Together, we keep this cherished legacy alive, ensuring that future generations understand and appreciate the rich cultural history of California.
Fritz Olenberger,
2025 President, Old Spanish Days
Old Spanish Days Fiesta
Santa Barbara celebrates its indigenous, Spanish, Mexican and American pioneer roots with the Old Spanish Days Fiesta
August
A weeklong party held in early August, Old Spanish Days Fiesta dates back to 1924 and is set against a backdrop of this lovely city’s striking architecture, like the Spanish Colonial Courthouse and Old Mission Santa Barbara, built in 1786 and known as the Queen of the Missions.
The event features a Mexican marketplace with delectable traditional food and crafts, performances of flamenco and folkloric music and dance, a carnival, mission and courthouse tours, a horse show and rodeo, and evening galas, including one at the Santa Barbara Zoo catered by the area’s finest restaurants. There’s also a parade highlighting historic moments in the state’s past that features more than 600 horses, making it one of the largest equestrian parades in the country.
Old Spanish Days Fiesta offers visitors endless opportunities for experiencing and celebrating Santa Barbara’s historical and cultural roots.
Event Themes
- Art
- Culture
- Entertainment
- Family
- Food
- Music
A weeklong party held in early August, Old Spanish Days Fiesta dates back to 1924 and is set against a backdrop of this lovely city’s striking architecture, like the Spanish Colonial Courthouse and Old Mission Santa Barbara, built in 1786 and known as the Queen of the Missions.
The event features a Mexican marketplace with delectable traditional food and crafts, performances of flamenco and folkloric music and dance, a carnival, mission and courthouse tours, a horse show and rodeo, and evening galas, including one at the Santa Barbara Zoo catered by the area’s finest restaurants. There’s also a parade highlighting historic moments in the state’s past that features more than 600 horses, making it one of the largest equestrian parades in the country.
Old Spanish Days Fiesta offers visitors endless opportunities for experiencing and celebrating Santa Barbara’s historical and cultural roots.
Event Themes
- Art
- Culture
- Entertainment
- Family
- Food
- Music
