California's got bacon and we love to eat it in hamburgers, with eggs, on bacon, lettuce & tomato sandwiches, in gourmet dishes and with beer and brews. We love it so much, in fact, that we celebrate bacon at festivals totally dedicated to this product that comes from pigs. Bacon is a meat cured using large quantities of salt in a brine or in a dry packing. Americans prefer pork belly bacon streaked with fat. The popularity of bacon has risen since around 2011 and in 2013 bacon reached an all time sales high of close to $4 billion.

Bacon Lovers rejoice! There are some California bacon festivals on the horizon. You may need to hoof it to catch this weekend's offering in Solvang. Here's what's happening:

VISALIA: Boots, Brews, & Bacon Fest July 27, 2019
VIP entrance at 5:30 p.m.
Convention Center
$, (559) 713-4040
visitvisalia.com
Festivities include live music and entertainment, local restaurants featuring their best bacon bite, cash prize for the best bacon bite as voted by the attendees, bacon eating contest, and pub games all included in the ticket price.   Admission tickets include: Entrance into the event and a tasting glass. Tasting and bacon dish sampling are included in the price. 

SANTA CLARA: Bacon and Beer Classic Saturday, February 24, 2018, 12-10 p.m.
Levi's Stadium
4900 Marie P Bartolo Way
Santa Clara CA 95054
beerfests.com | baconandbeerclassic.com
Cost: $69-$129, age 21+ only
Bacon eating contest and more. Afternoon session 1-4 p.m. or the 7-10 p.m. evening session. 

OAKLAND: Oakland Bacon & Beer Festival March 10, 2018, 2:30-5 p.m. Jack London Square. Annual festival includes bacon-inspired dishes, local brews, tastings from over 40 restaurants and breweries. Previous cost: $52-71. jacklondonsquare.com

KELSEYVILLE: Beer, Wine & Swine Bacon Fest June 17, 2018, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
beerwineswine.com
Held Father's Day  in Downtown Kelseyville.

LONG BEACH: Bacon & Dessert Showdown May 13, 2017 (2018 TBA) West Coast BBQ, 1126 Queens Highway in Long Beach, CA. Tickets: $18-39, parking $20, queenmary.com | arlie-que.com

MONTEREY Bacon Fest Fairgrounds August 11-12, 2018, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
2004 Fairground Rd., Monterey, CA
Peyton Stage and Main Lawn
montereybaconfest.com | montereycountyfair.com

BAKERSFIELD: Bacon & Craft Beer Fest NOT HAPPENING IN 2018!
  baconandcraftbeerfest.com
 

SAN DIEGO Bacon Fest at Liberty Station sdbaconfest.com September 2, 2017, 1-5:30 p.m. Liberty Station - Preble Field - NTC Park, Liberty Station, Point Loma, San Diego, CA. $50-100 approx.

SAN MATEO Bacon & Brew Festival at Central Park September 23, 2017, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. TBA
$10-15 admission, sanmateochamber.org

HOLLISTER: Beer & Bacon Festival September 17, 2016
downtownhollister.org

SAN JOSE: Bacon Festival of America May 28, 2017, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Plaza De Cesar Chavez
170 South Market Street
San Jose, CA
sjbacon.com
Moveable Feast features bacon. A selection of food trucks, dessert trucks, craft breweries and music. No pets allowed.

SAN LUIS OBISPO SLO Bacon Fest at Mountain Brook Auditorium slobaconfest.com

LOS ANGELES: Bacon Festival at Paramount Studios Feb. 1, 2016 labaconfest.com

BLUE LAKE: Blue Lake Casino & Hotel Bacon Fest, Hoptoberfest, and House of Floyd!
Held outside the Sapphire Palace with vendors of the best local pork products on California's Redwood Coast in Humboldt County.  Noon to 4pm. BlueLakeCasino.com Location: 777 Casino Way Blue Lake Casino & Hotel Blue Lake, CA. 707-668-9770

SAN LUIS OBISPO Bacon & Barrels July 14-16, 2017 baconandbarrels.com

LATHROP: Baconfest September 9-10, 2017
Dell'Osso Family Farm
501 Manthey Road
 Lathrop, CA 95330
baconfest.com
 Tickets are $25/adults (15 and up), $12.50/children (6-14) Kids under 6 are free. Includes one day General Admission, all stage events, band performances & kids' rides. Tickets available on the day of the event (same price as online). However, we highly recommend purchasing in advance to avoid long tickets lines. As always ... Parking is FREE. Restaurateurs, Authors and   Baconfest Cooking Contests.

LONG BEACH Big Bite Bacon Fest at Queen Mary August 1-2, bigbiteevents.com

Events are not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to confirm before going.