El Sobrante Stroll

We "strolled" into this festival by accident last year as we were driving around and got funneled into this road. We were wondering why they blocked the entire road and noticed a bunch of people walking around, so we decided to park and check it out ourselves. They closed the road on both directions on San Pablo Dam Rd. from El Portal Dr. all the way to Appian Way. That's a pretty long stretch of road and each sides are lined with all types of booths that sold food, drinks, jewelry, clothing and artwork. They also had live bands playing on a different sections of the road, but what interested me the most was the line of classic cars parked on both sides. I was impressed of the quality of cars they were showcasing that I thought it was a car show instead of a festival. The owners of the cars were displaying them proudly with some cars with their hoods open to showcase the clean engines while others were pimp'd out to the max. The most impressive car and my favorite was the milk truck. Never seen anything like that before. My second favorite had to be the WWII military jeep. That thing must be fun to drive. But this wasn't a car show and if I had to judge it as a street festival, it's just so-so. The food sold here were OK and nothing stood out. Lots of "fair" food and mostly fried items. They had sections for kids, and the bands that were playing were singing their hearts out. Doing some research, this street festival started in 1994 as a way for the community and local business to get acquainted with each other to counteract the emergence of large malls. I don't know when the cars where included, but I wouldn't mind strolling back here again just to check out the cars. If this was strictly a car show, I'd give it a 4. But overall, it's a 3 1/2 rating. #YelpChallenge2020 review No. 96

The El Sobrante Stroll is not as long as some of the other local events; however, it does have its charm. There were several church groups, a food truck, food booths, some clothing booths, and a small car show. Then there was my favorite, a tattoo booth right next to the motorcycle club booth. The reason this is not a 4-star review is that people were closing their booths a few hours before the event was scheduled to end.I don't know how the parking might be; the Dam Road was shut down for the event. I went the back way and parked on Hillside, a 1/2 block from the action.

The El Sobrante Stroll has been taking place on San Pablo Dam Road, the major artery of El Sobrante, for over 20 years on the 3rd Sunday in September. Food establishments, some clothing booths, and a few churches, car show, and several band performances. Somewhat small, but that's also because El Sobrante itself is a small community. Food booth selection is somewhat limited, so we opted to go into a brick-and-mortar restaurant on the Dam Road instead.

A great way to showcase the local community and what they have to offer!Free!!!Great for kids. Lots of art and local business participation!

The El Sobrante Stroll is a great event for the family to experience local culture and discover businesses from the area. There are enjoyable musical performances, fun activities and a large car show. This event has a small town feel and I find it to be more enjoyable and relaxing than the Solano Stroll.