Your Essential Guide To A Perfect Day At The Atascadero Lakeside WineFest

Get ready, wine enthusiasts! The Atascadero Lakeside WineFest is almost here, bringing together the best of Central Coast wines, food, live music, and art all by a serene lake and accented by tall, shady oak trees.

To make sure your festival day is perfect, we've put together a quick list of must-haves to bring along to elevate your experience! (These aren't necessary, but they'll take your experience up a notch at the festival.)

Suggested Wine Festival Gear

• First and foremost - water! We will have a hydration station at the festival, but having your own water bottle handy is convenient. Especially since the festival is BIG. Wine stations, art, and live music stretch all the way from the beautiful Atascadero Lake to the inside of the Charles Paddock Zoo. (While our lake is pretty, you certainly don't want to drink any water from it.)

  
  

• The summer sun here in wine country on the Central Coast can be pretty intense. Sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses are all absolute lifesavers! Luckily,

  there will be plenty of shade to go around (thanks to all of the trees in the Atascadero Lake Park and zoo), but for those moments that you're visiting a wine, beer, food, or art stall in the sun, you're going to want some protection.
  

• While this recommendation isn't exactly gear - it is going to CHANGE your Atascadero Lakeside WineFest experience. Arranging transportation to and from the festival is a game-changer. With over 50 of the best Central Coast wineries pouring unlimited award-winning wines, you're going to want to try a bit of everything. That's why we recommend going in with your friends or family to book an Uber/Lyft or work with one of the local transportation companies like SLO Safe Ride (they offer luxury limousine buses, stretch limousines, mini party buses, sprinters and more) and they'll drive you safely to and from the festival. We also have discounted Designated Driver tickets for those who don't plan on drinking but want to enjoy the festival experience with their friends or family.

  
  

• Last, but not least, feel free to bring a blanket to spread on the ground or foldable chairs that you can bring out to relax by the lake or by the stage with the live music. This is a fairly common and enjoyed gear item, brought by over half of our attendees every year. Since the festival experience is four hours long, it's nice to take a break every now and again to relax while sipping your wine. There will be picnic benches scattered throughout the festival, but those usually fill up pretty fast. Besides, with your own blanket or chair, you can set up anywhere!
  

The Most Important Piece Of Advice For The Atascadero Lakeside WineFest

This is the biggest piece of advice we can offer: get your tickets in advance! The Atascadero Lakeside WineFest is incredibly popular here on the Central Coast, and we SOLD OUT last year. Not only do we have the best wineries pouring from Paso Robles, Atascadero, Templeton, and beyond from wine country here on the coast, but we've got some extraordinary craft beer, cider, and spirits to mix it up. With an exclusive tasting experience in our local zoo, with the Roar & Pour Experience. You won't find another Wine Festival like this on the Central Coast! Did we mention that every ticket includes unlimited tastings of wine, beer, cider, and spirits during the festival?

We hate to turn eager wine enthusiasts away, so we always recommend getting your ticket sooner rather than later. It's also cheaper to get your ticket now! Tickets are $75 before event day and $95 on the day of the event. Every ticket purchased helps local non-profits like our Atascadero zoo. See you soon!