Good Morning Tri-Valley! Let’s Start Exploring!

• An Amazing Night at Cirque du Soleil 🎪

• Tacos, Margaritas, Music, and more for Cinco de Mayo 🇲🇽 🌮

• Alameda County Fair is Giving Away Carnival Ride Wristbands, PLUS last week’s Winners!

• What’s the Hype About Dutch Bros? Is it worth the drive to Brentwood?

• The 925 Low Down - New Breweries in the Tri-Valley

• Last Week’s Poll Results on Food Delivery Services

My Family LOVED Cirque du Soleil! ECHO is in San Jose for 2 More Weeks!

We had the best time Friday night seeing ECHO by Cirque du Soleil in San Jose — and wow, just WOW. I've seen at least six other Cirque shows over the years, but this one quickly became one of my absolute favorites. The setting is super intimate (seriously, there’s not a bad seat in the house), there’s a ton of fun audience interaction, and the acrobatics and skills are just next-level. There are two weekendss left to catch ECHO before it wraps — highly recommend making the trip if you can!

Your Cinco de Mayo Weekend Guide! Tacos, Margaritas, Music, and more!

The bad news: Cinco de Mayo is on a Monday. The good news: The celebrations start early and run all weekend! While this list is far from complete, I’ve scoured the socials and got some hot tips from Tri-Valley Explorer readers on the best spots to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

• Rosa Fierro Cellars & The Steven Kent Winery are throwing an evening bash with live music, food, and, of course, wine on Saturday, May 3rd from 5-8pm! Carnitas Aguirre Mexican Food will be dishing out tacos and other tasty treats, while Algo Más brings Latin Rock, Old School jams, and Santana vibes. Free entry, 21+.

•  Cinco de Mayo is not complete without Casa Orozco, and they’re going big!

  • Livermore location: Live music from 6-9pm on both Friday 5/2 and Saturday 5/3. Margaritas are flowing, and the food is en fuego! 🔥 On Monday 5/5, enjoy a live mariachi band from 5-9pm inside, and outside on the patio, there’s a bar and DJ from 5-9pm. 🎶

  • Dublin location: Going all out on Monday 5/5 with an indoor mariachi band from 5-9pm and a full bar with DJ outside from 5-9pm. Come for the entertainment, stay for the food that’s been delighting locals for over 40 years! 🌮

• Blue Agave Club in downtown Pleasanton has great specials running from 5/1 to 5/3, and on 5/5:

  • Taco Trio: $15 🌮

  • Taco Trio & Beer: $20

  • Shot & Beer: $12

  • Taco Trio & Margarita: $25

• Old Mexico Bar & Grill in Livermore is celebrating on Saturday, May 3rd with a traditional Mexican dance group and live Mariachi band from 5:30-9pm. Plus, $6 Margaritas and $5.50 Mexican draft beers!

• Two great performances at the Bankhead Theater you won’t want to miss! Las Cafeteras will showcase their vibrant mix of traditional Mexican folk and electronic dance beats. Tickets are just $35—click here for details. Then on Saturday, May 3rd, Latin GRAMMY nominee Mariachi Herencia de Mexico takes the stage! Click here for tickets.

• Norm’s Place in Danville has live music and food & drink specials all weekend long, May 3rd-5th. 🍸

Know of any other Cinco de Mayo celebrations? Email me, and I’ll include them in Thursday’s newsletter!

Alameda County Fair is Giving Away a Pair of Carnival Ride Bracelets!

Win FREE Carnival Wristbands

Alameda County Fair returns June 13–July 6! Get ready for non-stop fun the whole family will love including farm animals, action sports like monster trucks, Movies on the Lawn, a NEW high-flying trapeze show and carnival rides. June 13 and July 3, don’t miss a dazzling fireworks show!

Advanced Sale is now through June 12, alamedacountyfair.com.  

Click Here to Enter for a chance to win 2 Carnival Wristbands (Over $90 value, 2 lucky winners selected).    Please note this giveaway is directly through Alameda County Fair, not through Tri-Valley Explorer.

The Tri-Valley Explorer Fair Ticket Winners from last week are:

• 4 Packs of Tickets: Carly Andrade and Johanna Rodriguez

• Pair of Fair Tickets and Wine Fest Tickets: Clarence Le and Melissa Whitley

Dutch Bros - Worth the Hype…and Drive?

My teens (especially my girls) have been talking about Dutch Bros nonstop. A few weeks ago, we drove past the one in Brentwood, and when we had to head back out there this weekend, they begged me to finally stop. I’ll be honest—I was curious too. What is it about Dutch Bros that has people so obsessed?

I did a little homework before we went, and yep... everything I read was spot on.

• The people: Broistas (part barista, part bro) are seriously next-level friendly. Top-tier customer service.

• The menu: It’s huge. Coffee, flavored energy drinks, milkshakes, lemonades, boba—you can customize everything. If you can dream it, they’ll make it.

• The setup: Most spots are drive-thru only, but Brentwood’s Dutch Bros has a walk-up storefront too. The drive-thru line was long so we opted for the walk up window.

• The verdict? My girls loved it. The menu was so big they literally took notes on what they want to try next. I’m more of a chai tea girl myself, but I totally get the hype now.

We’ll be heading back out to Brentwood for cherry picking soon... so yeah, another Dutch Bros stop is definitely happening.

The 925 Lowdown - Your Weekly Pulse on News Around Town!

• A new Brewery in Livermore opened this month - Headyworks. Check them out at 468 Franklin Lane, Unit B. We’ll be stopping by soon for a pint!

• More Beer news in Livermore - Award winning brewery, Del Cielo Brewing Co. from Martinez is taking over the spot previously occupied by Shadow Puppet Brewery. They’re working on some remodeling and will be opening soon. Yay! My fellow cheermoms and I will have a spot to go to during practice!

• This Thursday’s Dublin Farmers Market is also Small Business Night! Dozens of small businesses will be there from 4-8pm at Emerald Glen Park.

• New-ish All You Can Eat Sushi spot in Dublin called Mad For Sushi - sounds like a place I need to take my 3 teenagers to! Strong Yelp rating - 7222 Regional St.

• Can you guess which TWO Tri-Valley cities made the list of the 12 West Coast Cities With the Most Households Earning Six Figures?

• Danville made the list of top 11 most unforgettable Main Streets.

• MOOYAH Burgers is coming to Livermore in the Target Center!

Did I miss any breaking news? Is there something you’d like me to cover? Send me an email! [email protected]

Last Week’s Poll Results!

Last week I asked whether you were on the meal prep train (HelloFresh, CookUnity, etc.), and I was surprised at how many people are loving it! Here are the results:

• 45% Love it

• 45% don’t do it

• 10% are Meal-Prep Curious!

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