Nestled snugly between the dramatic wall of Santa Ynez Mountains and the vast sweeping blue of the south-facing Pacific Ocean, the Californian city of Santa Barbara is truly a sight to behold. With its long history of Spanish missions, 1920s’ movie studios and beautiful natural landscapes, it’s no surprise to find that the area has become such a holiday destination for both holidaymakers and families alike. With luxury hotels interspersed with more affordable stopover accommodation like the Good Nite Inn with its hotel promo codes, it’s no surprise to find that Santa Barbara is a year-round tourist destination, thriving with culture, history and beautiful Spanish architecture.
So if you’re planning on visiting next year, here are just some of the events to watch out for that amplify the diversity, culture and character of Santa Barbara.
Annual Fiesta
Taking place every August, the annual Fiesta is a traditional event run by the Native Daughters and Sons of the Golden West, a heritage and research group dedicated to preserving the history of California. The group have been running the tourist-focused Fiesta since the 1920s’ building it up into a range of parades, flower shows and live music events. A hundred years on, the flowery, colourful tradition is still a benchmark in the Santa Barbara calendar.
New Noise Music Festival
The New Noise Festival has run for eleven years now and takes place every fall in Santa Barbara, taking over music venues and building their own stages all across the city. With a range of local and international acts performing, this music festival also hosts a music industry conference, filling up the hotels in California with a dazzling array of exciting visitors for the season.
Summer Solstice Parade
Attracting in up to 100,000 people per year, the Summer solstice parade takes place every June and sees a themed march of residents and visitors take up a mile-long stretch of State Street. Hosting out of this world parties and fantastic fancy dress, the Solistice Parade provides a must-see event and draws in locals from Camarillo Ventura County and all the way to Los Angeles.
Santa Barbara Arts And Crafts Festival
The Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Festival is an annual event that takes place every Sunday at the beachside Cabrillo Boulevard, showcasing the works of local artists. With 200 booths taken up every week, the crafts show provides customers with paintings, decorative artworks and jewellery, all with a beautiful view over the stunning Pacific Ocean.
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Santa Barbara is well renowned for its volunteer-run independent film festival, drawing in tens of thousands of visitors from all across the world as well as celebrities and stars from the local area. On top of this, the 34-year-old festival also puts films by ethnic minorities first and foremost, each year creating space and giving awards to figures such as Lupita Nyong’o and Oprah Winfrey, ensuring diversity and eclecticism. The festival also hosts a student branch, giving local and international young people a chance to kickstart their filmmaking careers through screenings and workshops.
9 Jul, 2020
