Golden Oak Honey & Pumpkin Festival brings fall fun to downtown Paso Robles

By Paso Robles Press · Thu Oct 15 2026

Oct. 17 celebration features honey tasting, painted beebox contest and a spelling bee for third graders

PASO ROBLES — Pumpkins, local honey and a little friendly competition will fill downtown City Park on Saturday, Oct. 17, as the Golden Oak Honey & Pumpkin Festival brings a day of fall activities to Paso Robles. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is presented by the Paso Robles Downtown Main Street Association and the Central Coast Beekeepers Alliance SLO. Activities will combine seasonal traditions with opportunities to learn about bees, explore local organizations and enjoy music, food, arts and crafts.

Visitors can sample and purchase local honey, view observation beehives and browse bee products. Youth entrepreneurs and 4-H beekeepers will also participate, while a scavenger hunt will offer another way to explore the festival.

Among the day’s highlights is the second annual Painted Apiary painted beebox contest, organized by the Templeton 4-H Beekeeping Group. Festivalgoers can stop by the group’s booth to cast a vote for their favorite entry, with the public choosing the winner.

The contest is open to the community, with youth and adult categories for those 18 and older. Participants must supply and paint two beeboxes — one deep and one shallow. Stands, bases and lids are optional. The advertised prize is a nucleus colony of bees, to be delivered in the spring.

Young spellers will have their own opportunity to shine when the Paso Robles Optimist Club hosts a spelling bee for third graders at 11 a.m. at the City Park gazebo. Prizes will be offered. For spelling bee information, contact Debra McNulty at (805) 674-3384.

Fall attractions include a pumpkin patch by Highlands Church, giant pumpkins by Randy and Dave, and a pumpkin pie eating contest. The Optimist Club will also offer a Monster Mash activity.

The festival’s lineup includes the Camp Roberts Museum and Navy Seabees, the Almond Country Quilting Bee, solar telescopes, Master Gardeners and Paso Coop. A festival mural by Maryann Hamilton will add to the artistic offerings.

Music by “Brittain & Silva” and yoga by Mary Ubersex are also scheduled. Participating organizations include Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College and the Paso Robles Library.

With activities ranging from spelling and painting to honey tasting and pumpkin picking, the festival offers families a chance to spend an autumn day together in the heart of downtown Paso Robles.