On October 1 of each year, hundreds of imaginative and whimsical scarecrows descend upon the seaside villages of Cambria and San Simeon for the annual Cambria Scarecrow Festival. 

They line the streets and fill empty lots through October 31. The festival debuted in 2009 and has been featured in places as varied as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, ABC News, and Huffington Post.  USA Today named our festival as one of the nation’s top 10 autumn festivals and The Travel Channel included it in the top 10 scarecrow festivals in the U.S. and Canada.

The scarecrow festival is more than just a curious attraction. The festival also provides scholarships to students poised to graduate from Cambria’s high schools who plan to pursue careers in the arts.

Visitors now enjoy seeing scarecrows singing, pedaling, dancing, swashbuckling, and flying throughout Cambria and San Simeon. Creators of these whimsical characters include local artists, business owners, students, and volunteers who don’t think they’re artists but really are.

Here’s a taste of what you will see:

• A brand new whimsical Fun n’ Games display in the empty lot between the Shell Station and Cutruzzola Winery features games and toys from your youth. You’ll find Monopoly, Candy Land, a teeter totter, Jack in the Box, hula hoops and more! Twister, anyone? Look up in the tree to find Zippy, our very own zip lining scarecrow. You can even get in on the fun and play too.

• Our take on the movie Encanto and will return, this time along Moonstone Beach Drive. A big hit last year, it features some larger-than-life characters and a wonderful message of family you won’t want to miss.

• Last year Art Sherwyn taught a workshop that resulted in out of this world creations reminiscent of the cantina scene in Star Wars. You can still hang out with these wild, quirky and inventive creatures we call CambriAliens at the Cambria Center for the Arts and around town in front of businesses. Voted Best Display last year, you’ll want to make sure to check these out.

• Enjoy our Picnic Cambria Style populated by woodland animals you see in our local forests and hills. A whimsical rabbit, deer, opossum, foxes (and more) share a meal along the walkway by the Santa Rosa Catholic Church. St Francis will be joining them, along with some of his furry friends, this year.

• Our local children made all of the imaginative dragons you will see flying along the fence on Main Street between East and West Village. Their crows from last year will be flying too. You’ll be delighted at what these children create.

• Don’t forget to head up to San Simeon to wander around to visit! Not only will there be scarecrows in front of the businesses, a visit to our spooky Cambria Academy, located in the empty lot beside the San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill, is a must. There you can walk around the characters and scenes inspired by the series Wednesday. This year a special election for class president will be happening. You'll have to visit to see who will be running for class president!

• Along Cambria Drive, you’ll find our Make-it-in-a-Day workshop creations inspired by traditional scarecrows. Every year, participants of this free workshop are amazed at what they come up with and how fun it is to make scarecrows. A lot of these people get hooked and join our volunteer crew.
And these are just the displays!

As you travel around the towns of Cambria and San Simeon, you will see many more new scarecrows lining the streets. Among them will be some celebrities - Taylor will be stepping off in Cambria from her tour, The Rock will show up and the original KISS band will all be together - as well as more interactive robots, a Stanford cheerleader, a blushing bride, Apakaila the witch, and an ecstatic Kentucky Derby winner. And this is just some of the ones debuting this year.

Keep your eyes open to glimpse some of your favorites from past years like our running pumpkin (fresh from a facelift), Dolly and Elton, robots, the moon and sun goddesses, the tooth fairy, Zumba teacher and Barbie, to name a few. You will be amazed at all of the creativity and thought that went into the scarecrows and won’t want to miss seeing any of them.

This event is FREE! So come to Cambria and San Simeon, check out all of the creations, and enjoy this special area. This festival will definitely be full of photo opportunities as well!

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Location: East Village of Cambria to the West Village, along Moonstone Drive and throughout San Simeon.