Redwood Mountain Faire (RMF) has been a long-standing institution in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The first festivals in 1980 were one-day events held in April at Highlands Park in Ben Lomond as a way to showcase the local artist community. Originally called the Redwood Mountains Fine Arts & Crafts Faire and Music Festival, the Valley Women’s Club hosted the gatherings from its inception through 1996.
Now, the times they are-a-changing, and RMF has become a fundraising juggernaut that provides financial support to area nonprofits.
With tons of vendors, artists, bands and patchouli, the Faire is a draw to locals who view it as an opportunity to hang with friends and neighbors in the stunning meadow of Roaring Camp in Felton.
The concept of the Faire is simple: get local nonprofit agencies to staff the various food, beverage and entertainment booths, and the participating nonprofits get a cut of the proceeds. It’s the circle of life in fundraising spheres, and it gets bigger and better each year.
Festival Director Hallie Greene has had her hands on the wheel of RMF since it moved to Roaring Camp in 2011. Since then, she’s watched the festival grow from a small, niche event to one that brings in visitors from over-the-hill and out of state on the regular.
“In 2025, we increased the giveaway to our nonprofit partners to $60,000; last year, it was $57,000 and we had to tap into our savings to do that,” Greene said. “This year we were able to save $10,000 because we brought in $10,000 more in profit.”
Part of the success of the RMF is its annual fresh updates, most of which are based on ideas presented by attendees.
“We added a special sponsor section and a ‘Friends of the Faire’ area for those who were able to donate more money for their tickets. In addition, we were able to add more activities for the kids, plus we increased our attendance by about 500 participants over the weekend,” said Greene, who was blown away by the success of the 2025 event.
If your nonprofit organization is seeing dollar signs, Greene wants you to get in on the fun.
“Participating organizations just have to be a 501c3 and be for community—so no personal soccer teams or similar outfits,” she said.
With about 5,200 attendees over the two-day event, the Faire boasted 425 volunteers and 52 vendors, and was able to distribute checks to a number of the nonprofit participants at a July event in Boulder Creek.
“Overall, the Faire is trying to amplify its community outreach; we would love to see the funding increase over time for these organizations,” Greene said.
For information on participating in or attending the 2026 event, visit redwoodmountainfaire.com.
