Bakersfield
Around Bakersfield
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Metro area · California · 922k people
Bakersfield
“Nashville West”, “Golden Empire”
Bakersfield · Delano
Country roots, valley sun.
California poppy orangeGolden Empire gold
Welcome to Bakersfield, where the Kern River meets the valley and the music is always country. Come for the Basque food, stay for the sunsets over the oil fields.
Clubs for Bakersfield
No clubs for Bakersfield yet.
The room
One room for everyone around Bakersfield. It never closes; when it's busy it splits into tables. Once you're in, you stay until you leave.
Ask the neighbours
AllA good plumber, the best tacos, a lost cat: nobody has asked yet. Be the first.
Coming up
No events in the next month. Events made in the room show up here.
Marketplace
Things for sale, free and wanted, and rooms for rent, from people around Bakersfield. Sign in to sell something.
Things to do
- Kern River Popular for rafting, fishing, and tubing.
- Buck Owens' Crystal Palace Country music venue and museum honoring the Bakersfield Sound.
- Mechanics Bank Arena Home to concerts, hockey, and events.
- Kern County Museum Local history and a pioneer village.
- California Living Museum (CALM) Native wildlife and botanical gardens.
- Fox Theater Historic 1930s movie palace hosting concerts.
- Outdoors Float the Kern River
- Outdoors Fish at Lake Isabella
- With kids California Living Museum (CALM)
- With kids Kern County Museum
- Evenings Honky-tonks on Chester Avenue
- Evenings Live music at Crystal Palace
- Locals love Basque restaurants
- Locals love Honky-tonks
Through the year
- Kern County Fair September-October The big annual fair with rides, livestock, and food.
- Bakersfield Jazz Festival Spring A weekend of jazz performances across town.
- California Hot Rod Reunion October Drag racing and classic car gathering at Famoso Raceway.
- Bakersfield Marathon January A full and half marathon through the city streets.
- Bakersfield Christmas Parade December A downtown holiday parade with floats and bands.
Bakersfield has a desert climate with scorching summers and mild, foggy winters. The best time to be outside is spring and fall. Best: Spring and fall are ideal, with mild temps and clear skies.
Talk like a local
- “Bako”
- Nickname for Bakersfield
- “The 99”
- Highway 99, the main north-south road
- “Kern”
- The Kern River
- “The Valley”
- The San Joaquin Valley
Getaways
- Sequoia National Park Giant sequoias and mountain hikes.
- Los Angeles Big city attractions, beaches, and entertainment.
- San Luis Obispo Historic mission town with a lively downtown.
- Santa Maria Gateway to the Central Coast and wineries.
Local flavour
Teams
- Bakersfield Condors AHL
- CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners NCAA Division I
- Bakersfield Train Robbers Pecos League
Eat and drink
- Basque cuisine Lamb, chorizo, pickled tongue – from boardinghouse-style restaurants
- Carrot cake Bakersfield is the Carrot Capital of the World
- Tri-tip Grilled beef cut popular in the valley.
- Carne asada fries Loaded fries with grilled meat and toppings.
Where people go
- Oil fields Derricks and pumpjacks dotting the landscape
- Orchards and vineyards Almonds, pistachios, citrus, and grapes
- Kern River Recreation, swimming holes, and tubing
- Basque restaurants Historic boardinghouses turned family-style eateries
- Honky-tonks Live country music venues tied to the Bakersfield Sound
Heritage and traditions
Bakersfield is proud of its country music heritage—the Bakersfield Sound—along with its agricultural and oil roots, and the legacy of Cesar Chavez and the farmworker movement that began in Delano.
Say it like a local: “the grapevine” — The I-5 over Tejon Pass
Festivals
- Basque Festival August Celebrates Basque heritage with food, dance, and music in Bakersfield.
- Delano Grape Festival August Honors the region's grape harvest with a parade, fair, and grape-themed events.
- Wasco Rose Festival April Showcases the city's rose industry with a parade and rose show.
- Cesar Chavez Day Commemoration March Annual events in Delano and Bakersfield honoring the labor leader.
