After two years of community-growing and weather tests, the Oceanside Fall Festival is back for its third run — and organizers say this year will be all about showcasing local people, small businesses and the volunteer spirit that fuels the event.
The family-friendly festival will take place Oct. 18 from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Parking Field 6 along Lawson Boulevard (between Weidner and Perkins avenues). The day will include food trucks and contests, live music and DJ sets, a beverage garden, pumpkin patch, face painting, games, a kids’ corner and a vendor row of local artisans and small businesses.
“We’re really planning year-round — it starts the day after we finish last year,” said Oceanside resident and community leader Jeanine Badalamenti, one of the small core group who started the festival. “We take feedback from attendees and participants. This year, we are really focusing on highlighting Oceanside’s community, the community and the people within it.”
The lineup includes local performers such as Matt Wall and Terence Riker & The Witches Brew, a performance from Pat Stan Studio, a VFW Color Guard presentation, and an Oceanside High School singer to perform the national anthem.
Partners include the local VFW and the Oceanside Chamber of Connerce. Organizers also plan a food-eating contest sponsored by local businesses and are actively recruiting participants, vendors and artisans.
“We’re really looking for those small businesses and the local artisans within the community that we see so frequently sharing their talents on Facebook and around our community, looking for them to come out and participate,” Badalamenti said.
What began as a small, seven-person effort has expanded and merged into a broader community initiative hosted under the Oceanside Community Warriors banner.
“Everything now falls under the Warriors,” said Warriors member Brian Driscoll. “We’re all working together as a community, with several community organizations involved with the Warriors now.”
Driscoll said the team already has several food trucks lined up and a roster of vendors, bands and a DJ.
“We’re praying for the best weather,” he added with a laugh. “We haven’t had good weather, so hopefully this year we have great weather. It’s going to be a real good day — hopefully — and it’ll just keep growing from where we started.”
The work to put on the festival, organizers say, is a true grassroots effort. Badalamenti described a small leadership circle that leans on the strengths of its members: fundraising and marketing, business outreach through chamber connections, and on-the-ground volunteer coordination. She urged residents who want to get involved to step forward.
“This only works when we’ve got buy-in from a lot of people, and we need people,” she said. “If there are people interested in volunteering or have ideas to share, we want to hear from them.”
Asked what success would look like on festival day, Badalamenti was succinct:
“Tons of crowds, smiling kids, happy faces, and the vendors signing up, getting a lot of foot traffic and business.”
Beyond the single-day celebration, the Oceanside Community Warriors emphasize that the festival is one of many year-round projects — from street cleanups to toy drives — aimed at keeping Oceanside a place “people want to live, work and grow.”
Those interested in vendor opportunities, sponsorships or volunteering are encouraged to contact the Oceanside Community Warriors’ community for details. “We want this to be about the community — the people are what make this festival special,” Badalamenti said.
