Hoes Down Harvest Festival Returns: October 5 in Guinda, California
Photos courtesy of the Hoes Down Festival
Celebrate agricultural arts and sustainable living at the 33rd annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival at Full Belly Farm on Saturday, October 5, 2024. The festival opens at 11am and goes full steam with live music and dancing until 11pm. Those who choose to stay and camp out at the farm also get treated to a Sunday morning breakfast buffet!
For over 33 years, the Hoes Down Festival has welcomed thousands of families to this 450-acre working farm in northwestern Yolo County, giving an unparalleled opportunity to grow a deeper relationship with agriculture. You’ll learn first-hand about the positive impact of farming with tours of Full Belly Farm and workshops throughout the day on agricultural topics like building a small sustainable farm, soil health, beneficial insects, growing and maintaining fruit trees, raising chickens, sheep shearing, and more. A craft marketplace showcases farm-made products and an all-organic farmers’ market boasts the bounty of the season like fresh-picked almonds and walnuts and a huge variety of melons, tomatoes, and pumpkins.
The festival’s magical children’s area has been described by National Geographic Magazine as the “Best in the State” with arts and crafts, storytelling, farm animals to visit and lots of games and contests—all with an agricultural theme. Kids can watch a cow being milked, climb a large hay fort, run through a sudan grass maze, and make felt out of wool. Attendees of all ages delight in live music by the area’s best musicians and the festival’s popular Contra Dance.
Full Belly Farm is located off State Highway 16 just past Guinda in the agriculturally diverse Capay Valley, which is less than two hours away from most East Bay location. Tickets must be purchased online at eco-farm.org/hoes-down. Adult tickets are $70 for entry and $30 for camping. Children 4-16 are $25 for entry and $10 for camping. Tent and RV camping is available. Attendees can sleep under the stars in the Full Belly Farm walnut orchard. Camping passes include the famous Hoes Down farm fresh breakfast on Sunday morning.
The Hoes Down Harvest Celebration is a program of the Ecological Farming Association, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. All proceeds from the event will go to benefit sustainable agriculture, local organizations, and worthy projects benefiting the environment and rural communities. In 2023, the festival donated over $140,000 to several California organizations working to ensure that the agricultural arts and rural communities continue to thrive.
For more information, please visit eco-farm.org/hoes-down or email hoesdown@fullbellyfarm.com
