WINTERS, Calif. — Heading into its 29th year, the Winters Earthquake Festival aims to shake up downtown Winters once again.
“[There’s] a variety of things that try and make it a whole family event, not just a street fair that’s just focused on music," said Chris Calvert, President of the Winters Chamber of Commerce. "That’s kind of our goal to make it a family-friendly affair.”
The nostalgically named festival gets its eye-catching moniker from the rebuilding of downtown Winters that happened after an 1892 earthquake leveled the area.
An "Earthquake" Festival?
It's eye-catching name got its origin from the 1892 duplex earthquake that hit the area.
“That earthquake did some serious damage to several places, including the city of Winters, and, basically, they had to rebuild a fair amount of downtown," Calvert said. "So, the Earthquake Festival celebrates the rebuilding of the downtown of the city of Winters after that earthquake.”
In Winters, the event shuts down a couple of blocks of Main Street as 4,000 people head into town for the big night. According to Calvert, the only event that outperforms the Earthquake Festival is the Tractor Parade and Tree Lighting in December.
What's at the festival?
“It’s evolved over time. It has evolved to a street fair right now with a variety of musical venues that show up for it," said Calvert. "We highlight the Winters food scene, which is a relatively impressive food scene for a town this size.”
The food scene in Winters has some serious credibility. It landed the #4 slot on USA Today's 10 Best Small Town Food Scenes.
Local food trucks, downtown restaurants, and local wineries like Berryessa Gap and Turkovich Family Wines will all be out for the event.
There'll also be live music performances by Wee Willie Walker and the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra.
What about the kids?
At Rotary Park on Main Street, there'll be plenty of family friend activities for people looking to keep the kids entertained.
Plans include the following:
- Bounce Houses
- Kids Games
- Kid oriented food trucks with kettle corn and hot dogs
- Clowns and face painting
Costs?
There is no charge to enter the festival.
When and where is it?
Activities begin on August 23 at 5 p.m. and continue to 11 p.m.
The event takes place in historic downtown Winters on Main Street. A kids area can be found at Rotary Park.
Traffic and parking
There will be road closures in place on Main Street across Railroad Avenue and Railroad Avenue between Russell and Abbey streets.