Come one, come all, Escondido’s oldest and most famous festival returns on Saturday, September 14th, 2024, from 12pm-6pm. The festival will take place in Grape Day Park, home to the original festivals in the heart of Escondido and next to our beautiful City Hall and the California Center for the Arts.

The Festival will once again celebrate the early days of Escondido, when agriculture was “King” and festival goers traveled from all across the state to see why Escondido was hailed as a great place to grow sweet grapes and a central hub of citrus and other crops. From 1908 to 1950, it drew thousands of Southern Californians and rivaled Pasadena’s Festival of Roses in attendance.

The festival was re-invigorated to its early years in 2022, with a genuine focus on celebrating the traditions of Escondido’s glorious past. The 2024 festival promises to keep that tradition alive, with something for all ages to enjoy. Cynthia Castaneda, the Escondido History Center Executive Director recalls, “Grape Day is Escondido’s fun one-day history lesson and free to attend!”

To celebrate the grape, there will be grape stomping for all ages to enjoy and free table grapes handed out as guests enter the festival, just like they did back in the original festival in 1908. Attendees can enjoy entertainment on the main stage from Swing Jazz to Bluegrass and as well as Wild Wonders Animals and talented Mariachi. Across Grape Day Park will be artisans and crafters, showing how things were made back in the day and selling their wares, with live demonstrations of spinning, weaving, corn shelling and grinding and butter making. Antique farm and mining machinery as well as early-century vehicles will be on display for all to see. New this year, there will also be a spectacular display by James Stone, expert glass blower, and his team, doing a live glass-blowing demonstration in front of the train depot. The Blacksmith shop and Wheelwright shops will be open, demonstrating their crafts as well.

Kids can get their faces painted, balloons twisted and enjoy an entire Kids Zone dedicated to old fashioned fun and games, including the 4-H petting zoo. Hollandia Dairy will be onsite with a cow milking display and a local boy scout troop will have a rope ladder course for kids to try out.

Adults can head over to the wine and beer garden to savor the area's finest local wines and craft beers, with wineries participating from across San Diego. “This is a great opportunity to taste local San Diego wines, where California’s first grapes were grown” notes steering committee member Samantha Nawrocki. Tickets for wine and beer tasting are available online on Eventbrite and at the door.

There will also be a food court, with tasty food offerings for everyone to enjoy, from Mexican food to Barbeque and Hong Kong style foods. Also, enjoy ice cream, hot popcorn, roasted peanuts, shaved ice, and cold drinks while you take in the festival. Local Native American, first responder, and other community organizations will be there to showcase their contributions to the community and answer questions.

The Grape Day Festival is produced by the Escondido History Center, in partnership with the Brothers of 6 Charities, a local organization dedicated to preserving history, honoring veterans, and enhancing the community. Together, they bring renewed energy and enthusiasm to once again make this year’s Grape Day a fun and memorable celebration of Escondido’s agricultural heritage