Santa Barbara is full of fun festivities for you to enjoy during your stay at a Santa Barbara Vacation Rentals property. It’s known for some of its signature events like Santa Barbara Old Spanish Days and Summer Solstice, which bring in hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world. Every time of year there are exciting, cultural, environmental and culinary events that will be fun for everyone in your family! Here’s a list of some of Santa Barbara’s annual events, which are all worth planning your vacation around.
Art Crawl on 1st Thursday
Every month on the 1st Thursday
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Del La Guerra and Anacapa Streets, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
The Art Crawl gets a bunch of art lovers together to enjoy the local art scene. The Art Crawl draws a crowd of locals, collectors and visitors. Take your family out of their vacation rental and down to the Art Crawl for some fun!
Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Every February
Time: Various Times
Location: The Arlington, The Lobero, Metro 4, Santa Barbara Museum of Art and More!
Given its knack for predicting Academy Award® winners, a proximal distance to Los Angeles and timing close to the big event, this year the Santa Barbara International Film Festival will once again establish itself as the preeminent Oscar® film festival. Plan your vacation around this Santa Barbara event and stay at one of our vacation rentals close by!
Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival
April 20 – April 21
Time: Sat. 11 a.m. -7 p.m. and Sun. 11 a.m. -6 p.m.
Location: Alameda Park; 1400 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Spend your vacation at the largest Earth Day celebration in California, which strives to keep our waste to a minimum. This Santa Barbara event features over 200 exhibitors, two days full of music, demonstrations, lectures, education, food and beverage vendors and so much more!
Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Festival
Every October
Time: TBA
Location: Various
Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Festival attracts vacationers and wine lovers for an opportunity network with vintners, wine tasting, food and music. It’s the perfect event to attend while staying in or visiting Santa Barbara.
I Madonnari Street Painting Festival
May 25 – May 27
Time: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Daily
Location: Old Mission Santa Barbara
Every year on Memorial Day weekend the Old Mission Santa Barbara is transformed with more than 200 colorful, large-scale chalk drawings created by more than 400 artists. Plan your next family vacation around the Santa Barbara I Madonnari festival!
Summer Solstice Parade and Festival
June 21 – June 23
Time: 4-8 p.m. on Fri., 12-8 p.m. on Sat., 12-6 p.m. on Sun., Parade at 1 p.m.
Location: Downtown Santa Barbara and Alameda Park
The Summer Solstice parade is the largest arts event in Santa Barbara and draws more than 100,000 spectators. One thousand parade participants build extravagant floats, whimsical costumes and dance along State Street in choreographed ensembles. Festivities continue all weekend in the park with food, music and vendors of all kinds! It’s the perfect summer event for Santa Barbara vacationers staying at one of our rentals close by!
Annual 4th of July Parade
July 4
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Downtown Santa Barbara
Spend your 4th of July at one of Santa Barbara Vacation Rentals’ properties and see the parade, which begins at 1 p.m. at Micheltorena Street down State Street to Old Town Santa Barbara, concluding at Cota Street. Come watch the festivities with the whole family.
Pacific Pride Festival
Every August
Time: 11 a.m. -7 p.m.
Location: Chase Palm Park
Santa Barbara’s LGBTQ Celebration is all day entertainment, food, vendors and more!
California Wine Festival
Every July
Time: Events and times are vary
Location: Chase Palm Park; 236 E. Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Experience the quintessential California wine tasting vacation at this 3-day event in Santa Barbara and enjoy hundreds of California’s finest vintage wines, delicious gourmet foods and lively music.
Santa Barbara Greek Festival
Every July
Time: 11 a.m. -7p.m.
Location: Oak Park; 300 W. Alamar, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
The annual festival evokes the sights, sounds and tastes that define the traditional Greek way of life in Santa Barbara. Take a stroll through Santa Barbara’s beautiful Oak Park, and experience the simple pleasures of life in a Greek village. Stay at one of our vacation rentals and spend the weekend at the Greek Festival!
Old Spanish Days
Every August
Time: Various event times and dates
Location: Downtown Santa Barbara – Several Locations
Santa Barbara is transformed into a colorful spectacle of Spanish heritage. Book your Santa Barbara vacation rental during Old Spanish Days for fun for the whole family! Events during the 4-day party include dance, music, cultural presentations, a parade, a rodeo, food, arts and crafts and more!
Annual California Lemon Festival and Car Show
September 28 – September 29
Time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sat. (Car show only on Sat.), 10 a.m.-5p.m. on Sun.
Location: Girsh Park; 7050 Phelps Rd., Goleta, CA 93117
You’ll find wonderful food, a fantastic family atmosphere, and variety of entertainment and activities that have made this the most anticipated event in the Goleta Valley. Book your vacation rental for September now and don’t miss the pie-eating contests, and the arts and crafts vendors.
Annual Santa Barbara Harbor & Seafood Festival
October 12
Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Location: Santa Barbara Harbor
Santa Barbara’s Harbor & Seafood Festival coincides with lobster season and features local commercial fishermen offering the Santa Barbara Channel’s freshest seafood. Book your beach rental today and walk over to the harbor for this exciting Santa Barbara festival. Enjoy interactive maritime education, children’s activities, boat rides, live music, and more.