Solvang welcomes next season in true fall form as the village kicks the 14th Annual Scarecrow Fest and Contest on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023.
The Scarecrow Fest lasts all month-long and concludes on Halloween.
Scarecrow winners will be announced in six different categories: "Best Scarecrow Photo Op", "Best Use of Recycled Materials", "Best Use of Business Theme", "Most Danish", "Spookiest", and "Most Humorous".
Once this year’s “Best Solvang Scarecrow” has been chosen, the ultimate winner will be announced and celebrated on Thursday, Nov. 9, at Firestone Walker Brewing Company.
The overall winner will receive the contest’s exclusive, handcrafted trophy, the “Harvest Cup”, made by famed blacksmith, Hans Duus, which may be kept on display in the winner's place of business until the end of the following year’s contest.
Locals, tourists, and area merchants will vote on the contests website.
Solvang businesses and organizations will participate in the contest by featuring a scarecrow of their own creation posted at their location.
The 2023 festival includes the use of QR codes and a digital voting system, as well as using traditional paper maps and ballots.
“This is the Fourteenth year that the (Scarecrow) contest is being celebrated in Solvang, and other Santa Ynez Valley towns have embraced the ‘Fest’. The more that each town gets into this, the better the experience for both locals and visitors, whose community involvement, and visits, respectively, benefit the local economy of the entire Valley,” said Tracy Beard, Executive Director of the Solvang Chamber of Commerce.
Entry forms for the 2023 Solvang Scarecrow Fest need to be returned to the Solvang Chamber of Commerce by Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.
Participation in the contest is $25 dollars.
