What To Expect For The 2026 Atascadero Lakeside WineFest
- Atascadero Chamber
- May 20
- 5 min read
The wine festival you all know and love is back for its 29th year! The Atascadero Lakeside WineFest (aka the locals' favorite wine festival on the Central Coast) is THE summer festival you won't want to miss. Enjoy unlimited tastings of award-winning wines from 60+ of the best wineries in wine country on Saturday, June 13th, from 4 - 8 PM.
Whether you've been coming to this wine festival since day one or you just heard about it from a friend who wouldn't stop talking about it, this guide covers everything you need to show up ready, happy, and well-pour-pared. No matter if you're from San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Templeton, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande, San Miguel, Santa Margarita, Nipomo, Oceano, Atascadero local, or visiting from the Central Valley or LA, this guide is for you!
100+
Award-Winning Wines
60+
Wineries & Breweries
29th
Year Running
4 PM
Gates Open
What To Bring To The Atascadero Lakeside WineFest
Technically speaking, you don't have to bring anything to the Atascadero Lakeside WineFest except your ticket with the QR code and ID. (This can be on your cell phone, or printed out. Just make sure the QR code is fully visible.) Your ticket already covers unlimited wine and beer tastings and a class to sip from. However, there are some very minor additions that you can bring to enjoy the experience to its fullest!
Recommended Wine Festival Checklist
Your Tickets: They can be on your cell phone, or printed out. Just make sure the QR code is fully visible
Your ID: We'll need to make sure that you're old enough to partake in the wine festivities.
Lawn Chairs & Picnic Blankets: Find your spot under one of the park's gorgeous oaks and set up camp. Relax with your wine and enjoy the live music. Once you're out of wine, simply leave your chair, grab some more wine, and come back. There will be several park benches scattered around the wine festival, but we strongly recommend bringing even more comfortable seating. It really takes the experience to the next level!
Sunscreen, Hat, & Shades: It is summer after all on the Central Coast; the sun here is quite bright. Even under the shade of the trees, you're going to want some additional protection.
Your Wallet: Fantastic artisans and amazing food will be available for purchase during the festival.
A Travel Plan: Be the hero of your group and grab a Designated Driver ticket, which gets you into the festival at a discount! It's all the fun of the fest without any of the alcohol. Or, pull together with your friends to rent a chartered vehicle from local businesses like SLO Safe Ride or Elegant Image Limousine (just to name a few). Apps like Uber and Lyft are also great options. Parking is FREE in the parking lot at the festival, but spots fill up fast. We recommend carpooling or getting dropped off.
Your Friends & Family: Bring the whole gang to the festival! Kids are welcome and do not need a ticket when accompanied by a guardian that has a ticket.
What You Can't Bring To The Wine Festival
While this isn't a long list, it is an important one. This is not a complete list; please call the Atascadero Chamber team at (805) 466-2044 for a full list.
Dogs: We love 'em, but since we have lots of food, wine, and people, they're not allowed in.
Outside Food & Drink: We'll have plenty of food options available to purchase inside the festival, as well as drinks. (There will be free water stations at the festival.)
How To Park At The 2026 Atascadero Lakeside WineFest
The festival is at Atascadero Lake Park, 9305 Pismo Avenue, Atascadero, CA 93422, a beautiful park with a lake and a zoo that is easy to find. The not-so-secret
secret? This event sells out every year, so parking gets busy! Go in with a plan, and you'll be totally fine.
Parking Tips For WineFest
Arrive early, the closer to 4 PM (gate open time), the more crowded it will be. Parking is FREE in the lot in front of the festival, but it tends to fill up fast.
Carpool with your friends and family. If more people carpool, there will be fewer cars hunting for parking spots, so that you can spend more time enjoying wine.
Rideshare with Uber or Lyft, have them drop you off before entering the parking lot (so you don't get stuck behind folks trying to park), and then have them pick you up once the festival has ended.
What's At The Atascadero Lakeside WineFest?
Calling WineFest "just a wine tasting" is like calling the Pacific "just some water." This is a full-on celebration of everything the Central Coast does best, and the fact that it literally spills into a zoo makes it like no other wine festival in SLO County.
Here's what's waiting for you inside the gates:
100+ Wines, 60+ Award-Winning Wineries, Unlimited Tastings: Your ticket is your key to over 100 wines poured by talented winemakers from Paso Robles, Templeton, Atascadero, and beyond. Expect bold reds, crisp whites, and everything in between.
Craft Beer & Cider From Local Breweries: Not a wine person? We've got a handful of amazing beers and ciders to switch things up! There's something for everyone here, and that's not just a saying.
Incredible Food: Some of the best food on the Central Coast will be set up throughout the park. Grab a bite, pair it with your glass, repeat. Food is purchased separately from vendors on-site.
Live Music: Dance to some fun live music at the festival, or enjoy the music as you sip your wine from your lawn chair or picnic blanket.
Roar & Pour: The Roar & Pour Experience takes you up close and personal with zoo animals at the Central Coast Zoo, a glass of wine in hand. You can taste an award-winning Syrah while hanging out with red pandas.
Artisan Vendors: Browse handcrafted goods and original artwork from artists throughout the coastal community.
Why Locals Love This Wine Festival On The Central Coast
Ask anyone who's been around Atascadero for more than a year, and they'll tell you the same thing; the Atascadero Lakeside WineFest is the best one on the coast! Here's why this festival has earned its status with the people who know this community best. Part of it is the setting; there's something about tasting wine next to a lake, under oak trees, in that particular golden June light that no other wine festival has replicated. Another part is that this festival actually came from the community. It wasn't dreamed up by an event company; it started with locals who wanted to do something good for their town, and the wineries pouring are the same neighbors who grew the grapes a few miles down the road. Then there's the Roar & Pour experience at the zoo, which sounds strange until you've done it and realized that tasting a Syrah twenty feet from a monkey is one of the more unexpectedly perfect experiences the Central Coast has to offer.
Best of all, your ticket money doesn't just buy you a good summer afternoon; it goes back into the zoo and local organizations that keep Atascadero the kind of place worth celebrating in the first place. All of which is why, after 29 years, locals don't wait to see if it'll sell out. It always does.