- Bakersfield Greek Festival September Greek food, dance, and music at the local Greek Orthodox church.
- Dia de los Muertos November Community altars and celebrations in the Latino community.
Landmarks with a story
- Cesar Chavez National Monument The home and grave of the labor leader in Keene, near Bakersfield.
- Fort Tejon A mid-19th-century military outpost in the Grapevine area.
- Old Town Kern A historic district in Bakersfield with early 20th-century buildings and the Kern County Museum.
- The Padre Hotel A 1920s landmark hotel in downtown Bakersfield, restored to its original grandeur.
- Kern River Oil Fields The site of the early 1900s oil boom, still visible around Bakersfield.
Food traditions
- Basque family-style dining Communal tables with lamb, chicken, beans, and sheepherder's bread, a legacy of the region's Basque sheepherders.
- Filipino lumpia and pancit Brought by Filipino farmworkers, these are now local staples at gatherings and restaurants.
- Pan dulce from panaderías Mexican sweet breads, a daily treat in Arvin, Delano, and Bakersfield.
- Oildale's classic diner breakfasts Country-style breakfasts with biscuits and gravy, a nod to the oil industry's early days.
- Delano's Filipino lechon Roast pig served at celebrations, reflecting the strong Filipino community.
Music and arts
- Bakersfield Sound A raw, twangy country music style that emerged in the 1950s–60s, with artists like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard.
- Honky-tonk bars Dance halls and bars that keep the country music tradition alive.
- Chicano mural art Colorful murals in Delano and Bakersfield reflecting farmworker history and Latino culture.
- Basque folk music and dance Traditional performances at cultural festivals and gatherings.
A little history
- 1950s–1960s Bakersfield Sound emerges
- 1965–1970 Delano grape strike led by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta
- Early 1900s Oil boom in Kern County
- Late 1800s Basque sheepherders arrive and settle
- 1943 Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake established near Ridgecrest
Rivalries
- Bakersfield vs Fresno Valley cities compete for bragging rights.
- CSU Bakersfield vs Fresno State College basketball and baseball matchups.
- Bakersfield Condors vs Ontario Reign AHL hockey rivalry.
- Game day Friday night high school football
- Game day Bakersfield Speedway stock car racing
- Outdoors Visit Cesar Chavez National Monument
- Outdoors Watch a sunset over the San Joaquin Valley
- With kids Cesar Chavez National Monument
- With kids Buena Vista Museum of Natural History
A blend of California English with a rural, country twang, plus Spanish words from the large Latino community. Locals often say 'the valley' for the San Joaquin Valley and pronounce Kern with a hard K.
Only here
- The Bakersfield Sound and the Crystal Palace, a country music landmark.
- The Delano grape strike, a pivotal moment in American labor history.
- The Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, a major research and testing site near Ridgecrest.
- The Basque community's unique family-style dining tradition, with communal tables and sheepherder's bread.
New here? A few tips
- Expect hot, dry summers (often over 100°F) and foggy, cool winters; dress in layers for the valley's temperature swings.
- Try a Basque family-style meal at a local restaurant—come hungry, it's a feast.
- Learn about the Bakersfield Sound by visiting the Crystal Palace or catching a show at a honky-tonk bar.
- Be patient with agricultural traffic on highways—trucks hauling crops are part of the landscape.
- Visit the Cesar Chavez National Monument in Keene to understand the region's farmworker history.
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Nearby
Every areaVisaliaCaliforniaRooted in the valley, reaching for the pines.HanfordCaliforniaGolden fields, warm hearts.Ventura CountyCaliforniaSun-soaked coasts and fertile valleysSanta Barbara–Santa MariaCaliforniaWhere the mountains tumble into the seaSan Luis ObispoCaliforniaWhere the Pacific meets the vines.Los AngelesCaliforniaSun, surf, and a thousand stories.FresnoCaliforniaSun-soaked fields and friendly facesInland EmpireCaliforniaSun, citrus, and mountain air.
Bakersfield-Delano, CA. Areas from the US Census Bureau and Statistics Canada; places from GeoNames. Local flavour was written with a model and may have mistakes. Team names identify teams; no endorsement.