By Valerie Milano
Napa Valley, CA (The Hollywood Times) 5/25/26 – The final day of BottleRock Napa Valley 2026 brought another packed schedule of music, food, sunshine, and the usual BottleRock challenge: deciding which artists to see while trying not to completely exhaust yourself before the long drive home. By Day 3, many festivalgoers had settled into survival mode, blankets out on the grass, sunscreen reapplied for the hundredth time, and strategic decisions being made about conserving energy while still soaking in every last moment of the weekend.
We kicked off Sunday at the T-Mobile Stage with Izzy Escobar, easing into the final day before wandering over to the HelloFresh Stage area. While waiting around there, we watched one of the chef demonstrations where a fresh dish was prepared live and eventually handed out as samples to attendees. The food itself was surprisingly delicious, though the process required a level of patience not everyone seemed to possess. Guests were handed tea towels and told to return later for the completed samples. Friends bragged they had somehow scored personalized towels with their initials embroidered on them. Unfortunately, that kind of luck was not in the cards for me this year. Honestly, who has that kind of time to hover around a cooking booth all afternoon during BottleRock? Still, the bite-sized sample ended up being worth the wait.
Musically, the biggest disappointment of the day for me was The Paper Kites at the HelloFresh Stage. The set simply never seemed to fully connect with the audience energy around us, especially compared to the stronger performances happening elsewhere throughout the festival grounds.
One of the more unexpectedly charming activations throughout the festival grounds once again was the Miracle-Gro experience area, which stayed consistently packed all weekend long. The biggest attraction there seemed to be the custom straw hat station, where guests could choose a style of hat and decorate it with colorful cords, ribbons, pins, and accessories to create their own personalized BottleRock fashion statement. The lines were almost always long, but festivalgoers happily waited their turn and once inside the area relaxed in the shaded lounge-style setup. The area also featured a gentle swing along with comfortable seating spaces that offered a much-needed break from the nonstop crowds and heat. In one of the smartest giveaways of the weekend, staff members were even handing out rechargeable facial misters, which quickly became one of the most useful items anyone could carry around the festival grounds during the hot Napa afternoons.
Then came the unquestioned highlight of Day 3, Kool & the Gang on the Prudential Stage.
Read our article and see our interview: Kool & The Gang Bring the Celebration to BottleRock Napa Valley – Hollywood Times
Having recently interviewed founding member Robert Kool Bell prior to the festival, it was especially meaningful to finally see the legendary group perform live at BottleRock. Bell himself stayed more in the background throughout much of the performance, allowing the band and lead vocalist Shawn McQuiller to absolutely command the stage. McQuiller brought tremendous energy, charisma, and vocals to a nonstop parade of hits that kept the crowd dancing in the Napa heat.
Despite starting late and throwing the entire Prudential Stage schedule behind for the remainder of the afternoon, BottleRock surprisingly allowed the band to continue well beyond what many expected. Thankfully so. Nobody around us seemed eager for them to stop. The set felt like a joyful time capsule of funk, soul, disco, and celebration music that perfectly matched the BottleRock atmosphere. Songs like “Celebration,” “Ladies Night,” “Get Down On It,” and “Jungle Boogie” transformed the festival grounds into one giant dance party.
After that high-energy set, we stayed camped out on our blankets near the Prudential Stage to recharge a bit while Mt. Joy took over. The group delivered a solid performance musically, though the mood became noticeably heavier after sharing a particularly emotional story about the death of a friend. By this point in the weekend, with temperatures climbing and everyone visibly running on limited sleep, the slower emotional turn shifted the vibe considerably.
Meanwhile, we heard great things from friends about Good Neighbours over on another stage, though BottleRock’s overlapping schedules once again made it impossible to catch everything.
One of the pleasant surprises later in the afternoon was Sombr, whose Prudential Stage set attracted a noticeably younger crowd and delivered a moody yet captivating performance that kept fans fully engaged. We also made a quick stop to catch part of Slightly Stoopid and instantly regretted not carving out more time for them in the schedule. Their laid-back reggae-rock California sound was the perfect soundtrack for a hot Napa afternoon and created some of the most relaxed, feel-good vibes of the entire weekend, especially for reggae fans soaking in the final day atmosphere
The weekend ultimately closed with a massive dose of nostalgia as Backstreet Boys took over the Prudential Stage opposite Ludacris at the T-Mobile Stage. As always at BottleRock, impossible choices had to be made.
The Backstreet Boys leaned fully into the crowd interaction throughout their set. Brian Littrell asked the audience how many people had seen the group perform before, drawing loud cheers, before following up by asking how many were first-timers – which somehow sounded even louder. At another point, one of the members teased the audience about coming to Las Vegas to see their residency at the Sphere, reminding fans they still had dozens of performances remaining there.
What stood out most was how genuinely appreciative the group seemed to be about being invited to perform at BottleRock. Multiple times throughout the night they thanked the festival promoters and emphasized how badly they wanted to return in future years. Their set became a singalong celebration packed with hit after hit as thousands of fans closed out the weekend dancing and screaming lyrics under the chilly Napa night sky.
And just like that, another BottleRock Napa Valley came to an end.
Now it was time to head back to the condo, finish writing up Day 3 coverage, attempt a few hours of sleep, and mentally prepare for the Memorial Day drive back to Los Angeles, hopefully before everyone else on the West Coast decided to hit the highways at the exact same time.
Until next year… cheers to BottleRock 2027 and another unforgettable Memorial Day weekend in Napa Valley.
