The Winter calendar is packed with events and festivals on California’s Central Coast.

Enjoy seasonal events including the Morro Bay Bird Festival in January, and watch surfing greats as SLO CAL welcomes the World Surf League to Pismo Beach. In February, head for Santa Barbara’s Film Festival, the Cambria Film Festival, and savor the annual clam chowder cookoff in Santa Cruz. Pan ahead for Spring, adding the Santa Barbara International Orchid show to the calendar for March.

Events on California’s Central Coast: Worth planning around

 

Mario Giacomelli: La Gente, La Terra
Now through February 15, 2026, Santa Barbara

Presented by Santa Barbara Museum of Art, an exhibition of Giacomelli’s Abstract Expressionist canvases where the artist used his photographic development techniques to depicting post-war people in sharp black and white contrast against the landscape of Southern Italy.

Morro Bay Bird Festival
January 15-19, 2026, Morro Bay

29th Annual: See raptors including hawks, peregrines, kestrels and harriers, owls such as Great Horned and Western Screech, seabirds, waterfowl, shore and land birds in their  habitats. Birding enthusiasts gather to spot up to 200 bird species during the festival, considered one of the top five  in the nation.

SLO CAL Open
January 19-25, 2026, San Luis Obispo

Watch some of the world’s surfing legends riding the waves as they compete in the World Surf League’s regional qualifying series in California’s iconic surf at Pismo Beach against the backdrop of Morro Rock. (Morro Bay’s surfing event took place in December 2025.)

Cambria Film Festival
February 4- 8, 2026, Cambria

9th Annual: Love the line-up of innovative and thought-provoking films at this festival by the sea, founded in 2018 by Alan Fraser & Nancy Green, born out of their passion for independent film and desire to create a platform for emerging filmmakers to showcase their work.

Santa Barbara Film Festival
February 4-14, 2026, Santa Barbara

41st Annual: One of the top 10 film festivals in the United States offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums,  curated ‘to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film’. SBIFF secured a long-term lease for the iconic multi-plex at 916 State Street and has recently renovated  of a state-of-the-art Film Center, creating a year-round hub for cinema enthusiasts

Annual Clam Chowder Cookoff
February 21-22, 2026, Santa Cruz

45thAnnual: Amateur chefs deliver their best chowders on Saturday, and professional chefs serve theirs up on on Sunday. Featuring Boston and Manhattan Clam Chowders on both days. Tasting kit proceeds benefit Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation.

Santa Barbara International Orchid Show
March 20-22,, 2026, Santa Barbara

78th Annual: Plan ahead to attend one of the largest orchid shows in the US. This year’s theme is ‘Orchid Escape’, inviting you to immerse yourself in a lush paradise filled with exotic and rare orchid displays from around the world.

 

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Full Calendars of Events

Central California

• Big Sur & Highway 1
  • (Pair your travel with Big Sur & Highway 1 itineraries from Slow Down See More)
• Channel Islands (& Ventura)
  • (Pair your travel with Channel Islands itineraries from Slow Down See More)
• Central Coast
  • (Pair your travel with Central Coast itineraries from Slow Down See More)
• Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach
  • (Pair your travel with Monterey Bay itineraries from Slow Down See More)
• Paso Robles
  • (Pair your travel with Paso Robles itineraries from Slow Down See More)
• Santa Barbara
  • (Pair your travel with Santa Barbara itineraries from Slow Down See More)
• Santa Cruz
  • (Pair your travel with Santa Cruz itineraries from Slow Down See More)
• San Luis Obispo
  • (Pair your travel with San Luis Obispo area itineraries from Slow Down See More)