Discover why Gilroy is the ideal destination for your next event
Conveniently located in the southernmost tip of Silicon Valley and easily accessible to a variety of Northern California and Central Coast cities including San Jose, Fresno, Santa Cruz and Monterey, Gilroy is uniquely poised to host a variety of special events. From sun-soaked vineyards to rainbow-hued gardens, cultural centers that celebrate the area’s diverse residents to funky indoor spaces designed to delight your senses, there are venues to suit every need.
Capable of hosting groups from smaller corporate functions or board meetings to large-scale company picnics for the entire family, these locations are truly one-of-a-kind. And with a reliable calendar of sunny, clear-skied days, your window of opportunity for hosting a rain-free event in Gilroy is almost guaranteed. Added to that is the city’s relaxed atmosphere and low-stress environment, which welcomes visitors with a naturally friendly ambiance.
To help you find a venue that will take your group beyond the ordinary, we’ve put together a list of spectacular event spaces in Gilroy destined to make every event memorable.
Gardens & Grapevines: Winery and Garden Event Venues in Gilroy
Fortino Winery
Fortino Winery, a family-owned Gilroy winery that has welcomed visitors to its tasting room for more than 70 years, offers indoor event spaces that accommodate 30 to 150 guests, plus an outdoor terrace for seasonal gatherings.
Surrounded by stately trees and the vineyard’s undulating grapevines, there are two indoor spaces available: the Heritage Room, which accommodates 30 guests, and the heated and air-conditioned Barrel Room, which accommodates 150 guests. An outdoor option is the Redwood Terrace, which lends itself perfectly to seasonal events. Gino Fortino (winemaker and co-owner with his wife Teri) notes that they’ve hosted events as varied as a 3-day Indian wedding with specialty caterers, to a 70th birthday party that began in the tasting room then moved to the Barrel Room for an intimate dinner. Buyouts of the entire property are also possible.
Website:FortinoWinery.com Email:Dawn@FortinoWinery.com
Gilroy Gardens
Gilroy Gardens, a family-friendly amusement park in Gilroy, accommodates 50 to 10,000 guests across its indoor and outdoor spaces, making it an ideal destination for a large-scale company picnic or a whole-family incentive trip.
What started as a nursery by a passionate horticulturist has since morphed into its present incarnation: an amusement park geared towards younger kids and their families featuring fruit-and-veggie themed rides, specialty gardens, world-famous circus trees, and landscaped spaces designed to highlight regional agriculture.
One of the strengths of this local heavy hitter is the sheer variety of spaces within the confines of the park. Ranging from the Events Plaza (ideally suited for company gatherings and galas) to Claudia’s Garden Landing (a scenic conifer garden with a wooden terrace overlooking a pond, creek, and cascading waterfalls). Imaging having your own theme park for your company event — Gilroy Gardens can make that a reality, with full park buy-out options available.
Hosting approximately 300 events throughout the year on 38+ acres of available space, Gilroy Gardens is fully equipped to handle onsite catering and provide a dedicated event planning team to help create customized experiences. “We’ve done everything from corporate celebrations to employee appreciation events to family reunions,” says Mike Kuhny, group sales manager. “Regardless of the size, our goal is to make every event feel meaningful.”
Website:GilroyGardens.org Email:Mike.Kuhny@GilroyGardens.org
Hecker Pass Outdoor Events Center
Hecker Pass Outdoor Events Center offers a refreshing outdoor setting for meetings, picnics, celebrations, festivals, and corporate gatherings in the heart of Gilroy. Surrounded by mature trees, open green spaces, and the scenic backdrop of Hecker Pass, the venue provides a unique alternative to traditional indoor event spaces, with additional enhancements underway for 2027.
Designed to accommodate everything from intimate gatherings to large-scale community events, Hecker Pass Outdoor Events Center features The Arbor Pavilion, a 28,800-square-foot shade covered pavilion with ambient lighting that can be divided and configured for banquets, picnics, presentations, trade shows, receptions, and breakout sessions. Complementing the pavilion is The Grove, with more than two acres of tree-lined open space ideal for festivals, consumer shows, concerts, team-building activities, and outdoor celebrations.
The venue's flexible layout allows planners to create customized experiences in a beautiful natural setting while remaining conveniently located between Silicon Valley, Monterey Bay, and California's Central Coast. Whether hosting a corporate retreat, nonprofit fundraiser, cultural festival, private celebration, or community event, Hecker Pass Outdoor Events Center combines the beauty of the outdoors with the amenities and professional support needed to create unforgettable experiences.
Website:HeckerPassEvents.com Email:Info@HeckerPassEvents.com
Kirigin Cellars
Kirigin Cellars, a Gilroy winery venue set on 33 acres of vineyards, accommodates up to 200 guests in its Tuscan-style Club House and up to 70 guests in its Barrel House, alongside nine acres of outdoor cricket lawns.
