California 101 Travelers Guide Events Calendar
Through April 21 Underwood Farms Springtime Easter Festival
Moorpark Underwood Farms is well known for its pumpkin patch in the fall, but if you haven’t visited in the spring, you’re missing out. The annual Springtime Easter Festival celebrates all the new things growing on the farm and adds a healthy dose of Easter to the mix. Take a wagon ride around the dozens of acres of farmland, pick your own produce, pet animals, go down the harvester slide, try arts & crafts, go for an egg hunt, and, of course, get your photo with the Easter Bunny.
For more: underwoodfamilyfarms.com
April 5, 10 am to 5 pm The Hunt
Ventura Get ready for Ventura’s biggest holiday egg hunt. Plaza Park will be planted with thousands of eggs for kids from 0 to 12 to come hunt. The morning is broken into different age groups, so everyone gets a chance to get their hands on some treasure. The Hunt is completely free — just register! After your kids hunt, hang out to see the Easter Bunny and explore the Kid Zone, with rides, bounce houses, a rock-climbing wall and lots more.
For tickets and more: thehuntventura.com
April 24-27 and May 2-4 Santa Barbara Fair & Expo
Santa Barbara The Santa Barbara Fair & Expo returns to the Earl Warren Showgrounds just in time to take advantage of peak spring weather. Enjoy plenty of fair rides and games, as well as farm animal exhibits, dozens of exhibits and kids’ activities, all the class fair foods and drinks, and a wide array of entertainment — from magic to pig races to live music. Bring your hairspray and neon bike shorts — this year’s theme is 80s Flashback!
For tickets and more: earlwarren.com
April 24-29 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival
San Luis Obispo Film buffs unite! Dive into the world of cinema at the annual SLO International Film Festival. Since 1993, this festival has brought hundreds of world-class films — long form, shorts, animation, comedy, drama, foreign language, and more — to the Central Coast.
For tickets and more: slofilmfest.org
April 25-May 4 Santa Barbara Restaurant Week
Santa Barbara Foodies, assemble! This week is all about celebrating the incredible cuisine and wine found in and around Santa Barbara. Chefs and vintners are pulling out all the stops with a slew of events — pre-fixe dinners, reserve tastings, and special menu items found only during this week.
For tickets and more: sbrestaurantweeks.com
April 26, 10 am to 1 pm Love Your Planet
Camarillo Honor Earth Day in the beautiful Camarillo Grove Park on April 26. Learn about wildlife rehabilitation and conservation, take a scenic hike, and chat with local nonprofits and vendors on this fun and educational day.
For more: pvrpd.org/events
April 26, noon to 5 pm Natural Coast Wine Festival
Santa Barbara The third annual Natural Coast Wine Festival celebrates the Central Coast wineries and growers using environmentally friendly practices. Sample some excellent wines while learning about beneficial viticulture, low-impact winemaking, and socially-conscious business practices. These amazing, organic wines prove you can produce top-notch wines and still do right by Mother Earth and your fellow man.
For tickets and more: naturalcoastwinefest.com
April 26, 11 am to 5 pm SLO EarthFest
San Luis Obispo “SLO” down and ignite your passion for the Earth at SLO EarthFest. Join like-minded folks at Meadow Park to learn about climate action, sustainability initiatives, and all the ways we can pitch in to help our planet, and each other. Hang out all day for live music, a kids’ zone, wellness zone, food, eco-friendly vendors, and tons more. Tickets are free, but registration is required.
For tickets and more: sloclimatecoalition.org/earthfest
April 26-27 SB Earth Day
Santa Barbara All things eco-friendly will converge on Santa Barbara’s Alameda Park on the last weekend in April. Since 1970, this event has celebrated the Earth and provided locals and visitors alike with information on how they can make a difference — and have a good time doing it. Check out the green car show, activities for the kids, a plant-forward food court and beer garden, and sustainably-focused vendors and educators.
For more: sbearthday.org
May 2, 11 am to 7 pm Atascadero Tamale Festival
Atascadero Tamale lovers unite! Spend a day in Atascadero noshing on dozens of varieties of this beloved California treat. Try sweet, savory, traditional and inventive varieties, along with lots of great beverages, vendors, music, and fun activities.
For more: atascaderotamalefest.com
May 2-3 Shabang Festival
San Luis Obispo Missed Woodstock? Never fear, Shabang is here! Good music, good art, and good friends (old and new!) collide in this music festival where good vibes take over SLO’s Dairy Creek Golf Course. You’ll get a taste of all kinds of music in this fully immersive experience that also includes interactive art exhibits, yoga and movement classes, and plenty of food, drink, and shopping. Camping is available nearby for the full experience, but so too are hotels if that’s not your jam.
For tickets and more: shabangslo.com
May 2-4 Santa Barbara Fair & Expo
Santa Barbara The Santa Barbara Fair & Expo returns to the Earl Warren Showgrounds just in time to take advantage of peak spring weather. Enjoy plenty of fair rides and games, as well as farm animal exhibits, dozens of exhibits and kids’ activities, all the class fair foods and drinks, and a wide array of entertainment — from magic to pig races to live music.
For tickets and more: earlwarren.com
May 3, 11:30 am to 4:30 pm Buellton Brew Festival
Buellton The 12th annual Buellton Brew Festival returns to River View Park with more than 50 breweries, wineries, cideries, spirit makers, and more. In between sips, get your groove on to live music, try your hand at lawn games like giant beer pong and cornhole, then grab a bite at one of the many food trucks. Take advantage of the “brew bus,” which provides transportation to four locations in Santa Barbara, Goleta, Santa Maria, and Lompoc.
