The annual Encinitas Spring Street Fair is back for its 36th year and will provide guests with a large variety of food, beverages and entertainment for a weekend of community fun.

Coast Highway 101 will be closed from D Street to J Street for the free event, which will be held from Saturday, April 27 to Sunday, April 28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fairgoers will have an abundance of activities to partake in, from a beer garden and live music to the hundreds of food and arts and crafts vendors that will be in attendance.

“All areas of the fair are family friendly, including our beer garden which hosts the main entertainment stage,” said Nick Kale, events coordinator for the Encinitas 101 MainStreet Association. “We will have over 450 vendors as well as our awesome downtown businesses and restaurants. We encourage visitors to see it all.”

Encinitas 101 MainStreet Executive Director Irene Pyun said that one of the association’s main purposes is to support local businesses within downtown Encinitas. According to Pyun, the fair attracts 40,000 to 50,000 people a day and is a significant factor in downtown businesses gaining traffic and visibility. She said that fair attendees may not intend to shop when going to the fair, but exposure to the businesses tends to bring them back to downtown Encinitas later.

The Beer Garden Stage and The Lumberyard Courtyard stage will host the headliners of the fair. Rock, reggae and soul will be but a few of the many music genres played by performers. Headliners include High Tide Society, Burritos, The Ramblin Sweethearts and The Jonny Tarr Quartet. Up-and-coming music artists such as Blood Orange and Big Boss Bubeleh will perform at the Community Stage.

The beer garden (which is also pet friendly) will feature Iron Fist Brewing Company, The Lost Abbey, Sierra Nevada, Saint Archer and other craft beer vendors.

For parking, the Encinitas 101 MainStreet website is advising attendees to utilize parking lots at Moonlight Beach, Encinitas City Hall and the Pacific View Academy of Arts (this lot will request donations). In addition to parking alternatives, bike valets will be available for use. According to Kale, the valets will be located on the north and south ends of the fair and run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For attendees looking to get the most out of their visit to the fair, Kale said, “Wear comfortable shoes, bring some sunscreen, and try to experience the whole event.”

The large scale of the fair is significantly supported by multiple factors, from sponsors to vendors.

“We deeply appreciate our presenting sponsor, Scripps,” Kale said. “It’s great to have local businesses supporting this fair, and they play a huge part in helping make this event possible. The fees from vendor booths are another resource that helps us cover the costs of this event, and we are grateful that so many vendors love our event.”

Kale credited the Encinitas 101 MainStreet team and its vendor manager, Kennedy and Associates, for handling the issues and logistical concerns that arose during the fair’s organizing process.

Encinitas 101 MainStreet’s next street fair will take place this fall on Nov. 24.

Antonio Pequeño IV is a local freelance writer

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