Originally opened in 1916 but currently owned and managed by Dhruv Khanna, Kirigin Cellars not only features a sumptuous tasting room but ample outdoor spaces that include nine acres of cricket lawns and an archery range, alongside 33 acres of vineyards. Special event organizers can access the 7,000-sq. ft. Tuscan-style Club House, which accommodates up to 200 guests, or the smaller Barrel House, which accommodates up to 70 guests. Both venues are elegant, private spaces that cater to more refined events such as corporate retreats or weddings, while the outdoor space is well-suited to company team-building or extended family gatherings.
The tasting room itself sports beamed ceilings and rustic wood accents, where a presentation by the owner or the vineyard’s winemaker can be arranged for after-hours functions. Because Kirigin Cellars doesn’t serve food, event planners are free to bring in their choice of caterer or specialty food purveyors.
Website:KiriginCellars.com Email:Folks@KiriginCellars.com
La Vigna Event Center
La Vigna Event Center, located at Hecker Pass Winery in Gilroy, accommodates up to 200 guests amid picturesque vineyards and rolling hills.
Located at Hecker Pass Winery, La Vigna (which translates to “the vine”) is set amidst picturesque vineyards and rolling hills. Entering the banquet room through the massive handmade, arched redwood doors, a polished granite bar beckons attendees to enjoy a glass of one of the winery’s fine Italian wines overlooking the lushly landscaped grounds. French doors lead to a covered patio with wooden dance floor that provides unobstructed views of the surrounding hills. All-inclusive packages can be arranged, or planners can choose from a variety of preferred vendors for everything from food to photography.
Website:HeckerPassWinery.com/about-la-vigna Email:Info@HeckerPassWinery.com
Lodge on the Hill
Lodge on the Hill, overlooking the Gilroy Golf Course, accommodates 350 to 400 guests combined across its two event spaces, with sweeping views of the valley below.
Owned by the local Elks’ chapter, the Lodge has accommodated events from wedding receptions to milestone celebrations to corporate functions. Located at the top of a hill, it boasts amazing views of the valley below with the Gilroy Golf Course “horseshoeing” around it. The facility has onsite catering offering a variety of menu options, plus an outdoor LED lighting system that can be customized to a bridal party or sports team’s colors, and two full bars. Although there’s a wood dance floor in the main room, recently a group brought in a lighted dance floor for added pizzazz.
Website:GilroyLodgeOnTheHill.com Email:GLOTH@garlic.com
Arts & Culture: Historic and Creative Event Spaces in Gilroy
La Casa de Cultura y Arte
La Casa de Cultura y Arte, a historic two-story bungalow in Gilroy, accommodates smaller social gatherings and board meetings indoors, with a backyard patio and stage that can accommodate slightly larger groups.
Serving as a gathering space that celebrates local creativity and diverse cultural traditions, “La Casa” hosts wellness programs, performing arts educational sessions, and artists’ studios but is likewise available for private events. Local Chicano artist Ruben Dario Villa is the center’s director, and a driving force behind the annual La Ofrenda Festival: the city’s Dia de Los Muertos celebration.
Website:LaOfrendaFestival.com/Casa Email:LaCasaGilroy@gmail.com
Old City Hall Restaurant Meeting & Event Space
Old City Hall, housed in one of the seven Gilroy buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, accommodates up to 150 guests in its upstairs event room, ideal for corporate meetings, awards dinners, and team luncheons.
Inside one of the seven buildings Gilroy has on the National Register of Historic Places, Old City Hall is home to a downstairs restaurant, and an upstairs event room ideally suited to corporate meetings, awards dinners, team luncheons, and more. Groups of up to 150 guests can benefit from the full-service restaurant’s staff and extensive menu, as well as the convenient downtown Gilroy location that’s within easy walking distance of parking, shops, and local amenities.
But the real charm comes from the Hall’s turn-of-the-century architectural details including floor-to-ceiling windows, carved-stone façade, and enormous four-sided clock that overlooks the streets below from within its domed enclosure.
Website:OldCityHallGilroy.com Email:Events.OldCityHallGilroy@gmail.com
The Neon Exchange
The Neon Exchange, a restored historic building in downtown Gilroy, accommodates 10 to 125 guests across its library, art gallery, executive conference room, and main ballroom.
Native Californian Toni Bowles decided she wanted to open a multipurpose space that would serve her community. Enter: The Neon Exchange, a restored and renovated historic building that features a library, art gallery, executive conference room, and main ballroom. (Additionally, the back patio can accommodate a full-size food truck.) “We’ve hosted trainings, town halls, corporate events, holiday parties, board retreats, and weddings,” says Bowles. “We do have an open food policy but can also provide an extensive list of local vendors.”
To help get your creative juices flowing, some of the activities groups have recently done at the venue are charcuterie board-building classes, jewelry making, cookie decorating, small cactus plantings, and karaoke competitions.
Website:TheNeonExchange.com Email:TheNeonExchange@gmail.com
One more item of note is Visit Gilroy’s Meetings Guide. Designed for planners and event coordinators to help source local venues, lodging, tasting rooms and more in Gilroy, it provides the practical data you need to decide which locations are best for your group’s needs. Likewise, the team at Visit Gilroy is there to lend a hand with any information or contacts you might require.
