Have you ever seen a whole town dressed up in straw, buttons and imagination? Every October, Cambria does exactly that!
For one month, hundreds of handmade scarecrows take over this little village on California’s Central Coast. They sit on benches, lean against shop windows, ride bicycles, dance, sing and even swashbuckle.
The Cambria Scarecrow Festival is free, walkable and wonderfully quirky. It turns Main Street, Moonstone Beach Drive and even neighboring San Simeon into one big open-air art gallery.
I visited the festival with my family, and I came home with a camera roll full of scarecrows and a heart full of smiles.
In this guide, I’ll share everything you need for the Cambria Scarecrow Festival 2026: dates, where to find the scarecrows, parking, tips and where to stay. I’ll also share why this humble festival touched me so deeply, and how it took me back home to Kolkata.
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Cambria Scarecrow Festival 2026 at a Glance
- Dates: October 1–31, 2026
- Cost: Free to view every scarecrow
- Where: Cambria’s East Village and West Village, Moonstone Beach Drive, and Castillo Drive and Hearst Drive in San Simeon
- How many: 200+ handcrafted scarecrows
- Map: on cambriascarecrows.com and in the free Visit Cambria App
- Vote: pick your favorite at cambriascarecrows.com/vote for a chance to win a free night in Cambria
- Parking: street parking, plus public lots in East Village (between Main Street and Center Street) and West Village (corner of Cornwall Street and Sheffield Street)
- Don’t miss: “PJ’s in the Patch,” a brand-new sleep-themed display in San Simeon
Tip: Download the Visit Cambria App before you leave home. It lists every scarecrow with its location, so you can plan your walk over breakfast.
What Is the Cambria Scarecrow Festival?
The Cambria Scarecrow Festival is a month-long community art celebration held every October in Cambria, California.
It is not a farm event or a Halloween haunt. It is a celebration of local creativity, where artists, businesses, school groups and residents hand-make scarecrows and display them across town.
Some are classic harvest figures in plaid shirts and straw hats. Others are mermaids, aliens, rock stars and characters straight out of a storybook!
How It All Began
The festival made its first appearance in 2009 with just 30 scarecrows.
According to local accounts, the idea came from a tiny scarecrow festival in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, which a Cambria couple stumbled upon during a trip in 2008.
Since then, the scarecrow population has grown into the hundreds, thanks to the ingenuity of local students, residents and businesses.
Today, the festival is run by a volunteer-driven non-profit. Over the years, it has been featured by the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and ABC News.
Fun fact: The festival also funds scholarships for graduating Cambria high school students who plan to pursue careers in the arts. So every scarecrow you admire is quietly helping a young artist take the next step!
Where to See the Scarecrows in Cambria and San Simeon
There is no official route, and that is part of the charm. You simply wander, and the scarecrows find you.
Trust me, wandering is the best part, especially with kids! Mine turned it into a treasure hunt. Every few steps, I heard, “Mommy, look, there is a scarecrow!”
They walked through street after street and never once complained about walking. If you have kids, you know what a small miracle that is!
Here’s how the festival is spread out.
East Village
- Where: the east end of Main Street, plus Burton Drive and Bridge Street
- Parking: public lot between Main Street and Center Street
- Best for: historic storefronts, cafés and dense clusters of scarecrows
The East Village is the historic heart of Cambria, and it is the perfect place to begin.
When we visited, the grounds of the Guthrie-Bianchini House were full of creative, quirky scarecrows. Don’t just admire them from the garden. Step inside the house too!
Built in 1870, it is one of Cambria’s oldest homes, and today it houses the Cambria Historical Museum. Eugenio Bianchini, a Swiss immigrant, bought the house in 1916, and his family lived here for more than half a century.
My elder daughter was fascinated by its history. Docents share stories of old Cambria, and the rooms give you a lovely Victorian vibe.
