Meet John & Arica Castillo | Community Events, Art & Party Rentals

We had the good fortune of connecting with John & Arica Castillo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John & Arica, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Entrepreneurship came almost naturally to John. As a barber and an artist for the last 20 years. he’s always been built for the hustle, grind & freedom that comes with self- employment. For me it was motherhood that really pushed me to transform my preschool job into my preschool business, then I was able to prioritize that same freedom for myself and our growing family. Our original businesses make total sense for us as individuals and we enjoy every part of the freedom we’ve built through them, but what is really special about O’side Party, is that we created it together. It is the perfect curation of the things we love to do and the values that we align with as a local family.

The idea was born when we planned our wedding in 2021, it was important to us to book only local vendors, from the venue food and photos to the make up, cake and coordinator we purposely hired local friends or family businesses for every last detail. Oceanside has rapidly changed in recent years and our deep local roots compel us to create space for events that keep the small local business ties thriving. Starting O’side Party has been a wonderful journey of encouraging the most creative parts of each other while working together to offer something meaningful to the city we love so much, it is truly a love language of our own.

Through this new business we hold several free community events a year, host pop up date night and family activities, and offer affordable party rentals too. Our kids almost always tag along and it is very much a family business. Exploring oceanside you are bound to see remnants of us along the way, from playdates on the strand, to the murals at Balderrama park. We hope to keep growing and incorporate other locals in providing regular community based activities that give back to and strengthen the presence of our local community in a rapidly changing city.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Right now John is wrapping up his largest mural painting to date. Spanning five wall panels full of incredible detail using real images of his family and their journey to the city over 100 years ago, it is a deeply meaningful depiction of his family’s history and a beautiful gift to the city. Funded by the City of Oceanside through measure X, John is one of many local artists involved in the Balderrama Park Murals set to be unveiled Dec 2024 in a big community celebration at the park.

Johns attention to detail and his natural ability to create a masterpiece out of anything is truly amazing to witness, he is an artist through and through. Over the years he has put in countless hours & many sleepless nights to create a name for himself through canvas paintings, tattoos, murals, barbering & braids. The biggest challenge has probably been maintaining the work, life, parenting balance on an artists schedule.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
you should definitely start with a cruise on the strand, walk on the pier, visit Mission San Luis Rey and check out historic heritage park.

We love the view from The Rooftop Bar for a datenight, We are big coffee drinkers and regularly frequent Petite Madelines, O’side Bakery, and Alohana for coffee and pastries.

Check out Balderrama park, Classic Blends Barbershop, Stone Impact Fitness & John Q’s Republic to see paintings/murals by John

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To the local friends and family that book our rentals every year for their birthday’s, purchase canvases and commission art projects, if you attend our events and keep coming back to Oside Party with us, we hold so much gratitude for the support you provide!

Special thanks to our friends @osidehitups (instagram) for connecting John with his largest & most historic mural to date at Balderrama Park & Haley Riggi event Co-Ordinator for bringing us on to decorate some of the cities biggest events.

Website: https://osideparty.square.site

Instagram: @osideparty @johnlino @miss.aricaa

Image Credits
Kailoa Powers (first image/wedding photo)

Oside Party (all others)