For tickets and more: buelltonbrewfest.com
May 15-18 Paso Wine Fest
Paso Robles If you’re looking for a good wine festival, it’s hard to beat the Paso Wine Fest. Four days of endless tastings, dinners, music, and art combine May 15 to 18 at locations around the Paso AVA. The main event features more than 120 Paso Robles wineries, including a handful that will offer an immersive tasting experience (think artistic bar installations and creative details that bring out the full character of their brand).
For tickets and more: pasowine.com/winefest
May 17-18, 10 am to 6:30 pm California Strawberry Festival
Ventura Here on the Central Coast, we take our strawberries very seriously. The Strawberry Festival celebrates all things strawberry with a massive celebration at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Rides, games, arts & crafts, vendors, live entertainment, and of course, tons and tons of strawberry-related foods and beverages! Grab standards, like a freshly-made strawberry margarita, and get adventurous with strawberry pizza, tamales, and chimichangas!
For tickets and more: castrawberryfestival.org
May 24-25, 10 am to 5 pm Ojai Art in the Park
Ojai The Ojai Art Center is the oldest nonprofit art center in California, and its artist community is vibrant and thriving. OAC’s annual Art in the Park event returns to Libbey Park the last weekend in May with dozens of artists specializing in a wide variety of media. Stroll under the oaks and find your next must-have piece of art, then wander through Ojai’s beautiful downtown.
For more: ojaiartcenter.org/artinthepark
May 24-26 Morro Bay Art in the Park
Morro Bay Explore dozens of local artists at Morro Bay’s Art in the Park with every type of art you can think of. Textiles, ceramics, oil paintings, photography, sculpture, woodwork, jewelry, glassware, and more — it’s all there at Morro Bay Park, along with plenty of food and drink to keep your energy up as you explore row after row of San Luis Obispo County’s finest selection of handmade arts and crafts.
For more: morrobayartinthepark.com
May 31 Spring Wine Walk & Vendor Fair
Ventura A stroll through downtown Ventura is great any time of year, but in spring, it’s hard to beat. Add wine, sparkling wine, craft beers, and shopping, and you have yourself an idyllic day. The Spring Wine Walk offers more than 60 tasting locations in different businesses along the town’s main corridor, allowing you to sip and shop to your heart’s content. Save some shopping energy for the vendor fair, which features dozens of local vendors.
For tickets and more: springwinewalk.com
June 5-8 Ojai Music Festival
Ojai This festival has been a mainstay in Ventura County since the late 1940s, with legends like Pierre Boulez, Aaron Copland, Arnold Schoenberg, and Igor Stravinsky all having played at Ojai’s historic Libbey Bowl. But to call this merely a classic music festival would be an injustice. Yes, it celebrates the likes of Schubert and Vivaldi from year to year but is also an exploration of musical instruments and brilliant minds, all under the influence of the magical Ojai Valley. This year’s event is helmed by Music Director Claire Chase and features contemporary artists like the JACK Quartet, Susie Ibarra, Seth Parker Woods, Alex Peh, and many more.
For tickets and more: ojaifestival.org
June 6-8 Seaside Tattoo Show
Ventura Ink up! The 7th annual Seaside Tattoo Show returns to the Ventura County Fairgrounds this June with more than 100 licensed tattoo artists, piercers, and other body art experts. Get inked up onsite, explore 30-plus vendors, and take in burlesque performances. Several contests throughout the weekend give you a chance to showcase your existing body art. There’s even a kids’ area at this family-friendly event.
For more: seasidetattooshow.com
June 13-15 Live Oak Music Festival
San Luis Obispo
Love music and the outdoors? You’ll love Live Oak! This annual music festival takes over SLO’s El Chorro Regional Park in this 3-day event that combines eclectic music groups with camping. Get your groove on at several stages, and enjoy excellent makers booths, music workshops, food and drink opportunities — as well as lots of fun activities for the kids.
For tickets and more: liveoakfest.org
June 20-22 Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Celebration
Santa Barbara Celebrate the return of summer with this weekend-long party in Santa Barbara! A parade with tons of performance artists and musicians may be one of the big attractions, but the fun continues all weekend long with music, food and beverages, sun-related crafts and activities, and tons of dancing opportunities. This one is for all ages (except the beer and wine garden, of course). The theme this year is Wild World!
For more: solsticeparade.com
June 21 Ojai Wine Festival, noon to 4 pm
Ojai Over the last couple of years, Lake Casitas has returned to almost full-status, making it an idyllic backdrop to one of our area’s oldest wine festivals. The 37th annual Ojai Wine Festival features dozens of wines — both local and national — and has grown over the years to include a huge selection of craft beers, spirits, and ciders, too. With live music, food booths, and a vendor area, it’s a great way to spend an afternoon.
For tickets and more: ojaiwinefestival.com
June 29 Boots & Brews Country Music Festival
Ventura Country music fans, get ready for surf, sun, and a day full of live country music! Kane Brown is headlining this year and will be joined by several other performers throughout the afternoon. Enjoy music, friends, cold beers and great food, right on Surfer’s Point in Ventura. Several levels of tickets can be purchased from general admission to luxe perks like VIP lounge and front row access to private cabanas and more.
For tickets and more: bootsandbrews.com/ventura