Fun fact: In the 1980s, some business owners wanted to replace this house with a parking lot! Instead, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Cambria Historical Society later restored it as a museum.
Tip: The museum sits on the corner of Burton Drive and Center Street. Check the Cambria Historical Society website for current hours before you go.
Tip: If you are looking for a good restaurant here like us, then try Robin’s, just steps from the museum. We loved its garden patio, its lovely ambiance and its own well-dressed scarecrow! For dinner, we went to Linn’s on Main Street.
West Village
- Where: the west end of Main Street
- Parking: public lot at the corner of Cornwall Street and Sheffield Street
- Best for: galleries, restaurants and a slower stroll
The West Village feels a little more relaxed. Scarecrows peek out from gardens, galleries and restaurant patios, so keep your eyes open.
This is where our walk slowed down, and we loved every minute of it. We popped into an ice cream shop, picked up our ice creams and simply wandered the street.
The scarecrows here are wonderfully quirky. Some had a Hitchcock-like feel, completely different from the rest!
And then I was astonished to see a scarecrow wearing a sari! My daughter said, “Mommy, look, she is wearing a sari. They know about sari!” It was such a fun moment for us.
Moonstone Beach Drive
- Where: the coastal road lined with inns and hotels, just west of Highway 1
- Parking: along Moonstone Beach Drive
- Best for: scarecrows with the Pacific as a backdrop
This is where the festival meets the sea. Scarecrows pose outside the inns while the waves roll in just beyond them.
Pair your scarecrow hunt with a walk on the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk. The ocean views are the perfect reward after a morning of village wandering!
READ MORE: Moonstone Beach Boardwalk in Cambria – A Scenic Coastal Trail on Highway 1
San Simeon
- Where: the frontage roads on both sides of Highway 1, Castillo Drive and Hearst Drive
- Biggest display: the lot next to San Simeon Beach Bar & Grill
- New in 2026: “PJ’s in the Patch”
Yes, San Simeon joins the fun too! The festival follows Highway 1 north, just a short drive from Cambria.
This year, look for the brand-new “PJ’s in the Patch,” with bedtime storytelling, a granny pillow fight and an overnight camping adventure.
Returning favorites include “Fantastical Cove,” with a unicorn, a sea serpent, gnomes and colorful mushrooms, and “Crowchella,” a star-studded musical display of scarecrow rock legends.
I love that the San Simeon setup feels different. The scarecrows stand on one side, and the vast, beautiful Pacific Ocean stretches out on the other side of Highway 1. It has a charm of its own!
It is also much less crowded than Cambria. Less crowded, but not less creative!
Travel Tip: Visit San Simeon’s scarecrows in the late afternoon, then stay for sunset at San Simeon Pier!
Tip: If you want lunch in San Simeon, then head to Sebastian’s General Store in Old San Simeon Village or Cavalier Coastal Kitchen at the Cavalier Oceanfront Resort. Right next to Sebastian’s, the Hearst Ranch Winery tasting room pours local wines with a view of the ocean!
Old San Simeon Village sits just across Highway 1 from the Hearst Castle Visitor Center, so it makes a perfect stop before or after your castle tour.
READ MORE: Things to Do in San Simeon, California on Highway 1
My Walk Among the Scarecrows
What makes these scarecrows special is how personal each one feels. They are not mass-produced decorations.
Somebody sat at a kitchen table, stuffed straw into old clothes and gave a face its own personality. Each display has a name and a creator, and you can feel the humor and love stitched into it.
Travel Tip: Walk, don’t drive. Many scarecrows are visible from the road, but up close you’ll notice the tiny details: hand-stitched faces, clever props and witty signs.
A Free Open-Air Gallery: How It Reminded Me of Durga Puja
As I walked from one scarecrow to the next, my mind kept drifting thousands of miles away, to Kolkata in autumn.
Every year during Durga Puja, the whole city turns into an open-air art gallery. Neighborhoods build their own pandals, and many follow a creative theme, from village crafts to bold modern installations.
