Baywood's Oktoberfest Adds a Morning Party and a Stage at the Pier End of 2nd Street

"The first 100 people will receive half a dozen mini donuts," coordinator Gary Freiberg told Estero Bay News, "and a cup of SLO Roast coffee." That is how the main stage at the 47th Annual Oktoberfest in Baywood Park will open on Sunday, October 25. Freiberg calls the new Morning Biergarten Party a non-alcohol-focused event, and it starts at 9 a.m.

The Los Osos/Baywood Park Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club of Bay Osos host the festival on 2nd Street from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. Three things are new in 2026: a morning party, a second stage at the pier end, and a blind beer tasting with raffled seats. Each one brings Los Osos people into a part of the day or a stretch of the street that didn't have its own programming before.

The 9 a.m. Hour Used to Belong to Runners and Car Owners

Before this year, the early hours of Oktoberfest were mostly for people with something to do. The 19th Annual Car Show runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and car registration opens at 7 a.m. The fun run starts at 9 a.m. from the Baywood Park Boat Dock at 1391 2nd St. It's a 4-mile course along the bay with a water station at the turnaround. Registration is on race day only, from 7 to 8:45 a.m., and costs $30. The Chamber says proceeds go to the Morro Bay High School Athletic Boosters, and Estero Bay News describes the run as a fundraiser for the school's cross country program.

The morning party gives everyone else a reason to show up at the same hour. Funk Junket plays the main stage from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The first 100 people to pick up a free ticket in the Biergarten get the donuts and coffee, and Estero Bay News reports there is no admission charge for the morning party. Freiberg pictures people listening, dancing, or walking 2nd Street past the vendors with coffee in hand. The free tickets are limited, and runners finishing their 4 miles will be in the same area at about the same time, so the first 100 could go quickly.

Two Stages, Two Ends of the Street

The main stage stays in the Biergarten at 2nd Street and Santa Maria Avenue. The new Community Stage goes at the pier end of 2nd Street, the same end where the fun run starts and finishes. Billy Burke is coordinating it.

The Chamber built the Community Stage so local performers, organizations and presenters can show what they do. As of the Chamber's October event listing, three groups had signed on:

• Team Moreira Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
• Bay Osos Line Dancers
• The Big Rock Balalaika Group

Estero Bay News adds that the second stage will include a jiu jitsu demonstration and dance demos. The stage is paid for by community sponsorships, which the Chamber invites at $25, $50, $100, $500 or any amount.

The main stage leans just as local. Freiberg told Estero Bay News that all three bands booked there are from Los Osos. He also emcees the Saturday Concerts on the Green at Sea Pines and says he picked from the bands he hears there.

Neither the Chamber nor Estero Bay News has posted set times for the Community Stage.

Freiberg says B & The Hive have headlined at Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo and play both originals and covers. The Santa Cruz Family Band features Bobby Santa Cruz and his daughter, Rachel Santa Cruz. The costume contest has three categories, Kids, Pets and Adults, and the crowd picks winners by applause. The Morro Bay High cheerleaders are back for their fifth year with a cheer demonstration. Organizers are also setting up a harvest-themed photo booth and a kids' play zone.

Oktobertaste Puts Five Neighbors on the Panel

The beer portion of the day has a new twist, and residents are part of it too. At 11 a.m., five Oktobertasters will each get a flight with a taste from all eight brewers in the Biergarten. The seats are raffled. There are 100 tickets at $5 each, sold at the gate and by helpers in the crowd, and the proceeds go to the Chamber.

The pours are served blind, so tasters don't know which brewery made which sample. The Chamber describes it as "not a competition," just a fun comparison of personal tastes. Freiberg puts the total at about a full pint over roughly an hour. As for the rest of the Biergarten, Estero Bay News notes that drinkers must be 21 or older. Neither the Chamber nor the paper has named the eight brewers or posted beer prices yet.

Getting There Without Fighting for a Curb

The Chamber's event page lists the venue only as "2nd Street, Baywood Park." It doesn't give street closure times, a parking plan or a shuttle. With a car show, a road race and two stages all on one street, a bike makes sense.

Kidical Mass is leading an all-ages Halloween bike ride to Oktoberfest at 11 a.m. on the 25th, and costumes are encouraged. Riders meet at Santa Maria and 2nd Street beside the Merrimaker, right next to the main stage. Showing up in costume also gets you ready for the 2 p.m. costume contest.

The Rest of That Week Is Booked, Too

Oktoberfest falls in the middle of a full stretch on the Los Osos calendar:

1. Saturday, October 24, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Neighborhood Fall Festival at El Morro Church, 1480 Santa Ysabel Ave., with inflatables, food, trunk-or-treat and a silent disco.
2. Sunday, October 25, all day. Oktoberfest on 2nd Street, with the Kidical Mass ride arriving at 11 a.m.
3. Saturday, October 31, 2 to 6 p.m. A Halloween Dance Party with Unfinished Business at Sea Pines Golf Resort, 1945 Solano St. Costume judging runs from 2 to 5 p.m., and awards are at 5:30.

After that, the calendar gets quieter. The Chamber's events page lists entries for October and November, but nothing yet for December. If you're waiting for word on holiday events, the Chamber hasn't posted them yet.

2nd Street After the Tents Come Down

Most of the street's year-round businesses sit within a block of the main stage. Niffy's Merrimaker, at 1301 2nd Street, has a beer garden of its own along with live entertainment and local beer. Mirazur takes reservations at 1365 2nd Street. Baywood Inn is at 1370 2nd Street. According to the inn, Nautical Bean is across the street and High Street Deli is next door. Nautical Bean's Baywood location takes online orders.

To find the rest of the town's businesses, Estero Bay News reports that the Chamber's 2026 Los Osos/Baywood community map is back for the first time since 2020. Free copies are at the Chamber office, 2141 Bush Drive, Suite D. Keep one in the car for the next time someone from out of town asks where to get coffee near the pier.

At Leslie Dougherty, we follow the details of Baywood Park as closely as our neighbors do, from which end of 2nd Street gets a new stage to which corners stay busy all year. If you're thinking about what this street, or your place near it, means for your plans, Let's Connect.