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Photo courtesy of the Santa Barbara Kite Festival
  • By Alison Plummer

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

Enjoy seasonal events in March including whale watching and Santa Barbara’s Stop and Smell the Orchids. In April, save the dates for epicurean indulgence at Pebble Beach Food and Wine, Santa Barbara’s Illuminate Film Festival, Earth Day, and San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. May brings the Carmel Art Festival, the Santa Cruz Wine Walk, Italian street art, and much more.

 

Events on California’s Central Coast: Worth planning around

 

Whale Watching
To April/May, 2025, Santa Barbara Channel

Whale watchers head to this whale heritage area to see Pacific gray whales return from Baja California with their  calves, hugging the coast as they head for the Bering Strait. Late spring also brings humpback and mighty blue whales.

Stop and Smell the Orchids
March 7-9, 2025, Santa Barbara

77th Annual: See stunning displays in the Exhibit Pavilion, brush up your skills with potting demonstrations, see floral arrangements, and buy an orchid or two to take home from the Vendor Hall.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine 
April 10-13, 2025, Pebble Beach

Destination event featuring global chefs, wineries, sommeliers and mixologists during four days of West Coast epicurean indulgence on Monterey’s stunning coast, with wine tastings, cooking demos, and exclusive dining opportunities.

Nature’s Aura by Robert Wassell
April 10 – July 5, 2025, Ventura

Landscape painter Wassell pays tribute to California’s back country with his art described as “Representational Expressionism”, hiking to capture scenes often in the strong light and shadows of early morning or late afternoon.

Santa Barbara Kite Festival 
April 13, 2025, Santa Barbara

39th Annual: Go fly a kite at this lovely festival! This year’s theme is ‘Help One Another’, recognizing how even the simple act of flying a kite together invites us all to help one another and celebrates the sharing, love, and togetherness of families and friends at the festival.

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival
April 24-29, 2025, San Luis Obispo

30th Annual: Six days of contemporary and classic film in this fabulous laid-back location, with filmakers and industry professionals on hand to help celebrate the arts through panel discussions, events and workshops.

Santa Barbara Earth Day
April 26-27, 2025, Santa Barbara

One of the largest of its kind on the West Coast featuring 200+ eco-conscious exhibitors, conversations with climate leaders, plus a green car show, music, art, sustainable local food, and a beer and wine garden.

Big Sur International Marathon
April 27, 2025, Big Sur

Famous run from Big Sur to Carmel along Highway 1, the nation’s first designated Scenic Highway against the stunning backdrop of the rugged coastline of the Monterey Peninsula.

Illuminate Film Festival
May 1-4, 2025, Santa Barbara

11th Annual: Illuminate aims to inspire lasting personal, community, and planetary transformation through film, showcasing ground-breaking narrative features, documentaries, episodic content, and shorts in the genre of transformational entertainment. Virtual film festival May 5-11.

Carmel Art Festival
May 16-18, 2025, Carmel-by-the-Sea

32nd Annual: Admire the work of 60 plein air artists who gather in Carmel to paint over two days, after which their artworks are judged and sold.

Spring Wine Walk
May 18, 2025, Santa Cruz

Stroll through the Downtown shops, sampling top drops at tasting stations showcasing 12 wineries from the Santa Cruz Mountains and beyond. (Rain or shine, 21 or older.)

Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival
May 24-26,2025, Santa Barbara

38th Annual: Reflecting its sister festival held in Grazie di Curtatone, Italy, street painters (Madonnari) transform the pavements of Mission Plaza at the Old Mission into a gallery of  more than 150 large-scale pastel  images.

 

Full Calendars of Events

Central California

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