Clubs and festivals Napa Valley Sonoma County Marin San Francisco East Bay The coast and beyond Questions DJ Wayne Noel home Instagram
Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco set for a dinner, with a coffered wood ceiling, arched windows with gold drapes and round tables

Places I've played

Nightclubs, festival stages, ballrooms, museums, vineyards and barns: places around the Bay Area and beyond where I've been the DJ for club nights, festivals, company parties, galas and weddings. Each venue in the main list below has its own page: how I set it up, what I ask the venue ahead of time, and my own photos from events there.

Clubs, concerts and festivals

Club nights, festivals
and big stages

I've opened for the B-52's, played Symbiosis Festival, and held ecstatic dance floors across California and Hawaii. In San Francisco I've played Temple Nightclub and 1015 Folsom, and galas for 2,000 people at the California Academy of Sciences.

Temple Nightclub, San Francisco
DJ Wayne Noel in a blue jacket and flat cap at his mixer and laptop in front of a concert stage, with a drum kit and magenta stage lights behind him, the night he opened for the B-52's
Opening for the B-52's
DJ Wayne Noel mixing under colored club lights at 1015 Folsom, San Francisco
1015 Folsom, San Francisco

A club or a festival is a different job from a seated dinner. I plug into the house system, play my own sound, and read a floor that came to dance: Afro and tribal house, soulful electronic, hip-hop, and festival styles like EDM, trap, and drum and bass.

Booking a club night, a festival slot, a brand launch or a company party? The instant estimate asks what kind of event it is (a festival and a club night are both on the list). Or book a short call and tell me about it.

Why a page for each venue

Every place asks
for something different

A ballroom high above the street means planning the elevator ride for my gear. A ranch on Tomales Bay has no cell signal. A ceremony at the edge of a lake needs me to bring my own power. A club booth means plugging into the house system. None of that is a problem when I know it ahead of time. All of it is a problem when somebody finds out at four in the afternoon.

So I wrote down what I know about the places I've played. Where the sound goes, where the power comes from, what to settle with the venue, how late the music can run.

If you're planning an event at one of them, its page shows you what I already have covered, so you don't have to hold all of it yourself. No planner? That's fine. This is the part I handle.

By area

Pick your place

Every photo is from one of my own events at that place.

Napa Valley

DJ Wayne Noel on the microphone behind his DJ booth at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, under a wood ceiling washed in purple light
Rutherford

Auberge du Soleil

I set one system on the terrace, another inside, so nobody waits between the two.

DJ Wayne Noel's sound system and controller set up under lit twig orbs in the event hall at Solage, Calistoga
Calistoga

Solage

I set up early in the Solstice Ballroom and sound check before doors open.

Wayne Noel's ceremony sound rack and speaker set up in the meadow facing rows of chairs under the big tree at Triple S Ranch
Calistoga

Triple S Ranch

I run ceremony sound under the big tree and the dance floor in the old barn.

Sonoma County

Apple orchard reception at Dawn Ranch in Guerneville with round tables, patio heaters and DJ Wayne Noel's canopy setup and speakers on the lawn
Guerneville

Dawn Ranch

I bring sound to whichever part of the grounds you use, so nobody misses a word.

Guests dancing close on a full dance floor under the balcony of the Hotel Petaluma ballroom in Petaluma, lit in pink and teal
Petaluma

Hotel Petaluma

Hardwood, big windows and hotel guests upstairs: I tune the room for all three.

DJ Wayne Noel at the decks during a first dance under chandeliers and string lights in the oak grove at Kunde Family Winery
Kenwood

Kunde Family Winery

Kunde runs uphill. I plan the music around that: the way up, the power, the clock.

Stone Building at The Lodge at Sonoma with timber beams, lantern chandeliers, fireplace, purple uplighting and amber swirl lighting on the floor
Sonoma

The Lodge at Sonoma

I plan the sound for the oak, the lawn and the Stone Building as one evening.

Ceremony garden at The Madrona in Healdsburg with a brick terrace, a hedge, live strings and rows of white chairs on the lawn
Healdsburg

The Madrona

Ceremony lawn to dancing deck, I run the sound and the timing.

