64th Annual Begonia Festival in Capitola

By San Francisco Limousine Specialist on September 1, 2016

Capitola may not be a town you are familiar with, but this Labor Day Weekend they are attempting to change all that with their Begonia Festival.  As the name implies, this festival is dedicated to the beautiful flower with the many-colored blooms that calls many warm and tropical locations its home.  In a tribute to the flower, the festival itself is a bold splash of light that goes a long way to brightening up the final moments of summer.

This year, which is the 64th annual Begonia Festival that has been hosted in Capitola, will feature a tremendous number of fun activities that promise to engage even the most curmudgeonly among your party.  First of all, this is a festival that takes place on a sprawling 43 acres of land, including a beach and several parks.  The events will culminate in a massive parade that actually occurs on the water instead of the land and will give festival-goers a chance to see dozens of barges covered in Begonia’s floating down the Soquel Creek into the Lagoon.

Running from Friday, September 3nd, until Monday, September 5th, the Begonia Festival will spread itself liberally across the three days.  The kick-off is on Friday, when local dancers perform shows in Esplanade Park from 5:00pm until 9:00pm.  Then, on Saturday, people will have a chance to watch the true heroes of the festival construct their nautical floats, engage in a sand sculpting contest on the Capitola Beach, and help construct a begonia mural on the Upper Esplanade Lawn.  The day ends with a screening of Steven Spielberg’s classic, E.T, which will also take place on the beach.

Sunday’s lineup continues the bevy of interesting events with more float-viewing, a chance to cover yourself in begonias, the highly anticipated parade, and a live concert given by the popular Ruckus Band.  This brings us to Monday, which is, as you know, Labor Day!  Because you probably are not working, you will have the chance to enter the fishing derby, show off your skill with hula hoops, and participate in the Rainbow Races (the races take place along the Soquel Creek with two people per boat.  Just show up to join in!)

This free event will take place in Capitola’s South Bay.