A ticket to the light field at Sensorio on Highway 46 East starts at $65 for an adult and $30 for a child, plus fees. This month, work by the same artists is going into the middle of Downtown City Park, and it will cost nothing to see. Sensorio is giving the park three illuminated sculptures by the artist duo HYBYCOZO under the name "Gift of Light." The City of Paso Robles calls them a public art experience that runs year-round.
The timing matters. The sculptures arrive just as the City's seasonal lights go up around them. From late November to New Year's, City Park hosts the downtown celebrations, the main street events branch out from it, and the shuttle to Sensorio leaves from its edge. The seasonal Winter Lights listing ends December 31, and the sculptures are set to stay.
What Is Going Into the Planter
The City's November 3 press release places the three geometric sculptures in the center of the park, between the Carnegie Library and 12th Street. Each one stands about six feet tall. The lighting can cycle through colors or be set for different displays, and the City says the sculptures will cast detailed light patterns onto the walkways around them.
City Parks and Trails staff started preparing the planter at the end of October. Installation was scheduled for November 9 and 10. Many of the planter's plants, including its trees, went to Centennial Park instead of being removed. Sensorio pays for installation and maintenance under an agreement that runs through 2029, with an option to extend.
The City presents the project as part of a longer plan. In the release, Wyatt Lund, the City's Recreation Program Coordinator, said:
"Sensorio's 'Gift of Light' will be an incredible step in the City's goal of expanding the public art collection."
The ribbon cutting is set for Tuesday, November 17, at 4:45 p.m. in Downtown City Park, according to Paso Robles Daily News. Sensorio's site shows sunset times around 5 p.m. this month, so a 4:45 start puts the ceremony right at dusk. The same report says Sensorio owners Bobbi and Ken Hunter are presenting the installation to the community as a "gift of light."
Two Sets of Lights on Two Schedules
The sculptures share the park with the City's annual holiday lights, which follow a different schedule. The first phase of that installation was finished in October, and more work is scheduled for November. City Park stays open during the work, with some areas temporarily coned off.
Visit SLO CAL's holiday roundup lists "Winter Lights in Downtown Paso Robles" as free from November 27 to December 31, with the park's trees lit and decorated for the season. The seasonal display runs for about five weeks. The sculptures are covered by an agreement through 2029.
The seasonal lights officially go on at the Downtown Lighting Ceremony on Friday, November 27. The Downtown Paso Robles Main Street Association hosts the event. This year it runs from 5 to 6:30 p.m., which the City notes is a new start time. The event is free and includes candlelight caroling, coffee and cocoa, City officials, Mrs. Claus and the elves, and Mr. Ginch.
The Downtown Calendar, Built Around the Park
Every event below comes from a current 2026 listing. Most of them happen in City Park or start downtown and spread out from it.
| Date | Event | Where | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Elegant Holiday Evening Downtown | Downtown Paso Robles | 5 to 8 p.m. | Free |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | "Gift of Light" ribbon cutting | Downtown City Park | 4:45 p.m. | Free |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Downtown Lighting Ceremony | City Park | 5 to 6:30 p.m. | Free |
| Nov. 27 to Dec. 5 | Holiday Business Bingo | Downtown businesses | Store hours | No charge stated |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Christmas Light Parade | Downtown Paso Robles | 6 to 8 p.m. | Free |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Business Bingo drawing | Downtown City Park | 3 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Vine Street Christmas Victorian Showcase | Vine Street, 8th to 21st Streets | 6 to 9 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | 36th Annual Victorian Teddy Bear Tea | Park Ballroom | 2 to 4 p.m. | $15 child, $20 adult |
Business Bingo starts the same day the park lights go on and ends with the Christmas Light Parade. The drawing the next afternoon in City Park awards three downtown shopping sprees worth $375, $200 and $100. For the Christmas Light Parade and the Vine Street Showcase, the Main Street office is the listed contact. The Teddy Bear Tea is the only ticketed event on the downtown list. Albertson's, Trader Joe's and Red Scooter Deli are its listed sponsors.
