FOLSOM, Calif. — For one evening next month, drivers crossing one of Folsom’s best-known landmarks will have to find another route.
The Rainbow Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic from 8 a.m. to midnight Sunday, Sept. 13, as Folsom transforms the bridge spanning the American River into the setting for a 350-seat dinner celebrating the city’s 80th anniversary.
The event, called Dinner on the Bridge, is being organized by Choose Folsom and is designed as a large-scale showcase of the city and regional culinary scene. The event takes its cue from Sacramento’s better-known Tower Bridge Dinner, but puts Folsom’s own landmark, restaurants and chefs at the center of the celebration.
“Celebrate Folsom’s 80th year of cityhood with an extraordinary dining experience unlike any other,” organizers say on the event website.
El Dorado Hills chef brings county connection
For residents of El Dorado County, the event has a particularly local connection.
Chef Devin Dedier, executive chef of Vacanza Romana in El Dorado Hills, is one of three lead chefs preparing the dinner. Dedier helped open the Roman-inspired restaurant in 2023 and has built his cooking around traditional Italian techniques and Northern California’s seasonal ingredients.
Dedier also has experience with Sacramento’s Tower Bridge Dinner. In 2025, he was selected as one of four lead chefs for that event, becoming the first chef from the El Dorado Hills-Folsom area selected for the role, according to Choose Folsom.
He will be joined by Patricio Wise of Nixtaco and Nicholas Blessing, executive chef of Scott’s Seafood Roundhouse in Historic Folsom.
Wise is the chef-owner of Nixtaco Mexican Kitchen & Distillery and is known for Northern Mexican cuisine. Blessing brings a strong Folsom connection to the event, leading the culinary operation at Scott’s Seafood Roundhouse in the Historic District.
The restaurant describes its Folsom location as part of a relationship with the city dating back decades. Scott’s opened in Folsom in 1999 before moving to its current Sutter Street location in 2020.
Local restaurants will add to the menu
The dinner will not be limited to the three lead chefs.
Crawdads on the Lake, Encanto Cocina & Tequila Bar, Manderes, Plank Kitchen + Bar, Poor Red’s Bar-B-Q, Sutter Street Steakhouse and Zócalo are slated to provide appetizers. Julian’s Patisserie & Cafe will provide dessert.
That lineup gives the event a broader regional flavor, bringing restaurants from Folsom and surrounding communities together rather than relying on a single culinary concept.
For El Dorado County residents, Dedier’s participation provides a direct connection between Folsom’s anniversary celebration and the growing restaurant scene in El Dorado Hills.
Rainbow Bridge closure will affect Sunday traffic
The dinner comes with a significant transportation impact for anyone who normally uses the Rainbow Bridge.
According to Choose Folsom, the bridge will be closed to traffic beginning at 8 a.m. and is scheduled to reopen at midnight. The Historic District will remain open during the closure, and the Historic Truss Bridge will remain available to pedestrians and bicyclists.
Drivers who normally use the Rainbow Bridge to cross the American River will be directed to Folsom Boulevard. Electronic message signs and marked detours are planned to alert motorists before and during the closure.
That means residents traveling between Folsom’s Historic District, the Lake Natoma area and communities south and east of the river should account for additional travel time that Sunday.
Dinner ends with 250 drones over Folsom
The dinner itself will be only part of the anniversary spectacle.
A 10-minute drone show featuring 250 drones is planned for after the meal. Organizers say the aerial presentation is intended to be visible to people beyond the event’s 350 dinner seats, giving the broader community an opportunity to participate in the celebration.
The show will recognize both the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 80th anniversaries of Folsom and the Folsom Chamber of Commerce.
That community-wide component is significant because access to the dinner itself is limited.
The public ticket lottery offered remaining seats after sponsor allocations. Tickets were offered in pairs for $700, or $350 per person, and lottery selections were scheduled to be notified Aug. 17.
More than a dinner
Organizers are also tying the event to a charitable cause. A portion of proceeds from Dinner on the Bridge will benefit Twin Lakes Food Bank, which provides food and essential resources to people and families in the Folsom community.
The event is backed by a broad group of corporate and community sponsors, reflecting the scale of the undertaking required to temporarily turn a working bridge into a large outdoor dining venue.
For Folsom, the evening is intended to be both a celebration of 80 years of cityhood and a showcase of the businesses, chefs and community organizations that shape the city today.
For El Dorado County, the event also puts a familiar regional face — an El Dorado Hills chef — at the center of one of Folsom’s biggest anniversary celebrations.
And for motorists, there is one simple fact to remember: On Sunday, Sept. 13, the Rainbow Bridge is a dinner table, not a through route.
Event details: Dinner on the Bridge is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. Rainbow Bridge will be closed to vehicles from 8 a.m. to midnight. The Historic District will remain open, and motorists are encouraged to use Folsom Boulevard as an alternate crossing.
Sources: Choose Folsom — Dinner on the Bridge; Sacramento Business Journal coverage; Folsom Living event overview
