CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — Long before Chula Vista became San Diego County's second-largest city, it was rural farmland with citrus groves from San Diego Bay to Otay Mountain.
At one point Chula Vista was once known as the Lemon Capitol of the World. This weekend's festival will pay tribute to the city's lemon grove history by completely transforming Downtown Chula Vista’s Third Avenue into a "lemon-filled oasis."
Everyone is encouraged to wear yellow!
It’s Friday … and all this talk about the return of the #LemonFestival has put me in a zessssty mood. 🤣 Have a great day! pic.twitter.com/JbZ3mrjkEm
— Marie Coronel (@10NewsCoronel) August 12, 2022
The festival, which will run Saturday, August 13 from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., will feature two stages of live music, zesty photo opps, a lemon cook-off competition, a kids zone, vendor boots, and a wine and beer garden.
Guest will also enjoy lemon pie eating competitions, and a wind quintet headlined by E.N. Young & Imperial Sound.
Local food vendors include Bizuri Ice Cream, Mmm…Cakes, Double Dippin, El Rey Tacos a Vapor, Elote Locos, and Ye Olde Grilled Cheese Sandwich & Tater Tot Shoppe.
It’s crunch time for Jose Barajas the owner of “Mmm…Cakes,” in downtown Chula Vista.
“We don't want to tell customers we're sold out we want to be cranking everything as possible to have their pick of the litter," said Barajas.
It's something he learned from the last big event — the Chula Vista Block Party. Barajas says it’s events like this that help keep businesses in the historic downtown area alive.
“It's great to have all these events you know it encourages people to come you get connected with the people and business owners and it's really nice.”
Dominic Li Mandri with the Third Avenue Village Association says, “ We have everything from a little kids zone the little lemons area. To and orchard grove with a lemon tree where people can tag artificial lemons to, and answer the prompt when life gives you lemons.”
For more information on the 25th Annual Lemon Festival, click here.
