Longtime festival moves from Walnut Creek to Antioch

ANTIOCH – For the first time in decades, the Walnut Festival will be held in Antioch instead of Walnut Creek, a decision organizers said was a necessity due to remodeling work at its longtime home.

Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek has hosted the Walnut Festival since 1976. However, as the city prepares for a new aquatic and community center at the park, the festival was forced to find a new location. Construction is expected to take two years.

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For Tammy Lagomarsino, the festival’s event director, finding an alternative site was an uphill battle. Organizers wanted it to remain as close as possible to Walnut Creek.

Lagomarsino said she looked at locations in Concord, Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, and Martinez, but faced challenges in securing a site that met the criteria for the event that originally began in Walnut Creek.

“I could only find the Antioch Fairgrounds that would give us the space we needed. I tried keeping it as close as I could, but that was the best I could do,” Lagomarsino told this news organization.

She said the decision to move the festival to Antioch has drawn some criticism from the community, who feel it is too far from Walnut Creek.

According to Lagomarsino, some felt it should have been held at Civic Park, where the festival was previously held. But Lagomarsino said they would not have been able to accommodate the over 15 carnival rides at that location.

“There would be no point in just having the festival with vendors and food. Everybody knows it for the carnival, the bands, and the vendors,” she said. “Civic Park (would take) a big part of that away.”

Walnut Creek City Manager Dan Buckshi said because of the number of trees in the park, viable locations for carnival rides were limited.

For many years, the Walnut Festival has been “positive” for the city, Buckshi said.

“It is not only fun for children and families, but it also draws people to Walnut Creek and helps to stimulate our local economy,” said Buckshi in an email to this news organization. “The City is pleased to hear that the Walnut Festival has found a temporary location and will be continuing this year. We look forward to welcoming the festival back home to Heather Farm Park in future years.”

Antioch Mayor Ron Bernal, who grew up in Walnut Creek, said it was wonderful and nostalgic to have a festival he had attended over the years come to Antioch.

“From the business standpoint, it is going to bring folks who maybe never would have thought of coming to Antioch or have never been here before, are going to get to hopefully experience our community,” said Bernal.

The festival traces its roots back to 1911, when it was a celebration of the grape harvest. In 1936, it was renamed the Walnut Festival after walnuts replaced grapes as the new cash crop.

This year, the festival marks its 89th anniversary.

Over the years, it has been held at various locations in Walnut Creek before settling at Heather Farm Park.

In April 2024, the Walnut Creek City Council approved plans to replace the existing Community Center and Clarke Swim Center at Heather Farm Park into a combined facility. The $77 million revamp is funded primarily by the voter-approved city sales tax Measure O.

Among other features, the project will also include indoor and outdoor event spaces, three multipurpose rooms, and two pools. Artificial turf will also be installed at the ball fields, Buckshi said.

In August, the existing community center was closed, with demolition and construction slated for early next year, according to the city’s website.

Because of the change in venue, Lagomarsino is concerned the festival may not draw a huge crowd. One longtime feature – the invite-only night carnival for special needs children and their families – will not be available at this year’s festival.

Lagomarsino feared that confusion and safety issues would arise in Antioch, making the event more difficult to put on. Previously in Walnut Creek, she said some families had attempted to gain free entry into the night carnival, despite being told it was an invitation-only event.

“I just didn’t want to put it where anybody was having to argue with anybody, because we can’t let them in,” she said.

Another challenge Lagomarsino faces is getting enough help at the festival. In 2023, it was called off due to a lack of volunteers.

“They were quick to judge about that, but they weren’t asking to be a volunteer. And that was the frustrating part,” she said in regards to community feedback. “If you’re going to complain that I can’t have it because of volunteers, then give me a few hours of your time.”

The four-day Walnut Festival starts on Oct. 16. Apart from carnival rides, there will also be a kids zone, live music, food vendors, and a craft beer and wine garden.

There are currently seven confirmed bands and groups that will perform, such as 3 Queens of Motown, a tribute band that performs songs from Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin; Take 2, a dance group that performs music from different genres; Soucano, a Latin rock, Chicano and soul cover band; The Cheeseballs, a dance group; and blues artist Tia Carroll.