Get Hungry for This Year’s Fall Festival
Photo courtesy of Cathy Breslow/ Cathy Breslow Imaging
Attendees will have many food choices at this year’s Fall Festival, including several local artisanal creations from Nice Jarz!, Freezy Frosty, and Jenn’s Cupcakes.
Autumn is just around the corner, and the community is preparing to celebrate it next month with a cornucopia of good food, artwork, music, and fun for all ages.
This year’s Castro Valley Fall Festival will occur on Saturday and Sunday, September 7 and 8, between Redwood Road and San Miguel Avenue on Castro Valley Boulevard. Presented by the Castro Valley and Eden Area Chamber of Commerce, more than 125 vendors and attractions will again line the Boulevard.
This year's food options are particularly exciting because they will include fan favorites like corn dogs, kettle corn, and snow cones, and many local food vendors such as Nice Jazz!, Freezy Frosty, and Sweetcanes Sugarcane Juicery.
“Sweetcanes is a clean and tasty sugar cane juice that is super unique,” Castro Valley and Eden Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Gary Slate told the forum. “The chamber does visit other street fairs to get inspiration and potentially recruit them for our organization, especially if they are local.”
Slate adds that the food vendor selection process has been consistent over many years and strives to avoid copying similar offerings from the existing food vendors on the Boulevard. M&J Culinary will again provide artichoke dishes, Sonoma Teriyaki will serve its signature Chinese cuisine, and Costal Paella will whip up—you guessed it—paella.
“We make my new improvements, so we don’t do wholesale changes because it has been so good, and so many people continue to enjoy it,” Slate said.
First held in the Castro Village Shopping Center, the Chamber voted to showcase Castro Valley businesses and artisans while promoting Castro Valley as the “Heart of Good Living.” The event offered attendees a wine tasting, fashion show, and art exhibit. The success of that first year prompted a second event in 1973, which the Chamber officially named the Fall Festival.
Now, 52 years later, more than 35,000 people are expected to enjoy the two-day event. Musical performances on the Redwood Stage will include the award-winning Castro Valley High School Madrigals acapella choir and live music from bands like the Take Cover Band. Jim Bedford of Bedford Studios will again book acts for the “Bedford” community stage.
In addition to the fabulous food vendors, Fall Festival organizers are considering bringing back the tradition of the Fall Festival glasses. Currently, beverages are provided in disposable cups because of concerns over broken glass at the festival. However, the Chamber is considering traditional wine glasses embossed with exclusive designs, potentially for milestone years such as the 55th in 2027 or the 60th in 2032.
For more information about the Fall Festival and to give feedback about the Fall Festival glasses, visit: https://www.edenareachamber.com/fall-fest/