The 47th Annual Oktoberfest takes over 2nd Street in Baywood Park on Sunday, October 25, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. Most of the lineup will look familiar. The Biergarten is back, along with the Kids Zone, dozens of local vendors, the Fun Run, and the 19th Annual Classic Car Show.
The ground under the festival is less settled than the lineup. For years, the vacant corner at 2nd Street and Santa Maria Avenue has held the festival's live music stage and beer gardens. On September 1, 2026, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors denied an appeal and let a two-story building go forward on that lot. Oktoberfest is adding a second stage at the pier end of the street this year. So in the same season, the festival's busiest corner got approval for permanent construction.
The corner that has always held the music
The lot at 1300 2nd St. used to be a gas station, which closed decades ago. It later held a small office building, and that was torn down more than 15 years ago. Estero Bay News reports the parcel has sat vacant ever since, and its main use has been as the site of the Oktoberfest live music stage and beer gardens.
The owner, Alex Benson, owns other commercial properties and businesses in Baywood Park. He hired architect Bob Semonsen to design the project. Semonsen has a long history with the area's planning rules. Through the 1990s and early 2000s he served on many of the committees that wrote the Los Osos general plan, including the development standards still used today. The county report describes the project this way:
"a new, two-story mixed-use project consisting of approximately 3,018 square feet of ground floor commercial retail area and 1,983 square feet of second floor residential area, 310 square feet of residential deck area, and associated site improvements."
The report adds that the project would disturb the entire 9,375-square-foot parcel. The upstairs would hold three small apartments, rented or leased. Estero Bay News points out a possible zoning question here, because the lot's commercial-retail zoning doesn't specifically allow residential use.
The plan has been around for a long time. The paper says it stalled mainly because of the sewer moratorium that hung over Los Osos for 40 years. That ended in 2016, when the county finished the communitywide sewer collection system and the treatment plant east of town. The Los Osos Community Services District has agreed to provide water.
Why parking and the Monday market came up at the hearing
The objections at the hearings came from the same street life Oktoberfest depends on. People opposed the project mainly over parking and water availability, but a county hearing officer approved it anyway. Two appeals then went to the supervisors. They argued that the building doesn't fit Baywood Park's "local unique feel" or the "pedestrian-scale expectations" in the Estero Area Plan. The county's position is that the project meets every standard in the plan.
The parking argument centered on special events. The appeals said the building would cut into parking for events like the weekly farmers market on Santa Maria Avenue, and that it relies on public street parking "to meet private demand." The county answered that the plans include 13 improved spaces. Six would be on site behind the building, and seven would run along the 2nd Street frontage.
The Baywood/Los Osos farmers market runs Mondays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. That makes the lot part of two weekly patterns. One is the Monday market around the corner, and the other is the yearly October Sunday when the music sets up there.
Where the decision stands three weeks out
Because the lot sits inside the Estero Area Plan boundaries, the county's decision could be appealed to the California Coastal Commission. The Commission received the county's notice of action on September 15 and set a September 29 appeal deadline. After the supervisors' hearing, one appellant told KSBY News he planned to appeal to the Commission.
As of Estero Bay News's September 28 report, the county's administrative coordinator, Corla Wade, said she was "unaware at this time" whether anyone had filed an appeal or might sue. We haven't found any public reporting since that deadline that settles the question. Right now the project has local approval, and its next step is still unknown.
None of that changes the corner for this year. The Car Show by the Bay registration, run by the Chamber and the Kiwanis Club of Bay-Osos, still puts the cars and motorcycles "at 2nd Street & Santa Maria Street in the heart of Baywood Park," with entry via Santa Ysabel and 2nd Street.
A second stage at the pier end of 2nd Street
The biggest change to the 2026 layout sits at the other end of the street. The Chamber lists a new Community Stage at the pier end of 2nd Street, set aside for local performers, organizations, and presenters to show what they do. The early lineup includes:
- Team Moreira Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Bay Osos Folk Dancers
- Bay Osos Line Dancers
- The Big Rock Balalaika Group
When the Chamber posted its page, applications were still open for more groups. The Community Stage is also asking for sponsorships at any level, from $25 up. The Chamber hasn't published the main stage's location or the Biergarten's location for 2026, so this year's festival map won't be fully known until the day itself. One detail is clear, though. Oktoberfest now has a programmed stage at the bay end of 2nd Street, separate from whatever happens at the Santa Maria corner.
Sunday, October 25, hour by hour
| Time | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 to 8:45 a.m. | Baywood Park Boat Dock, 1391 2nd St. | Race-day Fun Run registration, $30 |
| 9:00 a.m. | Baywood Park Boat Dock | Four-mile Fun Run along the bay starts |
| 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. | Main Stage | Biergarten Morning Party with Funk Junket |
| 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. | Main Stage | Oktobertaste |
| Noon to 2:00 p.m. | Main Stage | B & The Hive |
| 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. | Main Stage | Costume contest and car show awards |
| 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. | Main Stage | Santa Cruz Family Band |
A few details on the program are worth knowing before you go. The morning party starts with mini donuts from Sugar Lips, and the first 100 guests get a free half dozen. At Oktobertaste, five people taste a blind flight with samples from every participating brewery and share their favorites. The Chamber says plainly that it is not a competition. The Fun Run has a water station at the turnaround, and every runner is entered in a random prize drawing. All proceeds go to the MBHS Athletic Boosters. Car show proceeds support the Chamber and help Bay-Osos Kiwanis fund youth activities and scholarships.
Food vendor spaces were already full when the Chamber updated its page on October 1. The festival closes 2nd Street for vendors, food, and live music. The Chamber hasn't posted a shuttle or parking plan.
Walking the street from the dock to Santa Maria
The street numbers make the layout easy to picture. If you start early, this is roughly the order you'll pass through the day:
- Baywood Park Boat Dock, 1391 2nd St. Fun Run registration, start, and finish all happen here.
- The pier end of 2nd Street. This is home to the new Community Stage and its local groups.
- Mirazur Restaurant, 1365 2nd St. Mirazur's own site lists weekend brunch and a reservation link. It's worth checking before you go whether it's keeping its usual hours on festival day.
- 1300 2nd St., at Santa Maria Avenue. This is the vacant lot, the car show corner, and the spot where the music has traditionally set up.
The Chamber's 2026 community map can help for the rest of the day. It's back in print for the first time since 2020, with updated streets and a member directory. Copies are free at the Chamber office, 2141 Bush Drive, Suite D, open Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The office is open on several days between now and October 25.
If the building goes forward, the 9,375 square feet at 2nd and Santa Maria would hold retail space downstairs and three apartments upstairs. The festival would then need a new home for its stage. For this year, the cars still line up at that corner, the new Community Stage opens at the pier end, and Santa Cruz Family Band finishes the main stage program at 5 p.m.
Whether you're watching the Baywood corner from a few blocks away or from the other side of the country, Sara Corliss is glad to walk you through what changes like this one mean for a particular street or property in Los Osos. Schedule a Free Consultation, and we'll talk it through over coffee, before or after Oktoberfest.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
