Every October, Cambria gives itself permission to get a little more playful.
For the full month, more than 200 handmade scarecrows appear along Main Street, beside storefronts and gardens, down Moonstone Drive, and out into San Simeon, turning the whole town into a free, self-guided walking tour of creativity and community spirit. Some are laugh-out-loud funny, some are genuinely artful, and a few have become local celebrities that visitors search out by name and greet like old friends year after year.
What started in 2009 with just 30 scarecrows arranged around the Cambria Historical Society grounds, inspired by a tiny scarecrow festival in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, has grown into one of the Central Coast’s most beloved fall traditions. It draws visitors from across California, and yet it has never lost its handmade, hometown feel. Businesses build their own characters, residents volunteer their time, and artists spend months crafting elaborate displays entirely by hand. The festival is free to enjoy, though donations and the Friends of the Cambria Scarecrow Festival sponsorship program help keep it going.
It is best experienced on foot, wandering the East and West Villages with a coffee in hand, ducking down side streets to find what is tucked around the next corner. October is the busiest month on the Central Coast calendar, so if you are visiting for the scarecrows, book lodging early.
We told the full story behind the festival, from that first trip to Nova Scotia to the volunteers who build it each year, in our Hello Spotlight feature on the Cambria Scarecrow Festival. For everything else happening around town this fall, browse the HelloCambria events calendar.
