The downtown area was full of people trying out all that Atascadero’s nightlife has to offer

ATASCADERO — The City of Atascadero kicked off its initial First Fridays of 2023 with a Pub Crawl on Friday, Jan. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. First Fridays is a concept created by the Downtown Improvement District Committee in 2020, where each first Friday of the month will feature a selected activity for the community to participate in and enjoy, including last week’s pub crawl.

“We reached out to all of the drinking establishments in the Downtown and asked if they would be interested in hosting a Pub Crawl, and nearly everyone opted in and helped promote it,” stated Deputy City Manager Terrie Banish.

A total of 13 bars and wineries in Atascadero participated in the pub crawl, including Ancient Owl Beer & Bottle Shoppe, Carbon 6 Wine Bar, Central Coast Distillery, Cielo Ristorante, Colony Market & Deli, Kula Vineyards & Winery, The Poisoned Apple, Raconteur Room, Street Side Ale House, Tent City Brewing, Unhinged! Wine Bar, Whiskey & June, and Wild Fields Brewhouse.

Residents who came out to have fun and safely drink their way through downtown Atascadero could pick up cards at participating establishments and collect three stamps or signatures to be entered to win one of three prizes. The pub crawl brought many new faces into bars they had never visited before.

“It’s great. It’s good for the town to be able to get together. Especially all these new bars that have popped up all joining in on one event,” stated Cody Broadstone, co-owner of The Poisoned Apple. “Definitely [saw] some new faces. That’s what’s good about the pub crawls too, is that it gets … you know, people are forced to go to different businesses and new places.”

First Fridays will return on Feb. 3 with an Art and Wine Walk. The city’s next pub crawl will be held Friday, June 2, starting at 6 p.m.

“The summer crawl is a ton of fun as the weather is always perfect for it,” added Banish.