Reception room inside the barn at Olympia's Valley Estate with round tables, a wooden balcony, string lights and warm uplighting, with Wayne's DJ booth at the foot of the stairs
Petaluma

Olympia's Valley

I run two sound setups here: one at the willow pond, one in the old timber barn.

DJ Wayne Noel at his booth among the redwoods at The Secret Gardens in Bodega Bay, with a speaker on a tripod and a wine barrel beside the deck
Bodega Bay

The Secret Gardens

I walk the garden first, so the ceremony and the dinner each get their own sound.

DJ sound rig set up on a draped table in the stone courtyard at Viansa Winery in Sonoma, with the ivy cottage, fountain and olive trees behind
Sonoma

Viansa

A hilltop gets wind, so I plan the microphones for it.

Marin

Amber uplighting across the trussed ballroom at Cavallo Point in Sausalito, set with round dinner tables and DJ Wayne Noel's booth and speakers at the far wall
Sausalito

Cavallo Point

I plan the sound around the walk from the hilltop chapel to the ballroom.

DJ Wayne Noel's booth and speakers set up by the garden windows in the banquet room at Inn Marin, with teal uplighting
Novato

Inn Marin

On the lawn I aim the sound at your guests and keep it at the level they need.

Timber-framed ballroom at the Meadow Club with arched trusses, hanging lanterns, set round tables and red uplighting, with a DJ booth at the right
Fairfax

Meadow Club

Under the timber arches, I set up at the fireplace with the floor in front.

DJ Wayne Noel at his booth on the stage at the Mill Valley Outdoor Art Club, with a green velvet curtain, wood beams and set dinner tables behind him
Mill Valley

The Outdoor Art Club

I've set ceremony sound under the redwoods here and run the night from the stage.

DJ Wayne Noel smiling at his booth with two speakers and red lights inside the yurt at Slide Ranch, Muir Beach
Muir Beach

Slide Ranch

I set up twice here: ceremony sound on the bluff, then the full rig in the yurt.

A couple's first dance in the barn at Straus Home Ranch in Marshall, with guests watching from long farm tables under string lights
Marshall

Straus Home Ranch

No cell signal on the ranch, so every song I play there comes with me offline.

San Francisco

Wayne Noel's DJ booth and speakers set up before the bronze doorway in the grand hall at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, with columns lit in orange and blue
San Francisco

Asian Art Museum

The rooms open late in the day here, so I arrive early and build in a set order.

Wayne Noel's DJ setup on the stage of the Golden Gate Club ballroom in San Francisco, with amber uplighting, chandeliers and seated dinner guests
San Francisco

Golden Gate Club

I plan the sound around the glass, and the night to the end time you choose.

Reception set up in a ballroom at Hotel Nikko San Francisco with black linen tables, a wood dance floor, window walls and DJ speakers on stands
San Francisco

Hotel Nikko

I set up to suit a ballroom that's 145 feet long and 48 wide.

Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco set for a dinner, with a coffered wood ceiling, arched windows with gold drapes and round tables
San Francisco

Julia Morgan Ballroom

I plan the sound for a long room on the 15th floor, high above California Street.

Wayne Noel's DJ setup with two speakers and a subwoofer on a riser in the Marines' Memorial Club ballroom in San Francisco, facing the parquet dance floor
San Francisco

Marines' Memorial Club

Here I plan the elevator ride for my gear before I plan the first song.

DJ Wayne Noel at the Pioneer DJ controller in the booth at Temple nightclub in San Francisco, with the blue LED ceiling and lit columns behind him
San Francisco

Temple Nightclub

The booth is the focal point, so I plan the night from there outward.

East Bay

Dance floor at Alumni House, UC Berkeley seen from behind DJ Wayne Noel's laptop, guests dancing under blue and pink lighting by the window wall
Berkeley

Alumni House

A room of glass and brick in the middle of campus, and I tune the sound to it.

DJ booth and two speakers set in front of the stone fireplace in the Brazilian Room at Tilden Park, Berkeley, with tables set for a wedding
Berkeley

The Brazilian Room

Amplified sound outdoors gets the first 90 minutes, so I plan the move inside.

Ballroom at The Club at Ruby Hill seen from the staircase, walls covered in amber pattern lighting above a busy dance floor
Pleasanton

The Club at Ruby Hill

I light the two-story ballroom and run the music and the mic from one spot.

