekend lineup is running too: hayrides, a rock wall, and two hard cider tasting rooms. Add a hike at Lake Cuyamaca and a slice of apple pie and you have the whole day.
See you there!
Twenty-eight years in, this one still comes down to bare feet and good grapes. Bring cash, bring a chair, and give yourself the afternoon. Julian will handle the rest.
📆 Saturday, September 5 | 11 AM – 5 PM
📍 1150 Julian Orchards Dr, Julian
🎟️ View ticket options here
ℹ️ Additional details can be found here
See you there, San Diego!
