2025 festival features ‘Fantastical Cove’, with mystical creatures, magical mushrooms, and more
—The Cambria Scarecrow Festival returns in October for a month of whimsical, cycling, flying, fishing, and otherwise occupied scarecrows taking over the villages of Cambria and San Simeon. The festival runs from October 1 to 31 every year, and has become one of the most anticipated events in the U.S., drawing thousands of visitors from across the country.
The scarecrows dominate Cambria Village and Moonstone Drive. In San Simeon, they have settled in on Castillo and Hearst Drives.
Evolving from the first festival in 2009, when only 30 scarecrows lined the streets, the Cambria Scarecrow Festival has grown to showcase hundreds of creations throughout both charming villages. Returning displays include the interactive “Fun and Games” installation, the KISS band scarecrows in a farewell concert, and Blowin’, a scarecrow hanging onto a pole to avoid being swept away by the Cambria winds.
New this year is “Fantastical Cove” in San Simeon, an immersive exhibit featuring a seaserpent, a troll, a unicorn, and colorful mushrooms and gnomes.
It’s always challenging coming up with new and exciting displays,” said Stephanie Vassigh, vice president of the Cambria Scarecrow Festival. “An incredible amount of work and creativity goes into making them. This year’s festival is sure to be one of our best yet.”
Scarecrows typically begin appearing the last week of September and are the result of a year-long planning, creation, workshops, and fundraising events that involve the entire community. One of the highlights leading up to the festival is a series of Dr. Crow workshops where volunteers gather to create new scarecrows and repair the old ones. The workshops run from May through September, and interested volunteers can sign up on the Cambria Scarecrow website.
The festival is free and family friendly. Plan on spending the day enjoying the scarecrows, shops, and excellent restaurants. Bring your camera, and dress for layers! Add the Cambria Scarecrow Festival to your “must-do” list.
Cambria is located just off Highway 1, about 33 miles north of San Luis Obispo, or 30 miles west of Paso Robles via Highway 46 W. For more information, visit cambriascarecrows.com or call (805) 203-0743.
