"Local Businesses Working Together to Foster Community, Commerce, and Small Town Charm." That is how the Kenwood Business Association describes itself. The group says it formed in January 2025 and now has "nearly a dozen members and growing." Less than two years later, it is hosting its own community day on Highway 12. Around that day sits a run of November and early December dates that mostly start and end within a few hundred yards of each other.
The regional wine-country calendar tends to treat Kenwood as a pass-through between Glen Ellen and Santa Rosa. This season, the village is setting its own calendar, and most of that calendar comes from two neighboring addresses on Sonoma Highway.
Saturday, November 7, Starts at One Address
Taste of Kenwood runs Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entry is free. Ty Caton Vineyards calls it "a progressive community-wide event featuring Kenwood Businesses," with food trucks, wine tasting, local shopping and live music spread along Highway 12. Lotus Boutique & Marketplace names the Kenwood Business Association as host. The Sonoma Valley event listing credits Visit Kenwood as presenter, so both names will appear on signs and posts that day.
The published participant list includes Hamilton Family Wines, Séamus Wines, Vaughn Duffy, Pillowfight Coffee, Beaux Maison, Ty Caton, Lotus Boutique, Swede's Feeds, Amapola Wines and B. Wise, "and more." Laid out by street number, the day turns out to be more compact than "along Highway 12" suggests:
- 8860 Sonoma Highway: Hamilton Family Wines
- 8910 Sonoma Highway: Ty Caton Vineyards' tasting room, the Séamus Wines tasting lounge, the Vaughn Duffy tasting room, Pillowfight Coffee in Suite B12, and Beaux Maison in Suite 11B
- 9140 Sonoma Highway: Swede's Feeds, which carries pet food and supplies, plants, garden supplies, art and gifts
- 9380 Sonoma Highway: the Kenwood Lounge that Amapola Creek shares with B. Wise Vineyards
Five of the named stops share one address. A coffee, a Pinot Noir from Vaughn Duffy's small-lot lineup and a pour at the Séamus lounge are a short walk apart. Hamilton is next door at 8860. Swede's Feeds and the shared Amapola Creek and B. Wise lounge sit farther north. The Amapola Creek side of that lounge focuses on Rhône varietals. Lotus's own announcement describes the goal as including "all Kenwood Businesses in a shared experience." The walking distances back that up.
The listings for the day don't mention parking or a shuttle, so the 8910 cluster is the easiest place to leave a car for most of the afternoon.
Two Parties on the Same Afternoon
Two businesses on the list are also hosting their own events inside the community day.
At 8910, Ty Caton holds its November Wine Club Release Party from noon to 4 p.m. It features new releases, live music in the courtyard and small bites. Tickets are $25, and wine club members are free for up to six guests. For Taste of Kenwood itself, the same tasting room is pouring special flights and offering wine specials at no entry charge. So one courtyard is running a ticketed party and a free stop at the same time.
Next door, Hamilton Family Wines is opening the Hamilton Kitchen for a first look from noon to 3 p.m., with a small opening menu and Hamilton wines. RSVPs are appreciated. This is the newest food option on this stretch of the highway. In an April 14, 2026 interview with Pacific Sun, the winery described a rebrand to Hamilton Family Wines, Kitchen, & Mercantile, with a menu that includes the Scottish favorite, toasties.
The Pacific Sun piece fills in the backstory. Greg Hamilton grew up in Scotland, and he and Lindsay Hamilton started making wine in their Berkeley garage in 2011. They moved to a small vineyard property in Kenwood in 2016, launched the label in June 2019 and opened the Kenwood tasting room in 2022. The kitchen opening on November 7 adds food to a family winery that already holds a monthly evening for its neighbors.
The Fridays Before and After
The evening before Taste of Kenwood is the November First Friday at Hamilton, Friday, November 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. Local musician Craig Corona plays, Hamilton wines are poured by the glass and bottle, and the kitchen serves seasonal food. There is no cover and no reservation is needed. If you live within a few minutes of 8860 Sonoma Highway, that's Friday evening and Saturday afternoon at the same door.
The series ends for 2026 on Friday, December 4, again from 4 to 6 p.m., with live local music and the same no-cover, no-reservation format. Hamilton bills it as the "Final First Friday of the Year."
Night of Lights Moves Up Three Weeks
The schedule change that matters most is Kenwood Night of Lights. Last year Hamilton hosted it on Saturday, December 13, 2025, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. It was a free open house with holiday mercantile displays, curated gift bundles, and a twilight moment when the vines and olive grove were lit in warm string lights.
This year, Hamilton's events calendar lists it as a "Kenwood Community Tradition" on Saturday, November 21, from 4 to 7 p.m., with vineyard lights, Hamilton wine and seasonal food. Fuller details are still to come. The Sonoma Valley Wag's listing gives the same date and hours.
Moving it to November 21 puts the lighting before Thanksgiving, not in mid-December. The evening also runs half an hour longer, and it falls two weeks after the kitchen's first look. Over one month, the same property goes from a new menu to the village's holiday lighting.
Two weeks after that, Hamilton holds "A Toast to the Season" on Saturday, December 5, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gathering centers on sparkling wine, caviar and small bites. Hamilton says full details will come closer to the date.
Up Adobe Canyon and Over to Warm Springs
The Highway 12 storefronts aren't hosting everything this month. Two other dates fill in the calendar, and both are close to home for anyone in the village.
On Wednesday, November 11, Sugarloaf Ridge State Park hosts a family hike from 10 a.m. to noon, starting at 2605 Adobe Canyon Road. It is free with an RSVP. Hikers can choose a longer waterfall loop or the shorter Creekside Nature Trail. Parking fees still apply. The park lists day-use rates of $10 per vehicle, or $8 for seniors 62 and older, students, and current or retired military. The park's conditions page shows all roads and trails open. It also announced a prescribed burn planned for October 28 or later, which could temporarily close Stern, Bald Mountain, Pony Gate and Hillside trails on the burn day. Check that page before driving up.
On Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 26, the Kenwood Turkey Trot gathers at Kenwood Plaza Park, 200 Warm Springs Road. The event window is 7:45 to 9:30 a.m., and the race starts at 8. This is its third year. Families, strollers and costumes are welcome, and proceeds support the Kenwood Educational Foundation's enrichment programs.
Kenwood's Season, in Order
All of these dates are local. None depends on a regional festival, and nearly every one starts at a Kenwood address.
- Friday, Nov. 6, 4 to 6 p.m. First Friday at Hamilton with Craig Corona, 8860 Sonoma Highway. No cover.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Taste of Kenwood along Highway 12. Free entry. The Hamilton Kitchen first look runs noon to 3, and Ty Caton's club party runs noon to 4 with $25 tickets.
- Wednesday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m. to noon. Sugarloaf Ridge family hike, 2605 Adobe Canyon Road. Free with RSVP, and parking fees apply.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 4 to 7 p.m. Kenwood Night of Lights at Hamilton.
- Thursday, Nov. 26, 8 a.m. start. Kenwood Turkey Trot, Kenwood Plaza Park.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 4 to 6 p.m. The year's final First Friday at Hamilton.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. "A Toast to the Season" at Hamilton.
Taste of Kenwood is the first big date on the list. It shows what a business association formed in January 2025 can put together when most of its stops share a parking lot.
Caroline Sebastiani has followed the Highway 12 corridor through Kenwood for years, from the tasting rooms at 8910 to the vineyard homes up the side roads. If you're wondering how this stretch of village life shows up in your own home's value, Caroline Sebastiani offers a free home valuation, handled quietly and with local care.
