Costa Mesa to serve up some fall fun at Scarecrow Festival

Costa Mesa’s Scarecrow Festival is a civic tradition that dates back to 1938, before the city’s incorporation, when Newport Beach business owners decorated storefronts with straw-filled creations designed to spook and delight the shopping public.

Since then the annual festival — which returns to Lions Park on Saturday afternoon — has gone through a number of changes, but its reputation as the city’s official kickoff event of the fall season only continues to grow as the years progress.

A winning scarecrow entry created by the Costa Mesa Alliance for Better Streets at the city’s annual Scarecrow Festival at Lions Park. The event returns Saturday, from 2 to 6 p.m.

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And what’s not to love? In addition to its namesake competition, which this year will feature more than two dozen entries rendered in various themes, the Scarecrow Contest offers free pumpkin decorating, a kids costume parade, inflatable playgrounds, photos with princesses and superheroes and much more.

“There’s really something for everybody,” said city recreation manager Monique Villasenor, who’s been busy organizing this year’s shindig with her Parks and Community Services colleagues.

Last year, the event was moved back a couple hours to take advantage of cooler temperatures and create an evening vibe that seemed a better fit for the Halloween theme. That small edit seemed to work — Villasenor estimated as many as 1,500 people attended in 2022.

“It definitely sets the moods and gets kids excited to go trick-or-treating for real on Halloween,” she added, hinting at the possibility of adding an extra hour in the future and drawing more of a teen crowd with a haunt-themed attraction. “Hopefully we’ll expand more on it in the future.”

Scarecrows are the namesake attraction at Costa Mesa’s Scarecrow Festival, which takes place at Lions Park Saturday, from 2 to 6 p.m.

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Another new feature this year will be a free water station, where visitors can fill up their water bottles with fresh filtered potable water and, in the process, reduce their plastic waste.

Villasenor said while some cities tend to charge attendees for their events, the city of Costa Mesa wants to welcome visitors to enjoy its Lion’s Park event space by hosting the festival for free.

“Some people maybe didn’t get a chance to buy tickets to the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disneyland — we’re just as good and it’s free on top of that,” she added.

Costa Mesa’s annual Scarecrow Festival takes place Saturday, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Lions Park, 1845 Park Ave., in Costa Mesa. Admission is free. For more, visit costamesaca.gov and click on the “Scarecrow Festival” item listed under “Events.”

Participants in a kids costume parade pose for a photo at Lions Park in Costa Mesa.

(File Photo)