Annual Events

Central Valley Blues Festival

September
Every Fall great blues legends like Joe Luis Walker and John Lee Hooker Jr. come to perform at the nostalgic Merced Courthouse Park.

This two day event is filled with music, music and more great blues music. Check their website to find out who's performing this year.

The Big Valley Arts & Culture Festival

October
Come enjoy a day for the arts in Downtown Merced.
Browse some of our local artists' work, or relax to some World Class Musical entertainment on the Street Stage. Another popular aspect of the festival has been the project stations in Arts Alley where children and their families create unique works of art or engage in music-making from common materials.

This is a comfortable venue as art works its magic transcending social and cultural barriers, presenting the various groups as threads in the fabric of our community.

MERCO Credit Union Cycling Classic

March
Don't miss this springtime event that brings international bicycle racing to historic Downtown Merced! Enjoy spectator friendly professional racing featuring former Olympians, National Champions and some of the best pro teams in the world. Kid’s racing and bike safety are always a crowd favorite, providing various aged kids the opportunity to give bike racing a go. Our own Merced riders, regional teams and National riders race throughout the day within various age and ability amateur racing categories. All racing events are free to the public with activities for the entire family throughout Downtown Merced.