What Is the Edmonds Scarecrow Festival? Well, it’s a pretty great downtown Edmonds autumn tradition—and we happened to sweep the whole thing in 2025, but more on that later.
The short version is that the Edmonds Scarecrow Festival is put on by the Edmonds Historical Museum. Business owners and residents participate by making the coolest scarecrows they can conceptualize and build. Then, anyone who wants to votes for their favorite!
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty.
The History and Mission of the Edmonds Scarecrow Festival
Look, Edmonds hosts a lot of annual events. Almost all of them are really great, but this is one of our favorites because it inspires so much creativity and conversation. As we said in the intro, it’s hosted by the Edmonds Historical Museum. The 2026 fest is the 14th annual.
All scarecrows in the festival are handmade. We’ve seen Snoopy, Gru, his Minions, full scenes from The Wizard of Oz, and more. It’s a fun way for the local community to bring businesses, residents, customers, arts groups, and student groups together, especially since they’re all up during the Chamber of Commerce’s big downtown trick-or-treat session on Halloween. Have you ever posed with a scarecrow on that night? Bet you have. And we guarantee it was in the Scarecrow Festival.
When Does the Scarecrow Festival Take Place?
The Scarecrow Festival gives everyone who wants to participate a generous submission window:
- This year, entry submissions open September 24 and close October 24, 2026
- Public voting takes place October 25 – November 1, 2026
- Winners are announced in November
All of these dates are perfectly timed for autumn and the Halloween season. Last year, we submitted our photos and write-up on the last day, honestly, because we were working on our “Scarehorse” up until the 11th hour. It was motorized!
Who Participates in the Festival?
Here are the official entry categories—if you fit the bill, join us! As they say, the more, the merrier:
- Residential (single or multi-family homes, care facilities)
- Retail Business (stores & shops, excluding art galleries)
- Service Business (legal, medical, travel, salon—this is Workhorse’s category)
- Food/Beverage Business (restaurants, bars, coffee shops)
- Financial/Insurance/Real Estate (banks, agents, financial consultants)
- Arts/Government/School/Civic (galleries, city offices, artists, service clubs)
- Non-Voting category (for those who just want to share their scarecrow without competing for ultimate bragging rights—as you’ve likely gleaned, we are not those people)
Display Guidelines for Downtown Businesses
If you want to join in the fun, get your scarecrow ready by the submission deadline and display it in front of your home or business, preferably outside or in a front window for best visibility.
Make sure your outside scarecrow doesn’t extend more than 2 feet into the sidewalk from the front of your building (the City will get you for that kind of stuff, regardless of the fest).
Here are the three essential do nots:
- Do not use sidewalk space further from the front of your home or business
- Do not place scarecrows in city corner garden areas
- Do not use sidewalk holes designated for flags
How Voting Works
When voting opens, you’ll be able to vote online multiple times until it closes. In detail:
- You can check out all the contest entries in the online photo gallery
- Vote for your favorite scarecrow(s) between October 25 and November 1, 2026
- The top three winners in each category get commemorative certificates
- Top overall winners receive a “ghoulish goodie bag” (we’re gunning for that bag again this year)
Workhorse’s Winning 2025 Entry: The Legend of the “Scarehorse”
In 2025, we won our category and the overall fest with our bucking “Scarehorse,” which sat on a platform of the Waterworks building on the corner of 2nd Ave. S and James Street. We put together a small work team and worked together a few hours a week in our garage sawing, sanding, affixing, hauling, and more. We drank beer and ate pizza. Staff and members learned the art of woodworking. One of our admins got to learn how to use a planer. All fingers were left intact.
If you know Workhorse’s owner, you know he doesn’t do anything halfway, and the Scarecrow Festival was no exception. We had talked about participating for years, but never did because we knew we couldn’t go all in. But as soon as we did, we won the whole thing—because of course we did.
We welcome your competition, though. Come for us. It’ll only make us work harder.
Tips for Exploring the Scarecrows in Edmonds
If you want to check out the scarecrows around town and vote a bunch of times for your favorites (be sure to vote for us!), make a day of it:
- Take a walking tour of downtown Edmonds to see all scarecrow displays
- Browse local galleries, shops, and boutiques while you’re downtown
- Grab lunch or coffee at one of the many restaurants and cafes
- Check out our best happy hour spots for post-strolling drinks
- Explore our best cheap eats guide for affordable bites
And the best way to keep up with our progress? Follow us on Instagram—@workhorse_coworking. We’ll be giving you all the behind-the-scenes and final results there.
Oh, and if you’re a member who wants to join the working team, just stop by the front desk to let us know!
