LeucadiART Walk: North County's Biggest Art Show Takes Over Coast Highway 101

Overview

Once a year, Leucadia's stretch of historic Coast Highway 101 turns into an open-air gallery. The LeucadiART Walk — now in its 20th year — is the largest juried fine art show in North County, drawing around 8,000 people to browse, buy, and celebrate art along about a mile of the coast. It happens Sunday, August 30, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., it's free, and it's one of the most quintessentially Leucadia days on the calendar.

Put on by the Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association, it's more than a booth crawl: expect 100-plus artists, live art and glassblowing demonstrations, music on stages up and down the highway, hands-on activities for kids, a makers market, and a couple of beer-and-wine gardens to keep the grown-ups happy. Wander the artist plazas, meet the makers, and soak up the laid-back surf-town-meets-art-scene energy that makes Leucadia, Leucadia.

What You Actually Need to Know

• Event: LeucadiART Walk (20th Annual), by the Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association
• Date: Sunday, August 30, 2026, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
• Where: Artist plazas along about one mile of N. Coast Highway 101 in Leucadia (Encinitas), roughly between the Leucadia Post Office (north) and Leucadia Glass (south)
• Admission: FREE and open to the public
• Good to know: Family-friendly, dog-friendly, and rain or shine
• Info: leucadia101.com

What to Expect

The event is built around Artist Plazas spread along Coast Highway 101, each its own little hub of art and entertainment:

• 100+ juried artists — fine artists, sculptors, potters, photographers, printmakers, and handmade crafters, selling directly to you
• Live art demonstrations — including a Featured Artist with live demos (recent years have included live glassblowing) [CONFIRM 2026 featured artist]
• Live music and entertainment on multiple stages up and down the highway
• Children's Artwalk — a kids' art pavilion with hands-on stations and activities
• A Makers Market with additional local vendors
• Two 21+ beer-and-wine gardens with local breweries and live music
• Food and a collectible retro "road map" of Leucadia to guide your day

It's genuinely walkable end to end, so the move is to park once, grab the map, and stroll the whole mile.

Getting There

With 8,000 people converging on a one-mile stretch of Highway 101, the organizers make it easy to skip the parking headache — and encourage you to:

• Ride the free trolley. A free hop-on, hop-off open-air trolley runs the event; park for free at the La Costa Park-n-Ride (roughly 9:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m.) or at Encinitas City Hall (505 S. Vulcan Ave) and trolley in. [CONFIRM 2026 park-and-ride locations and trolley hours]
• Bike, walk, or skate. It's that kind of town — and there's a free bike valet on site
• If you drive, park legally, respect the neighbors, and use the parking pods along the train tracks

Good to Know

• It's free — you only pay for art, food, and drinks
• Bring cash — there are typically no ATMs on site, and cash helps at the artist booths and food stands
• Dogs are welcome, and the event runs rain or shine
• It's family-friendly — the Children's Artwalk keeps kids busy while you browse
• The beverage gardens are 21+ — bring ID
• Dress for a coastal day — sun protection, comfortable shoes for the mile-long stroll, and a layer for the ocean breeze

However you take it in, the LeucadiART Walk is North County art culture at its best — creative, coastal, and completely free. For more happening around the county, browse our full event calendar, or explore more of Encinitas.