"October marks the original and historic timeframe for Colony Days." The Colony Days Committee wrote that line in its February 2026 announcement. It moved the parade back to Saturday, October 17, after what it called "a challenging 2025 event impacted by significant rainfall."
The parade's month is the same as it was before 2025. The rest of the event has changed. Colony Days kept the partnership it tried for the first time last year. When the floats finish next Saturday, the parade hands off to a carnival that already has a full day behind it. Atascadero's oldest community tradition is now the middle of a three-day weekend.
Fifty Octobers and One November
Colony Days started in 1973, and the parade has run every year since 1974. The committee's history page says it was held on the first or third Saturday of October for more than 50 years. 2025 was the first year it moved to November. The same page lists Maggie Vandergon as the parade's first Grand Marshal, at the top of a roster that goes back to 1974.
The November move was planned. On September 4, 2025, organizers announced that Colony Days would move to November 15 and join Atascadero Fall Fest. The City of Atascadero's announcement said the partnership would add activities and bring families downtown. Committee co-chair Elizabeth Enriquez-Phillips said the change would help keep the parade going for another 50 years.
The 2025 theme was "Road to Atascadero: Butterfly Drive." It came one year after "50 Years of Fabulous Floats," which marked the parade's 50th anniversary in 2024. Then rain hit the November date. The committee hasn't said publicly which parts of the 2025 event were scaled back, and its 2026 announcement describes the year only as challenging.
What Stayed From 2025
The committee's February announcement explains that moving back to October lets Colony Days and Fall Fest "align more seamlessly." It also promises "improved weather conditions and an expanded, shared celebration." The committee kept the partnership with Fall Fest and changed the month.
Each event brings something different. The Colony Days Committee is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) that the community has supported since the event began. Fall Fest is a full carnival in its sixth year at Sunken Gardens, with rides, games, vendors, breweries and music. Its sponsor page names En Fuego Events among the presenting sponsors. Both events are free to attend.
The 2026 theme is "Wild About Atascadero!" The committee says it celebrates the area's natural beauty, its wildlife and its community. According to the parade entry form, this year's parade honors Margaret "Maggie" Rice Vandergon, the event's founder. In the year the parade returns to its traditional month, it honors the person who started it.
Parade Morning, Street by Street
The parade runs from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, October 17. The Fall Fest parade page lists the route in order:
- Start behind the Administration Building on Lewis Avenue.
- Cross the Arch Bridge.
- Continue as Lewis Avenue becomes Capistrano Avenue, heading toward CA-41.
- Turn northwest onto El Camino Real.
- Turn right onto Entrada and finish near Lewis Avenue.
The route ends close to where it starts, so the parade makes a loop through downtown. The Fall Fest page says the carnival begins at 12 p.m. once the parade finishes, and parade awards follow at 12:30 p.m. on the Holiday Inn Express Stage. Entries are still open, and it costs nothing to be in the parade.
Where the Carnival Picks Up
Under the shared schedule, the parade falls on the busiest day of the carnival weekend. These are the Fall Fest hours posted on Visit Atascadero:
| Day | Fall Fest hours | What else is happening |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 16 | 4 to 10 p.m. | Carnival opening night at Sunken Gardens |
| Saturday, Oct. 17 | Noon to 10 p.m. | Colony Days Parade, 10 a.m. to noon; awards at 12:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, Oct. 18 | Noon to 10 p.m. | Final day of the carnival |
The Fall Fest entertainment page lists Los Hermanos Mendoza and Vana Liya as headliners. Saturday's main stage includes The Akoustiks, Colonel Angus, Murder Hornets, The Molly Ringwald Project, GhostMonster and 90s Babiez. One schedule on that page is labeled "Saturday, October 16th." The Saturday of this festival is October 17, so plan around the 17th.
The sponsor page lists the beverage partners. They include Firestone Walker, Figueroa Mountain, SLO Stills, Wild Fields and Honest Abe Cider, with Tecate and Dos Equis among the presenting sponsors.
Coffee Before the Floats
Several downtown businesses near the route have opened since last year's parade. The walk to a curbside spot is a good time to try them.
Binx Coffee soft-opened May 6 at 6090 El Camino Real, the street the parade turns onto after CA-41. It serves coffee from a walk-up window in a shipping container, including drinks made with house-made syrups, plus pastries, according to the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
Nana's Ice Cream is at 5990 Entrada Ave., on the street where the parade makes its last turn. It first opened May 6 and held a grand opening May 25. A-Town Daily News reported that it serves ice cream, coffee drinks and baked goods.
Wendy White's Bakery opened April 3 at 5804 Traffic Way, KSBY reported. The Tribune described a display fridge of cakes ready to pick up, along with coffee, morning pastries and custom birthday and wedding cake orders.
Downtown has lost a familiar spot since last year too. Huckleberry's, at 6910 El Camino Real a block from Sunken Gardens, closed permanently in January 2026.
The Weeks After Fall Fest
Before 2025, Colony Days usually stood alone on the October calendar. In 2026 it opens a series of downtown and lakeside events that runs until Veterans Day. The Visit Atascadero calendar and the event pages list these dates:
- Wednesdays, 3 to 5:30 p.m.: Farmers market on October 14, 21 and 28, and November 4, 11, 18 and 25.
- October 23 and 24, 4 to 7 p.m.: Zoo Boo at the Central Coast Zoo, with a costume contest, games, a haunted maze and treats.
- October 25, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Pumpkin Smash at the Central Coast Zoo, included with general admission.
- October 31, 4 to 7 p.m.: Trick or Treat Downtown, with more than 45 participating businesses, costume contests and free admission.
- November 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Holiday Boutique at Atascadero Lake Park, with more than 70 vendors selling handmade goods.
- November 11, 11 a.m.: Veterans Day ceremony at the Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial, with a flyover, a color guard, music and a wreath laying.
The Veterans Day ceremony falls on a Wednesday this year, the same day as one of the farmers markets. Last year, November 15 was a Fall Fest and Colony Days weekend. This year, November 15 has nothing on this list. The parade is back in mid-October, and the new festival weekend that came with the 2025 partnership comes with it.
Our family at Lisa Belmonte has watched Colony Days floats cross the Arch Bridge for years, and we're glad to see the parade back in October. If the parade has you wondering what your home near downtown Atascadero is worth this fall, we're happy to put together a valuation for it.
