By Michele E. Buttelman
It might not look like fall, or feel like fall, but the calendar is clearly counting down to the autumn season of pumpkin spice and holiday celebrations. The kids are back in school but it doesn’t mean that the fun needs to stop. Here are few festivals sure to bring fun to fall.
Solvang Danish Days
Sept. 16-18
Admission is free.
www.solvangdanishdays.org
Opening ceremonies 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, closing ceremonies 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18.
The 85th annual Solvang Danish Days includes three parades, Danish folk dancers and musicians performing around town, plus other featured events like the Aebleskiver Breakfasts, Viking Encampment, free Saturday evening rock concert line-up and much more.
Solvang is just over 100 miles and a two-hour drive from the Santa Clarita Valley.
This celebration of Danish heritage will include:
Friday, Sept. 16 Torchlight Parade at 7:30 p.m. Be a part of the Torchlight Parade Free, all welcome, candles provided. Beginning on Alisal Road and Laurel Avenue; strolling south down Alisal and ending at the Midgaard Pavilion Stage.
Opening Ceremonies at 8 p.m. in Midgaard Pavilion, 1639 Copenhagen Drive, Solvang, CA 93463 includes a Velkommen Street Dance with Danish dancers performing to live music.
Other weekend events Saturday and Sunday include axe throwing, free concerts, Viking Beer & Wine Garden (refreshments for purchase), Æbleskiver Breakfast, tickets, $10, required, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Old World Artisans Marketplace opening at 9 a.m. with demonstrations and artisanal hand-crafted items including Scandinavian arts & crafts, woodworking, papercutting, rosemaling, fabric art, jewelry, pottery and the ever-popular Danish Sisterhood Booth, Kid’s Korner 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. with activities, games and fun in Solvang Park, corner of Mission Drive and First Street, Solvang, CA 93463.
Most events are free including the Living History Festival 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Elverhoj Museum of History & Art, 1624 Elverhoy Way, Solvang, CA 93463. Visit with artisans, craftspeople, storytellers and interactive activities for all ages, plus a Viking Selfie Station.
To see the complete weekend schedule of events, visit www.solvangdanishdays.org/event-schedule.
To experience the full scope of Danish Days consider purchasing the popular Solvang Danish Days “Dane for a Day, Live Like Vikings” festival ticket bundle.
This VIP package costs $100 and includes: two Viking helmets, two Æbleskiver Breakfast tickets (good for either Saturday or Sunday), two beer or soda tickets, to be used at the Viking Beer Garden (good for Friday evening and Saturday only), two Viking Beer Garden food item tickets, to be used at the Viking Beer Garden (good for Friday evening and Saturday, only), two axe throwing tickets (must be age 13 or older; axe throwing available on Friday and Saturday, only), two “Win a Trip to Denmark” opportunity drawing tickets and two Official Solvang Danish Days 2022 buttons.
Tickets and packages: https://solvang-danish-days-2022.eventbrite.com.
The 35th Annual Pacific Coast Fog Fest
Sept. 24-25, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Palmetto Avenue, Pacifica, CA 94044
Admission is free.
Pacifica is about 350 miles and a five-and-a-half-hour drive from the SCV. It’s best to plan an overnight stay in the area
It has been two long years since Pacifica has celebrated the Pacific Coast Fog Fest. Celebrate the return of this fun annual event first held in 1986. The 2022 Fog Fest includes music, arts & crafts, food, drinks, play areas for the kids and more, all one block from the Pacific Ocean.
While strolling along Palmetto Avenue you’ll enjoy a wide variety of musical entertainment on the Fog Fest’s stages including fabulous music.
The Pacific Coast Fog Fest raises funds for local non-profit and other
community organizations.
The 35th Annual Fog Fest Parade 2022 Theme: Honoring our local Healthcare Heroes and Essential Workers. The parade starts Saturday morning at 10 a.m. at the South end of Palmetto Avenue.
The 29th Annual Goleta Lemon Festival
The 15th Annual Goleta Fall Classic Car Show
Sept. 24-25
Girsh Park, 7050 Phelps Road, Goleta, CA 93117
Free admission and parking.
The Goleta Lemon Festival is a weekend of family fun, food and entertainment. For the past 28 years, the Lemon Festival has been the biggest celebration in the Goleta area.
Goleta is approximately 90 miles from the SCV and a 90-minute drive.
You’ll find food, a family atmosphere and variety of entertainment and activities that have made this the most anticipated event on the Goleta coast. Don’t miss the lemon pie-eating contests and the arts and crafts vendors.
This weekend also includes the 15th Annual Goleta Fall Classic Car and Street Rod Show and the ever-popular Safety Street.
Northern California Renaissance Faire
Weekends Sept. 17-Oct. 23
Casa De Fruta, Pacheco Pass, Highway 152 10031 Pacheco Pass Highway, Hollister, CA 95023
The Northern California Renaissance Faire is an event of pageantry, revelry and romance from one of the most popular time periods in history. The Faire brings to life a colorful, bustling Elizabethan village complete with a full-contact championship joust, fine foods and ales, multiple stages of non-stop entertainment, costumed characters and a one-of-a-kind marketplace full of unique handcrafted wares and endless activities. Guests can “come as you are,” or dress up in your favorite Elizabethan costume. Be a pirate, a gypsy, a serving wench, a beggar, a knight or a member of the court of Queen Elizabeth I, it’s all part of the Renaissance Faire fun.
Tickets: $35. Children 12 and under are free.
Theme weekends include:
Sept.17-18 Opening Weekend
Sept. 24-25Pirate Invasion
Oct. 1-2 Heroes & Villains
Oct. 8-9 Oktoberfest!
Oct. 15-16 Carnevale and Masquerade
Oct. 22-23 Halloween Fantasy!
