City of Atascadero Presents Holiday Event Calendar!

The City of Atascadero is proud to announce a number of holiday events planned for your enjoyment!

On Friday, December 5th, 5:30 – 8 pm, Atascadero’s Downtown will be the happening place to be to experience the magic of the holidays! Festivities will begin at 5:30 pm in the Sunken Gardens, with the annual countdown to light up Historic City Hall at “Light up the Downtown!”  Be a part of the lighting experience as City Hall, Sunken Gardens, and the surrounding areas come to life with over 3,000 lights as part of the 2nd Annual Holiday Lighting Display, “Garden Lights & Winter Nights!” transforming the area into a beautiful holiday paradise on display through January 11th! The evening will kick off at 5:30 pm with musical performances by the Fine Arts Academy Honor Choir and Atascadero Community Band! Then, starting at 6 pm, enjoy the traditional countdown to light up Historic City Hall with our Mayor and Councilmembers, followed by Santa in the Model-A Firetruck making his way around Sunken Gardens and onto the final approach on the West Mall side of City Hall. Take a ride on the complimentary horse-drawn hayrides, warm up with free hot chocolate from Lighthouse Coffee, and take a complimentary tour of Historic City Hall by the Atascadero Historical Society!

On this special evening enjoy the Holiday Sip & Shop brought to you by the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce with adult beverages available from 20+ participating businesses in the Downtown. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.atascaderochamber.org.  Businesses will be decorated and open for holiday shopping, and dining too!

Musical Holiday Walk Around the Lake will be in full swing on Saturday, December 6th from 5:30 – 9 pm! This special evening will offer caroling, musical groups, refreshments and holiday decorations as your stroll around Atascadero Lake. Plus, the Central Coast Zoo will have the gift shop open until 6:30 pm for those unique gift ideas and you can also visit Santa from 5:30 – 8 pm at the Zoo Garden Event Center! This event is brought to you by the Atascadero Lake Neighborhood Association. 

Over 70 tons of snow is on the way for Winter Wonderland for another exciting evening in Downtown Atascadero on Friday, December 12th from 5-9 pm. Atascadero’s Sunken Gardens and the entire downtown will be transformed into a magical holiday paradise! Experience a large snow pile and a massive snow slide built by Kiwanis Club of Atascadero, Cuesta Springs Ice Company, Atascadero Hay & Feed, and AJ Excavating. This year’s snow themed event also includes a host of entertainment kicking off with the Atascadero High School Cheer Team, the California Mid-State Fair Queen & her court, dancing by 805 Movement & Performance Arts, Atascadero’s Fine Arts Academy Dancers, and music by the Fine Arts Academy Monarch Choir & All District Elementary Choir, Atascadero Middle School & Atascadero High School Choirs. And that is not all! There will be train rides for the children with Joe’s Little Train, a variety of obstacle courses, gladiator joust, bounce houses, and bungy jump from Bubble Fun 101, face painting, and of course, a special visit by Santa!

The Central Coast Zoo is pleased to announce Holiday Magic 2025 on Saturday, December 20th from 10 am until 1 pm! The zookeepers will be celebrating the season by opening special holiday themed enrichment gifts from the Zookeepers! Plan for a visit with Santa and enjoy our strolling magician & DJ, Andy Morris, bringing a variety of festive holiday music. There’s something for everyone to enjoy, and the Zoo is decked out with holiday décor. Our gift shop is filled with unique gift ideas, so come celebrate the season with us! Included with General Admission.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! There are many sponsors to thank with this full schedule! Thank you to each of you for your contribution and support of the fantastic line up of holiday events!

Garden Lights & Winter Nights Holiday Lighting Display sponsors include Platinum Sponsor: City of Atascadero; Presenting Sponsors: Atascadero Tourism Business Improvement District (ATBID), and Souza Construction; Gold Sponsors: Avila Traffic Safety; Silver Sponsors: Central Coast Community Energy (3Ce), H&R Block Atascadero| Paso Robles, and PG&E. Our holiday lighting display is designed by the Christmas Light Guy Company.

Light up the Downtown include the Holiday Series Sponsor Platinum sponsors: Avila Traffic Safety & Souza Construction; Gold Sponsor: MGP Coatings; Silver Sponsor: 5 Star Rain Gutters, Cielo Ristorante, Waste Management. Special Thank you to the Atascadero Fire Association for the Model-A Firetruck!

Winter Wonderland include Exclusive Sponsor: Adventist Health; Platinum Sponsors: Kiwanis of Atascadero,  A-Jay Excavating, Chicago Grade Landfill, Cuesta Springs Ice Company, Atascadero Hay & Feed, Avila Traffic Safety; Gold Sponsors include American Riviera Bank, Cal Poly Mustangs, Rotary of Atascadero, Renewal by Anderson, Kirk Consulting, Mechanics Bank, Country Touch Café, WILD 106, THE GRADE, Tesla, Springhill Suites by Mariott, Hart Family Chiropractic, MGP Coatings, Snow Sponsors: First 5 California, Idler’s Home, Kenneth Heating & Air, Radiology Associates, Starna Cells, Western Janitorial, Waste Management; Bronze Sponsors: Fatte’s Pizza, Lola’s Letters, Taco Bell Engen Enterprises and 5 Star Rain Gutters. Special Thank you to Atascadero Police Department for bringing Santa safely to his final destination in the ’55 Chevy!

Holiday Magic includes Gold Sponsors: MGP Coatings & American Riviera Bank. For more information about all the upcoming City and City sponsored events in Atascadero, go to www.visitatascadero.com/events.