The 12th Street Link to Highway 46
The sculptures also connect the park to Sensorio, and on three evenings a shuttle does too. Sensorio and Toast Tours run shuttles from downtown on November 25, 27 and 28. Riders board on 12th Street across from what Sensorio calls its Art in the Park display. The first departures are at 4:00 and 4:10 p.m., buses leave about every 30 minutes after that, and the last one leaves downtown at 7:15 p.m. Every rider age four and up needs a shuttle ticket, and children under four ride free. Visitors who already have Sensorio tickets add the shuttle by logging into their order on Tixr.
Friday, November 27 is the night when the downtown calendar and the shuttle schedule overlap. The timing works like this:
- The Downtown Lighting Ceremony starts at 5 p.m. in City Park.
- It ends at 6:30 p.m., leaving two shuttle departures before the last one at 7:15 p.m.
- Sensorio is open until 8:30 p.m. that evening, and it lists a Santa appearance and a Pianetta Winery partner pour among its holiday events for that weekend.
Sensorio's 35-acre site opened in 2019 with Bruce Munro's Field of Light. It now includes DIMENSIONS by HYBYCOZO, the exhibit the downtown sculptures are modeled on, and several Munro works, including the recently expanded Fireflies. The City says Sensorio is nearing its one-millionth guest. Its November and December hours are Thursday through Sunday, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. It also opens Wednesday, November 25, December 21 through 23, and December 28 through 30. Its seasonal schedule adds:
- Santa: November 27 and December 12, 13, 21, 22 and 23
- Partner pours and vendor spotlights: Brochelle Winery on November 21, Pianetta Winery and Copper & Stone on November 28, and Sugar + Spoon Caramels on December 5
- Sensorio Gives Back Sunday, December 13: Part of that day's ticket sales benefits the Sheriff's Department Christmas Bicycle Program and the Paso Robles Police Activities League Santa's Sleigh program.
- Nutcracker Showcase, Friday, December 18: NCDPAF performs at 5:30 p.m.
Several of these dates line up with downtown. December 5 is the Christmas Light Parade and the Sugar + Spoon spotlight. December 12 is the Vine Street Showcase and a Santa night at Sensorio. The shuttle only runs in November, so on those December nights getting between the two is up to each visitor.
Dinner Within Reach of the Park
The newest restaurant downtown opened just as the season started. Staviary opened Wednesday, November 4, at 1102 Railroad St. It comes from Chef Rachel Ponce and brewmaster Eric Ponce, and the menu is built around pairing food with beer and wine, Paso Robles Daily News reported. Rachel Ponce started her culinary career in Paso Robles and founded the catering company Pair With in 2020, working with local wineries, winemakers and breweries.
Staviary's hours fit the downtown calendar well. It is open Wednesday through Saturday, with lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Reservations are taken through its website or at (805) 439-8200. The Elegant Holiday Evening, the Lighting Ceremony, the Christmas Light Parade and the Vine Street Showcase all fall on Fridays or Saturdays, when Staviary serves dinner. The Teddy Bear Tea starts at 2 p.m. on a Saturday, while lunch is still being served. The Tuesday ribbon cutting is the one event on the list that falls on a day the restaurant is closed.
After December 31
The Winter Lights listing runs through December 31. The three HYBYCOZO sculptures are set to remain in the center of City Park between the Carnegie Library and 12th Street, maintained by Sensorio under an agreement that runs through 2029. The City says they will keep offering an illuminated art experience year-round. In January, Sensorio's hours drop to Friday and Saturday evenings from 5 to 8:30 p.m., after extra days on January 1 through 3. For questions about "Gift of Light," the City lists Wyatt Lund at (805) 237-3990.
Downtown Paso Robles is changing in ways that show up in both a property's value and a weekend calendar. If you own near City Park or are thinking about what a busier, year-round downtown means for a building or a home, Venture Real Estate is glad to talk it through with you. Contact Us.
