A Toast to Marin Magazine’s 2025 Best of the County Bash

Marin Magazine kicked off Labor Day weekend in style at its annual Best of the County Party on August 29 at the Mill Valley Community Center. The sold-out soirée was a high-energy celebration of community favorites, honoring winners chosen by the public in record numbers — 21,800 votes were cast this year alone for “best of” in arts and entertainment, beauty and wellness, dining, fitness, home and design, philanthropy, services and shopping. More than 800 businesses, organizations and individuals took part in this year’s voting; and while not everyone took top honors, any entrant that received at least 10 votes made the Best of the County list.

Over 350 Marinites Celebrated!

Guests holding up white roses together during a special moment inside the Best of the County Bash.

Group of friends posing together on the lawn at Best of the County Bash.

Group of guests laughing inside a VW photobooth bus at Marin Best of the County Bash.

Group of women inside the photo booth van holding roses and laughing together.

Two women smiling and holding Marin Best of the County 2025 magazine cover.

Guests smiling in embroidered denim jackets and holding white roses at Best of the County Bash.

Attendees posing outside next to a Porsche Marin car at Best of the County Bash.

Guests enjoying beer service outdoors at Marin Magazine’s Best of the County.

Couple posing together in front of the Sausalito Spirits booth at the Best of the County Bash.

Smiling couple posing on the dance floor with wine glasses.

Caterer handing food to guest at Best of the County 2025 event.

Three women posing stylishly near the DJ booth and glowing MARIN sign.

Couple dancing together among a lively crowd at Marin’s Best of the County 2025.

Guests laughing and chatting with drinks in hand on the dance floor.

Guest wearing a flower crown dancing joyfully at the Best of the County Bash.

Guests dancing and raising glasses on the lively dance floor at the Best of the County Bash.

Guest enthusiastically cheering and dancing under colorful lights.

Group of women posing together at Marin Magazine’s Best of the County 2025 event.

Three women standing in front of Best of the County 2025 sign at Marin Magazine event.

Guest holding a wine glass and smiling beside Best of the County 2025 sign.

Guests waving and mingling at Marin Magazine’s Best of the County Bash in Mill Valley.

Three women posing outdoors at Marin Magazine’s Best of the County celebration.

Guests mingling outside Mill Valley Community Center with Porsche Marin display.

Guest smiling while seated inside a Porsche sports car at Best of the County Bash.

Guest holding a glass of wine while seated in a Porsche Marin car at Best of the County Bash.

Group posing outdoors at Marin Magazine’s Best of the County 2025 Bash, smiling in evening light.

Guests dancing under purple and gold lights inside the Best of the County Bash.

Dance floor full of guests enjoying the music and celebration at Marin Magazine’s event.

Group of friends posing together beside large illuminated MARIN letters.

Guest sitting inside the VW photo booth van wearing a playful hat and smiling.

Our Sponsors Made the Event Memorable

Performer singing on stage beside DJ booth with glowing MARIN letters.

Performer singing under bright lights at Marin Best of the County 2025.

Singer performing at Marin Magazine’s 2025 Best of the County Bash.

Tarot reader smiling at her colorful booth outdoors.

Table with Best of the County magazines, Batiste rum, and sponsor sign.

Table with Best of the County magazines, Chinola liqueur, and sponsor sign.

Guests relaxing with drinks in the event’s lounge area.

Tarot reader giving a card reading to a guest.

Chef preparing appetizers at outdoor food station.

Chef and assistant plating small bites for guests.

Guests making floral crowns at the craft table.

Smiling woman at popcorn booth with vintage machine and magazines.

Servers smiling behind buffet table with assorted dishes and toppings.

Wellness booth table with Jyzen flyer and blue sample cups.

Group at Jyzen booth with health products and displays.

Skincare professional performing treatment on guest.

Guest holding up vibrant dragon fruit cocktail.

Group posing at Corner Bar and Playa food booth.

Guest posing with props at Vintage Fiesta photo bus.

Sausalito Liquor Co. team at booth with gin bottles.

Bartender serving cocktails at outdoor mocktail bar.

Vendor with table of East Brothers beers and glassware.

Close-up of East Brother beer cans and branded coasters.

East Brother beer cans chilled in ice bucket.

Server handing takeout container of food to guest.

Kate’s Toffee booth with samples and display sign.

Porsche Marin car on display under evening lights.

Table decorated with glowing candles, flowers, and hanging lanterns.

Marin Magazine would like to thank its sponsors Jyzen, Porsche Marin and Hayes Valley Medical Esthetics, and its many other sponsors — all of whom made this extraordinary evening possible.

A Feast of Flavor and Fun at Mill Valley Community Center

Sign-in table with "Best of the County 2025" banner and raffle setup.

Decorated raffle and sponsor table with flowers and signage.

Large indoor crowd mingling in the main event hall.

Guests mingling outside along the venue patio.

Hanging crystal chandelier and glass candle holders.

Large group of attendees raising glasses and smiling for a photo.

