Click the image at left to view the Atascadero Wine Festival program online

Tickets for the16th annual Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival are going fast according to Wine Festival organizers. The Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 25, 4-8 p.m. at the Atascadero Lake Park, 9305 Pismo Ave. Tickets for the Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival are $40 each when purchased in advance, $45 at the door.

“There is no doubt we’ve been discovered,” said Wine Festival Board Chairperson Barbie Butz. “We have visitors coming from near and far for this year’s festival. Many are repeat visitors and many are first-timers.”

Butz said she feels the unique ambiance of the Atascadero Lake Park has a lot to do with the festival’s popularity. “The rolling green lawn and the towering shade trees give the festival room to spread out,” said Butz. “It makes for a really comfortable and informal atmosphere. Wine lovers just love this park.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be a wine festival without the wine, and the Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival has that. Some 80 wineries will dot the parkscape, pouring amazing varietals from the local wine country. Wines will be accompanied by food from noted local chefs. It’s an unprecedented partnership celebrating California’s Central Coast Wine Region with an incredible bounty of food, wine and music while raising funds for Atascadero’s Charles Paddock Zoo and local community projects.  Participants experience first-hand the diversity and world-class quality of the region’s artisanal wine, food and distinctive epicurean experiences.

Revelers will enjoy reclining on the lawn in front of the lakeside bandstand to hear the upbeat sounds of the popular “Mighty Croon Dogs.” The Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival will also feature an art show and vendor area.

More information and tickets are available online at www.AtascaderoWineFestival.org and at the Atascadero Main Street office, 6550 El Camino Real, Atascadero CA, (805) 462-0177.