DJ Wayne Noel at his controller and laptop on a wooden deck at Little Hills in San Ramon, with a string-lit tent and guests dancing behind him
San Ramon

Little Hills

The whole event is outdoors, so I bring sound to each spot you use.

The coast and beyond

Wayne Noel's DJ booth and speakers set up on the parquet dance floor in the ballroom at the Inn at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach

The Inn at Spanish Bay

A bagpiper plays here every evening, so I time anything outdoors around him.

Long Branch Saloon in Half Moon Bay set for a reception, with red uplighting on the wallpapered walls, timber rafters, a photo booth and round tables
Half Moon Bay

Long Branch Saloon

I plan a sound setup for each stop: the church, the town square, the dance floor.

Reception room at Mavericks House set with navy round tables and pink-sashed chairs for a wedding, windows along the far wall
Half Moon Bay

Mavericks House

A harbor-view room, a deck and a garden. I run the sound and the timing.

Atrium at Oceano Hotel and Spa in Half Moon Bay with magenta uplighting, a blue skylight wash and amber swirl pattern lighting across the dance floor
Half Moon Bay

Oceano Hotel and Spa

One day, one property. I run the sound and the timing in every space.

DJ Wayne Noel smiling behind his controller and laptops while guests dance with their arms raised in a ballroom at Seascape Beach Resort
Aptos

Seascape Beach Resort

On the bluff lawn I plan for ocean wind first, then build the night indoors.

Bride and escort walking down the cypress-lined rose garden path at Villa Montalvo toward the villa in warm backlight
Saratoga

Villa Montalvo

Two sound setups here: one in the ceremony garden, one inside the villa.

Also played, no page yet
  • 1015 FolsomSan Francisco
  • BarndivaHealdsburg
  • The Bently ReserveSan Francisco
  • California Academy of SciencesSan Francisco
  • The de Young MuseumSan Francisco
  • RamekinsSonoma, now Seven Branches

No page for these yet. Ask me about any of them on a call.

Not on the list

Your place
isn't here?

These are the venues where I have my own photos to show you. I play all over Sonoma, Napa, Marin, San Francisco and the wider Bay Area, and I travel for clubs, festivals and destination events.

A place that's new to me gets the same preparation as one I know. You fill out a planning questionnaire, we talk through the day and the music, and I ask the venue what I ask every venue: how I load in, where the power is, and when the music has to end. Then I arrive early and bring backup equipment.

Good to Know

About these
places

Do you only play at the venues on this list?
No. These are the venues where I have my own photos from my own events. I play across Sonoma, Napa, Marin, San Francisco and the wider Bay Area, and I travel for clubs, festivals and destination events. Travel, when there is some, is added to the estimate.
Do you play clubs and festivals?
Yes. I've played Temple Nightclub and 1015 Folsom in San Francisco, opened for the B-52's, played Symbiosis Festival, and held ecstatic dance floors across California and Hawaii. The instant estimate has a choice for a festival and one for a club night, or book a short call and tell me about yours.
Are these only wedding venues?
No. They include a nightclub and a museum, and most of the others host company parties, galas, fundraisers, birthdays and milestone celebrations as well as weddings. Each page says what the place is used for and how I'd set it up for your kind of event.
Where do the photos on these pages come from?
From my own events. Every photo was taken at an event I played at that venue, so what you see is that place on a night I worked it and not a stock picture of the building.
Are you the house DJ or a preferred vendor at these venues?
No. I'm an independent DJ and MC, and you book me directly. Some venues keep their own vendor rules, so each page lists what I ask the venue for you.
What do you do before an event at a venue you haven't played?
The same things I do for one I know. You fill out a planning questionnaire, we have planning and music calls, and I ask the venue about load-in, power and the music cutoff. On the day I arrive early and carry backup equipment.
How do I find out what it costs at my venue?
Use the instant estimate. It asks about your event, your date and where it is, and gives you a price in a couple of minutes. You can also book a short call.
Your event

Tell me where it is

The instant estimate asks about your event, your date and where it is, and gives you a price in a couple of minutes. Or book a short call and we'll talk it through.