Aerial view of the venue with solar panels and outdoor crowd.

Aerial shot of guests gathered outside with sponsor booths.

Exterior aerial view of the venue surrounded by greenery.

Another wide aerial shot of the venue and event crowd.

Illuminated “MARIN” letters with colorful lights and cloud projection.

Guests mingling by glowing “MARIN” letters and DJ booth.

Outdoor crowd under greenery near photo booth van.

Guests arrived in their most festive party attire to a festival-themed party expertly curated by 38 North Design Co., where they enjoyed delicious farm-to-table salads, small bite plates and mini take-out boxes stuffed with fresh ingredients by Stacy Scott Catering, along with bite-sized ahi tostadas and salmon tartar from Corner Bar and Playa. They also sipped specialty cocktails courtesy of Sausalito Liquor Co. and Batiste Rhum, enjoyed beer from East Brother and sampled wine from J Vineyards & Winery, Orin Swift Cellars and Louis M. Martini Winery. The party atmosphere carried on into the evening with music by DJ Airsun, plus a live performance from Marin native Alicia Furst.

Other sweet and savory touches added to the evening. Kate, the owner of Kate’s Single Batch Toffee passed out her exquisitely made (all by her!) toffee samples and take-home bags. Inside, guests relaxed in the indoor lounge styled by The Wild Ones while on the patios, guests had their futures read by Frontier Tarot, relaxed in a Zen-like setting created by Picnic Potential, took selfies next to SnapFiesta’s adorable vintage VW (view the pics here!) and Porsche Marin’s car. Meanwhile, Matt Grimshaw, aka, the Documattarian, was busy filming it all, and another Matt, Matt Spinetta of Prismic Photography, was taking snaps of every moment.

Prizes and Goodies Galore

Woman with flower crown holding raffle prize and wine.

Woman smiling and holding raffle gift bag, flashing peace sign.

Woman smiling and holding a raffle prize basket.

Two women announcing raffle winners on stage.

Woman smiling and holding raffle prizes with a drink.

Woman smiling with raffle prizes near stage.

Two women exchanging raffle prize bags on stage.

Woman smiling and holding raffle prizes with a rose.

Woman in pink dress receiving raffle prize on stage.

Woman in pink dress posing with raffle prize bag.

Woman in black dress receives raffle prize on stage.

Woman smiling and holding raffle gift bag on stage.

Marin Magazine group publisher Nikki C. Wood and Editorial Director Mimi Towle passed out swoon-worthy raffle prizes to a few of the evening’s luckiest guests, who took home thousands of dollars in goods and gift certificates, including gift cards from Sunrise Home, Seaplane Tours, Hayes Valley Medical Esthetics, SDI Fireplace and Insulation, Club Evexia, Alyce Croft Boudoir Photography, Jyzen and 38 North Design Co. There was also a body and skincare basket from Kivi Organics, a basket of anti-aging facial products from Eva Claiborne Beauty & Wellness, a lush duvet from Scandia Home and a weekend ride in a Porsche Marin up for grabs.

Every guest took home a bag chock full of goodies from party sponsors, including a gift card from Hayes Valley Medical Esthetics; a Jam Bar snack bar; discount vouchers from Blue Jay Bikes, F45 Training, East Brother and the soon to-be-opened Tam Tavern; plus products from SkinCare By the Sea and Kiva Organics.

Hello! Marin App Makes its Big Party Debut

270 Media introduced the lively crowd to its brand new Hello! Marin app, which enables all Marin residents and visitors to explore the best of the county right from their phone, tag their favorites, offer insight and benefit from exclusive offers and savings from local businesses. Anyone who downloaded the new app during the party was entered in a special drawing to win a one-night’s stay at Cavallo Point.

A Big Night Out for Partygoers and 270 Media Staff

Hosts on stage with DJ behind large MARIN sign.

Group of friends posing and smiling outdoors.

Group of five holding roses and smiling for photo.

Large group photo indoors under Best of the County banner.

Friends taking a selfie on the dance floor.

Two women dancing and smiling on the floor.

Guests posing with fun expressions under pink lights.

Guests laughing and posing with selfie stick on dance floor.

Two women smiling inside Porsche Marin car at night.

Celebrating With Purpose

Each year, Marin Magazine selects a nonprofit partner to support during Best of the County. The 2025 nonprofit partner is Habitat for Humanity Greater Bay Area, which will receive a portion of the party’s proceeds to support its mission to build affordable homes and stronger communities throughout Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties. Through volunteer-powered construction, community revitalization, and advocacy for housing equity, Habitat creates opportunities for local families to thrive.

A poignant part of the night was when Heidi Kuhn used the eventing to kick off her campaign “posefortherose” to announce the opening a her international peace center here in Marin County. She paid tribute to Marin County’s legacy of peace (the first United Nations meeting happened in Muir Woods 80 years prior) and to honor her hero, Princess Diana, who tragically died 28 years earlier, she gave away 300 white roses, a nod to Elton John’s “Good-bye English Rose.”