People walk for hours, hopping from one pandal to the next. Nobody buys a ticket. You simply walk, look and wonder.
Fun fact: In 2021, UNESCO inscribed Durga Puja in Kolkata on its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Of course, the two festivals are very different. Durga Puja is a deeply spiritual celebration of the Goddess, full of rituals, the beat of the dhak and devotion. Cambria’s scarecrows are playful, whimsical and light-hearted.
But the spirit underneath is the same. A community comes together, imagines something beautiful, builds it by hand and then simply gives it away for everyone to enjoy.
No entry fee. No ticket line. Just art, sidewalks and curious people walking slowly.
Here in California, we celebrate Durga Puja too, and the Bay Area pujas carry that same warm sense of community.
READ MORE: Bay Area Durga Puja 2026: A Guide to the Grand Celebrations
Why This Festival Matters in a Screen-Obsessed World
We live in an era of screens. Most of the art we see now arrives through a phone, in a scroll that lasts half a second.
The Cambria Scarecrow Festival asks for something different. It asks you to slow down, walk and look.
Every scarecrow here began as a thought in someone’s head. A retired neighbor, a group of students, a café owner, a local artist. They imagined, they cut and sewed and stuffed, and they placed their creation outside for strangers to enjoy.
There are no filters and no algorithms. Just straw, fabric, humor and human hands.
And it lasts only one month. Then the scarecrows go back into garages and storerooms, and the town returns to its quiet self.
Maybe that is what makes it so precious. Like autumn leaves, it is beautiful partly because it does not stay.
A whole town turned into an open-air gallery of handmade scarecrows, free for everyone, for one month only! #Cambria #ScarecrowFestival #California Share on XScarecrow Festivals Around the World
Cambria is not alone in its love for scarecrows. Around the world, communities have turned these humble field guardians into art, storytelling and even a way to keep villages alive.
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada
Mahone Bay is a small waterfront town in Nova Scotia with a much-loved scarecrow festival of its own.
In 2026, it celebrates its 30th edition, with more than 250 handmade, life-size figures along Main Street and Edgewater Street from September 25 to October 12.
Kettlewell, Yorkshire Dales, England
In the Yorkshire Dales village of Kettlewell, scarecrows go on “holiday” every August.
The festival began in 1994 as a fundraiser for the village primary school. Visitors follow clue trails to find them all, and the money raised supports local facilities like the school and village hall.
Nagoro, Japan – The Village of Scarecrows
Deep in the mountains of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku Island lies Nagoro, perhaps the most poignant scarecrow village on Earth.
When Ayano Tsukimi returned to her childhood village in the early 2000s, she found it emptying as people moved to the cities. So she began making life-size dolls, called kakashi, and placing them where neighbors used to be.
Soon, the scarecrows outnumbered the people. They wait at bus stops, work in the fields and sit at desks in the old schoolhouse.
Oku Harima, Japan – Cambria’s Sister Scarecrow Village
Here’s a lovely connection! Cambria has an official sister scarecrow festival in Japan, the Oku Harima Scarecrow Village near Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture.
Masato Okaue began creating scarecrows there in 2010 to bring life back to his aging hometown. He even made a kakashi named Sakura for Cambria’s festival, and a Cambria artist sent a scarecrow named Bonnie to live in the Japanese village.
Interesting fact: Two small communities on opposite sides of the Pacific, connected by straw, fabric and the same simple wish: to make their streets feel alive.
Tips for Visiting the Cambria Scarecrow Festival
- Go on a weekday if you can. Parking fills up fast on weekends.
- Grab the first parking spot you find and explore on foot.
- Wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers. October on the coast can be sunny, chilly or even rainy.
- Be street-smart. Use crosswalks, and never stop your car in the middle of the road for a photo.
- Strollers are welcome. Most scarecrows are viewable from sidewalks, though some sit on uneven ground.
