A free shuttle was added from Paso to Atascadero

ATASCADERO — The bold, bright, and fun Atascadero Fall Festival was back in full swing for its fourth year, starting on Friday, Nov. 15, and running through Sunday, Nov. 17. This year boasted more vendors, more carnival rides, 40 live bands, over 18,000 attendees, and more food options than ever before.

“It’s the most vendors we’ve ever had on site. We had so many food vendors,” stated Andres Nuno, owner of En Fuego Events, who puts on the Fall Fest every year.

After feedback from prior years wishing for more culinary options, Nuno listened, and this year, there were so many food vendors that they filled both East and West Mall. 

“This year, we had Greek food, pizza, BBQ,” Nuno said. “We had Mexican. We had hot dogs. Anything you could imagine, there was somebody there who sold it.”

Hungry Mother Food Truck was one such vendor. This was their second time participating in the Fall Fest, but owner Tommy Stein said they’ve been part of plenty of other events in downtown Atascadero.

“[The] vibe’s been tons of kids and middle schoolers running around having a good old time and then parents playing chase. It’s been good,” he said of the Fall Fest. “[We’re] stoked to be here and very grateful that A-town tries to put on events for the community.”

The Fall Festival also brings people in from out of town, and Nuno added that more and more local people are telling their friends from further away about the Fest, which is great for the businesses downtown. One such business is AMSTRDM Coffee House, which just opened an Atascadero location catty-corner from City Hall. 

“Being a part of Atascadero, especially during Fall Fest, is great. Business is kind of slow being a new business on the corner, but I feel like the amount of events that they’re putting on in Sunken Gardens is really helpful,” said AMSTRDM co-owner Katelyn Smith.

With all the delightful added food options, the middle of Sunken Gardens was packed with the Fest’s merchant vendors for people to shop at while at the free event. And on top of everything else, there were even more carnival rides and attractions this year that expanded the Fest’s footprint. Though the Ferris wheel and swings in front of City Hall still created the perfect visual backdrop. 

“Very surprised at how big it is,” Smith added. “I think that they did a great job expanding it over the West Mall and over by that parking lot by the Jr. High. A lot of activities. They really filled it out.”

This year, there was also a free shuttle for festival-goers on Saturday to make coming to the Fall Fest easier for North County residents. 

“Visit Atascadero and Travel Paso teamed up together to sponsor this for us,” Nuno added.

The shuttle went back and forth from Paso Robles and featured four stops in Paso and six in Atascadero. Nuno also said they are excited to bring it back again next year with a tighter schedule. The shuttle also made it easier for the 18,000-plus attendees to get home safely once they left Sunken Gardens.

“The city’s goal is to bring people into our area to ‘stay, spend, and enjoy’ our city, and that is what the Atascadero Fall Festival is able to accomplish over the three-day weekend. We want our residents to come out and enjoy the city they live in and for visitors to stay longer. Fall Fest accomplishes this goal, and we are very pleased with the results,” stated the city’s Director of Community Services & Promotions Terrie Banish.

Nuno also stated that even though it is En Fuego Events that puts the Atascadero Fall Festival on every year, they could not do it without the help and cooperation of the city, Visit Atascadero, who present the free event, and Banish.

The Atascadero Fall Festival will be back next year from Nov. 14 through 16, 2025.

Featured Image: Atascadero Fall Festival carnival rides light up the night sky downtown. Photo by Rick Evans.