Does the mere whiff of bacon cooking gets your taste buds quivering? If it does, then the Sacramento Bacon Festival is the one major annual event in California you just won’t want to miss. In celebration of all things bacon related, the Sacramento Bacon Festival is set to be a real sizzler for the seventh consecutive year.
Does the mere whiff of bacon cooking gets your taste buds quivering? If it does, then the Sacramento Bacon Festival is the one major annual event in California you just won’t want to miss. In celebration of all things bacon related, the Sacramento Bacon Festival will be a real sizzler for the seventh consecutive year.
Bacon hogs the limelight for an entire week in Sacramento. From the 21st until the 26th of January, 2020, during several adult-only sessions held at participating restaurants around the city, Sacramento payed homage to its favorite flavorsome meat with some serious feasting. If you’ve got a hearty appetite and love bacon then for you, the Sacramento Bacon Festival will be gastronomical heaven.
Ready to join in with the bacon banqueting?
There’s a savory start to the Sacramento Bacon Festival with a Choose Your Own Ramen Party held at the Empress Tavern. This Sacramento restaurant, with its unique vaulted ceiling is in the basement of the Crest Theatre and already has a pork loving clientèle.
It’s renowned for its bacon brussels, mortadella topped burgers and unusual use of pork belly. They’re taking that all one culinary step further by combining Ramen noodles with bacon for a lip-smacking start to the festivities.
The Two Rivers Cider Company adds a new twist to the all-time classic combination of pork and apple when they host the Sacramento Bacon Festival Skee Ball Tournament.
In the eclectically decorated tasting room of the brewery premises, bacon influenced snacks will be teamed with fermented apple juice, aka cider. When it’s been through the process, coming together to fortify the participants and spectators of the traditional arcade game in a friendly, but competitive, Skee ball tournament.
Unlimited bacon are two words guaranteed to have bacon-ites queuing at Revolutionary Wines door long before this event at the Sacramento Bacon Festival has even started. If you’re a foodie, you’ll love the farm to fork, vine to glass ethics of the winery-bistro where this bacon party is held. You can wash down the endless bacon-orientated appetizers with locally produced wine and beer straight from the barrel then wear the t-shirt to prove you did it.
Still want more bacon?
Get your bacon boogie on at the Kevin Bacon Tribute Night. Some of Sacramento’s best live bands take over the Torch Club, a top blues venue in midtown Sacramento, for an evening of music and entertainment. There’ll be no element of bacon left out as the bands perform popular songs from the soundtracks of actor Kevin Bacon’s films.
The Chef’s Challenge at the Sacramento Bacon festival is the big bacon blow-out. Top chefs from Sacramento’s best restaurants take part in a head to head with their own recipes to see who can create the tastiest and most innovative bacon and pork orientated dish.
The cook off takes place, in specially prepared food trucks, in the parking lot of Mulvaney’s. You get to watch while sipping on a beer. Once the judging is done and the winner has been announced, it is time to tuck in to the pork delights the chefs have prepared.
There’s one special fact about Sacramento which you’ve probably already guessed, yes, it’s a city that loves bacon. Could bacon be the new gold? Probably or then again, probably not, but there’ll be plenty of folks rushing to get their fill of all the variations the chefs will be creating at this years Sacramento Bacon Festival.
Whether you like your bacon salty, with a touch of sweet chilli, as an ice-cream flavor or just plain grilled, you’ll definitely get your fill of it during this week long bacon extravaganza.
The Sacramento Bacon Festival is probably best avoided if you’re on a calorie controlled diet because it will test your bacon resistance to the limit.
The main events are ticket entrance only and have limited places available so to make sure you don’t suffer any bacon deprivation, get them in advance.
The big bacon brunch held on the Sunday at the Magpie Restaurant has become a festival tradition. It’s popular, so get there early to avoid disappointment.
Sacramento is a city which was founded in the gold rush era. The capital of the state of California since 1879, Sacramento may now be a thoroughly modern city, but it hasn’t forgotten its roots and still retains a unique historical quarter which has been maintained in all its Wild West originality.
Literally take a step back in time when you walk the streets of Old Sacramento. Boarded sidewalks, cowboys on horseback and a paddle steamer all add amazing authenticity to the eight blocks of historic buildings which make up this living museum dedicated to Sacramento’s past.
Just under an hour outside of Sacramento city is the zoo and theme park the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. It’s the perfect place for a bacon-free day out where you can experience some amazing animal encounters with giraffes, sea lions or even come nose to nose with a dolphin.
Don’t miss the unusual show which takes place in the Temple of Odin where the big cats, yes the tigers, take to the water for a swim. End the day with an adrenaline thrill on any of the ten terror inspiring roller-coaster rides. It’ll leave you screaming for more.
Time warp back to the 1920’s when you enter the Shady Lady Saloon in Sacramento. Voted one of America’s top bars by Esquire magazine, it hosts nightly live music which varies from blues to jazz or country in a decadent setting fit for any contemporary Gatsby and flapper.
As the Sacramento Bacon Festival is celebrated throughout the city centre, you may want to be in a hotel not far from where it’s all happening. Here’s some to consider which are well within sniffing distance of all that cooking bacon.