- Bring your dog. Cambria and San Simeon are pet-friendly towns.
- Share your photos with #CambriaScarecrowFestival.
- Vote for your favorite at cambriascarecrows.com/vote.
- Check for evening events. The festival often hosts a ticketed wine-and-food evening, Salute to Scarecrows, near the end of October. Check cambriascarecrows.com for this year’s details.
- Make it a weekend. Add Hearst Castle, the elephant seals and tiny Harmony.
Where to Stay for the Cambria Scarecrow Festival
You can see the festival in a day, but trust me, a night on the coast makes it so much sweeter!
When I stayed in San Simeon, I loved The Morgan, a boutique hotel just minutes from Hearst Castle and the Pacific shoreline.
Its cozy rooms, heated pool and relaxed breakfast make it a lovely base for both San Simeon’s scarecrows and Cambria’s villages.
Tip: If you want to wake up by the coast and skip the weekend parking hunt in Cambria, then book your stay at The Morgan in San Simeon. Both scarecrow trails are a short drive away.
If you prefer to stay in Cambria, the inns along Moonstone Beach Drive put you right beside the scarecrows and the ocean.
More to Explore Near Cambria
- Moonstone Beach Boardwalk in Cambria
- Harmony, the tiny town with just 18 residents
- Hearst Castle in San Simeon
- Elephant Seal Vista Point on Highway 1
- Fall Colors in Paso Robles
READ MORE: 17 Best Highway 1 Weekend Getaways from the Bay Area (2026)
Cambria Scarecrow Festival FAQs
When is the Cambria Scarecrow Festival in 2026?
The festival runs from October 1 to October 31, 2026.
Is the Cambria Scarecrow Festival free?
Yes! There is no fee to view any of the scarecrows.
Where can I see the scarecrows?
Scarecrows are displayed throughout Cambria’s East and West Villages, along Moonstone Beach Drive and in San Simeon. The official map is on cambriascarecrows.com and in the Visit Cambria App.
Does San Simeon take part in the Scarecrow Festival?
Yes. Look along the frontage roads on both sides of Highway 1, on Castillo Drive and Hearst Drive. The biggest display is on the lot next to San Simeon Beach Bar & Grill.
How much time do I need?
Plan on half a day for Cambria’s villages and Moonstone Beach Drive, plus an hour or two for San Simeon.
Is the Cambria Scarecrow Festival good for kids?
Absolutely. It is outdoors, self-guided and full of funny characters. Just keep little ones close near the streets.
Can I vote for my favorite scarecrow?
Yes. Vote at cambriascarecrows.com/vote, and you’ll be entered to win a free night’s stay in Cambria.
How far is Cambria from San Francisco?
Cambria is roughly a four-hour drive south of San Francisco via US-101, or longer if you take scenic Highway 1 through Big Sur.
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Travel Realizations
Cambria’s scarecrows are made of straw and old clothes, but what they really carry is something much rarer these days: unhurried human imagination.
Walking among them, I realized that art does not always need a museum, a ticket or a famous name. Sometimes it waits on a sidewalk, wearing a straw hat and a goofy grin.
Like the pandals of Durga Puja back home, these scarecrows remind us that a community’s creativity is one of the most generous gifts it can give.
And like every beautiful season, it is gone in a month. So go while it lasts, walk slowly and let a scarecrow make you smile!
Leave a comment below if you have any questions, or DM me on Instagram @travelrealizations.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to the Cambria Scarecrow Festival 2026. You may also enjoy these other travel guides:
- Moonstone Beach Boardwalk in Cambria – A Scenic Coastal Trail on Highway 1
- Things to Do in San Simeon, California on Highway 1
- Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California – A Complete Travel Guide
- Harmony, California – The Tiny Town with Just 18 Residents on Highway 1
- Bay Area Halloween Events 2026: 26 Best Things to Do
- Bay Area Durga Puja 2026: A Guide to the Grand Celebrations
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