Paso Robles celebrating New Year’s Eve with a giant, 20-foot bonfire and party

A fiery new Paso Robles New Year’s Eve tradition is returning for its second year in the Downtown City Park.

The Paso Robles New Year’s Eve Bonfire and Concert started last year and is back “by popular demand,” according to the event’s website.

Shonna Howenstine, a civic engagement coordinator for the city, said this year’s bonfire will be even bigger and brighter than last year’s blaze, burning through dozens of wood pallets stacked more than 20 feet into the air at the park.

Howenstine said the tower was sourced from businesses that wanted to dispose of non-treated pallets and will likely burn for several hours.

Festivities and music start at 7 p.m., with the bonfire lighting taking place by 7:30 p.m. The free concert will continue through the evening. Parking is free throughout downtown for the event.

A chance of rain is in the forecast for Sunday, but the bonfire will go on regardless of what the weather does.

“There’s not a lot of community New Year’s Eve events around the county,” Howenstine said. “Rather than have it go all the way until midnight, we’re doing the ball drop at 9 p.m. to coincide with midnight on the East Coast for people who want to get home at a decent hour.”

Howenstine said last year’s event drew “a couple thousand people,” and she expected even more this year with more notice in advance and planning this time around.

The eight-piece Lucky Devils Band will perform at a nearby stage, and dining options will include a lineup of food trucks offering local beer, sparkling wine and cocktails from Paso Robles Distillery Trail, California Coast Beer Co., SLO Meltdown, La Patrona and Central Coast Kitchen, Howenstine said.

A portion of beverage sale proceeds will benefit two local nonprofit organizations, the Paso Robles Firefighters Association and the Paso Robles Police Officers Association, according to a news release on the event.

“We’re very excited to bring back the New Year’s Eve event this year,” Paso Robles Mayor John Hamon said in the release. “We really want our residents to feel a sense of belonging to their community, and continuing this tradition is one way we can help foster that feeling.”

Howenstine said the free all-ages event will feature face painting and glitter tattoos for children, weather permitting.

The festivities will be emceed by former “Up & Adam in the Morning” radio show host Adam Monteil.

The event will also be the last night for the holiday lights decorating the park. They will be taken down the next day.