Sonoma Raceway is “seeking permission to hold a four-day rock festival, likened to San Francisco’s popular Outside Lands festival and BottleRock in Napa,” according to Eloisa Ruano Gonzalez of the Santa Rosa PRESS DEMOCRAT. Track President & GM Steve Page said that the goal is “to hold the first music festival” in ’17, which “could draw up to 55,000 people daily.” Page: “We’d be talking about three stages … (and) lots and lots of acts.” The “proposal must undergo an environmental review to determine the impacts it will have on the Sonoma Valley,” and that process “could take up to two years.” The raceway will "cover the costs" of the review. The “1,600-acre raceway also is seeking permission to hold smaller private events, such as corporate parties and fundraisers.” Page said that “organizations have approached them in the past about renting the venue but conditions put in place by the county 15 years ago limit them to only holding motorsport-related events.” Page: “There is a business opportunity for us. There aren’t a lot of places where you can put a party for more than 200 people in this part of the county.” In addition to the music festival and private events, Sonoma Raceway “also wants to open a winery.” Foyt Family Wines, owned by IndyCar team owner AJ Foyt, approached the track “about operating a wine-tasting room” around the “entrance of the complex.” Overall, Page said that the track isn’t “seeking to become a concert venue.” Despite the requests, “he said they will still have to abide by strict noise and attendance restrictions throughout the year” (Santa Rosa PRESS DEMOCRAT, 2/16).
