Napa Shopping Arcade Becomes Summertime Hangout for Locals Night Out
By Howard Yune
Locals Night out Debuts this summer takes place on Wednesday evenings, brings Napa-based merchants into the central artery of First Street Napa as a part of a festival that showcases local food, wine, beer and musicians.
The central courtyard of First Street Napa has become home to Locals Night Out: Mix, Mingle & More, a weekly festival where guests can mingle and socialize over glasses of Napa Valley wines, partake of small bites from Napa restaurants, and peruse the wares of Napa craftspeople.
Against a backdrop of spiffy hotel towers and wine tasting lounges, Locals Night Out, which debuted June 12 and will be held every Wednesday through July, is an occasion for some Napans to relax in their hometown among friends and acquaintances – and sometimes buy from them.
“We like to support local businesses, and we hope they can give us good value,” said Napa resident Sandi Collins early Wednesday evening as she sipped from a flute of chardonnay beneath a cork oak at the outdoor shopping plaza. “And there’s the happenstance that we’d run into friends!” she added with a laugh, pointing her wine glass at Eric and Nancy Sternberg, with whom she had struck up an amiable chat minutes before.
“It’s all local – the music, the wine, the beer, even the bartenders,” said Smith. “Also, we just wanted it to be fun.”
