What to Know
- Fall Festival at the Original Farmers Market
- Oct. 21 and 22, 2023
- Free; live music, photo opportunities, and a petting zoo are some of the celebration's enduring hallmarks
You could slip into your favorite dungarees, the ones with the gingham patches, and a gigantic straw hat, the chapeau encircled by a big bright bow, on any day of the year here and people in Southern California would be fine with it, thinking, most likely, that a new trend had dawned.
But there is a day, or rather a weekend, when these folksy fashion choices are perfectly enmeshed with the theme of a local festival, one that can trace its homespun origins back to 1934.
It's the Fall Festival at the Original Farmers Market, a happy hoedown that is all about summoning pastoral pleasures in the middle of our busy, on-the-go megalopolis.
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And we do mean "pastoral," though perhaps "bleat-able" or "oink-able" both work: The sound-sweet festival, which will break out the washboards and fiddles on Oct. 21 and 22, also has a popular petting zoo, meaning you can enjoy meeting a real actual goat miles from the nearest farm.
We said it: A real actual goat. Actually, several of them. Neat.
And while there's no real rule for the following claim we're about to make, make it, we shall: You really can't have a section spotlighting pettable critters without a pretty pumpkin patch in the vicinity, for the presence of seasonal squashes truly add to an autumnal atmosphere.
The Scene
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So, for sure, the Original Farmers Market will be well-patch'd, and well-music'd, too: Lil Sue & The Cowtippers will be bringing that honky-tonk sound, while Bakersfield vibes shall twang-up the scene courtesy of The Soda Crackers.
The legendary Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys will close out the weekend with that retro rockabilly swing on the afternoon of Oct. 22.
Foods of a fall-ish nature will abound — this is the Original Farmers Market, where rustic fall flavor is always like 13% on the menu, all year long — and all sorts of seasonal sips, too.
Reservations? Not needed. A ticket? Nope.
The joy of autumn in your heart and a love for this enduring and atmospheric landmark? We know you possess both of those things already, and you don't even need to dig deep to access either.