Sleep on a floating paddle boat moored on the riverside in Old Sacramento. Get one of the staterooms on-board, with fantastic views of the river and city and you’ll feel as if you’ve somehow slipped back to a bygone era but with added comforts which could only be described as ultra-modern.
This is the perfect place to stay if you’re on a shoestring budget or traveling with a group of likewise, bacon-minded friends. The H1 Hostel in Sacramento is a beautifully restored Victorian mansion which offers some superb dormitory sleeping arrangements at an unbeatable bargain price.
The Good Nite Inn in Sacramento specializes in group bookings. So if you’re traveling en masse, this hotel is worth checking out. Super spacious rooms, for two or for four, are the norm here plus there’s an outdoor swimming pool and free car parking.
If you want to do the Sacramento Bacon Festival in style then the Hyatt Regency Hotel could be the one for you. If a bit of luxurious comfort does you good then this hotel stints on nothing. There’s an in-house gym where you can go for a workout if you start to get a guilty conscience about all that bacon cholesterol you’ve been ingesting.
Driving to Sacramento in your RV? Sacramento has some good RV parks where you can spend the days of the festival. Sherwood Harbor and Marina Park is just five miles from Sacramento center. Cal Expo RV Park and the San Bruno Mountain Park are also close by to where the festival events take place. Check for parking availability and pre-book before arriving.
The Sacramento Bacon Festival is all about enjoying bacon in every aspect. You know you’re not going to go hungry by any means, but as most of the events are evening ones you may want to have lunch out to stave off those pre-bacon hunger pangs or to add a bit of variation to your dining flavors.
If you’re down in Old Sacramento to get a feel for the bygone gold rush days, Steamers serve up a great breakfast with some tasty egg dishes accompanied with buttermilk biscuits which would get anyone’s day off to a good start. If you’re there later in the day, to get you in form for the evening, you might want to try their clam chowder topped with crispy bacon.
For a complete change, try the Railroad Fish and Chips, which is on Old Sacramento’s railway and close by the river, where they dish up some cornmeal coated catfish or fantastic fried shrimp. You won’t be far off track either if you go for their tasty fish tacos, though if you’re starting to suffer withdrawal symptoms, they’ve got a couple of appetising burgers with bacon on the menu.
Want something light, fresh or totally different? Then try the lunchtime menu at the Mikuni Sushi Bar in downtown Sacramento or pop in to the Aioli Bodega in midtown, a Spanish restaurant serving everything from a crusty bocadillos to tapas or a hearty paella.
If you’re a vegan, don’t despair, even though the bacon offerings at the festival might not be what you’re looking for there are good options where you can enjoy a vegetarian meal. Mother’s in the Crest Theater has a meat-free menu or Opa Opa present various dishes with a Mediterranean vegetable and Greek-Lebanese influence.
Sacramento is served by several different airports. The Sacramento International Airport receives worldwide flights and has excellent transport links into the city via the RT light rail system.
The Mather Airport handles flights from major US cities such as Ontario, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City. From Mather into Sacramento itself is a twenty minute drive or cab ride. Via public transport, on the RT Gold line, it takes just over one hour from the airport to the city center or you can take bus 72 which is one hour and twenty minutes.
Flying in style? If you have a private plane you could land at Sacramento Executive airport where your limousine will be waiting to whisk you away on the short forty minute drive into the city.
Sacramento has a great light rail system, RT, which serves almost all the city. The three line service provides good links to all major points throughout the inner-city. Park and ride lots, situated on the outskirts of the city mean you can leave your car and ride in avoiding traffic and parking problems.
Getting to Sacramento is just a short drive of under an hour if you’re coming from anywhere like Yuba City, North Auburn or Stockton and just over if you’re coming from Santa Rosa, though as the Sacramento Bacon Festival is a food and drink orientated event, it’s well worth considering leaving your vehicle at home and using public transport.
If you’re arriving into Sacramento on the 99 road or the 70 road they’ll drop you at the junction of 4th Street from where it’s a ten minute walk to where the bacon festival opening party is held at the Empress Tavern.
The 163 or 165 service from Stockton terminates at 1st and 8th Street near to the Cesar Chavez Plaza from where you’ll be able to make a quick sprint to the Torch Club for the Kevin Bacon Tribute Show.
If you’re in San Francisco a great way to get to Sacramento is on the Greyhound bus. It’s, on average, just over a two hour journey and ticket prices are around nine dollars. It’ll leave you at the terminal on Richard’s Boulevard from where it’s a ten minute walk to the nearest RT stop to get into the centre of town.
If you’re coming to Sacramento on an Amtrak, the services terminate at Sacramento Station which is close to the historic Old Sacramento, just a five minute walk, or you’ll be able to connect with the RT services into downtown or midtown which are both just a few minutes ride away.
Founded by a journalist and a musician, when the idea came to mind after several pints of beer, the Sacramento Bacon Festival is now celebrating its seventh year. They were soon able to convince top local chefs, who also enjoy bacon and beer, to participate in the week long homage to their favorite meat product.
The Sacramento Bacon Festival now trends several regular events, which are the highlights of the bacon party, the mega opening party, the Chef’s Challenge and the Kevin Bacon Tribute while other events have a year to year variation.
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