Tag archives: Old Spanish Days
By Lisa Duncan For one week each summer, Santa Barbara slips into Fiesta mode – flamenco skirts swirl, horses take to the streets, and seemingly everyone finds a reason to dance. This year, Old Spanish Days unfolded everywhere from the grand terraces of Bellosguardo to the Courthouse, the Zoo and the waterfront, before one last […]
This month’s “Way It Was” takes us back to the 3rd century AD when Diocletian Augustus was the Eastern Roman emperor and Maximianus was his co-emperor. They forced people to participate in the Imperial Cult, which considered members of the ruling family to be among the pantheon of the divine who must be obeyed and […]
This year we celebrate the centennial of our local patroness having first been ceremonially depicted at Fiesta by a local Native Daughter. Saint Barbara has appeared during Old Spanish Days at a variety of community pageants and festivities dating back to 1926. Let us recall how this iconic portrayal came about. Historically chosen by the […]
Coast Village Road traded its everyday stroll for a full-on Fiesta as more than 250 Santa Barbara and Montecito residents gathered to kick off the 2026 Old Spanish Days season. Music spilled into the street, dancers twirled in brilliant color, and the village transformed into a lively celebration of Santa Barbara’s history and heritage. A […]
By Lisa Duncan “It’s my honor to toast Fiesta’s extraordinary history,” said Dacia Harwood, executive director of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. She reminded guests that Fiesta “was born out of a conversation about preservation, and also cultural and economic vitality – both still important today.” Those ideals came vividly to life during La Fiesta […]
By Lisa Duncan “This incredible turnout demonstrates that Santa Barbara County is more committed than ever to standing together against human trafficking,” declared Kielle Campbell Lindsey, board chairwoman of SAFE SBC, as more than 370 guests gathered at the magnificent Montecito estate of Amanda and Travis Twining for the inaugural “Fiesta de Fuego.” The evening […]
By Lisa Duncan “Fiesta showcases our creativity, celebrates our culture, and encourages young people to learn about our traditions through dance,” said Renee Cooper, marketing manager for the Santa Barbara Symphony. That spirit of culture, creativity, and community filled the air at La Boheme’s sixth annual Pre-Fiesta Celebration, where supporters gathered for a lively summer […]
Time was that many Montecitans were among those notorious for avoiding downtown during the first week of August, eschewing Fiesta altogether, which maybe happened once the celebration stopped having events in Montecito back in the 1980s. Now, Fiesta is making a foray directly back into the village, with a pre-festival event on Coast Village Road […]
Old Spanish Days. Possibly you’ve heard of this adorably sleepy little Santa Barbara tradition. Horses feature in the thing, I think. There is a little dancing. Some of the more intrepid participants don period costumes and wander about. But for the influx of an estimated 100,000 visitors for the five-day celebration, you could blink and […]
The Poodle Parade that was one of the quirky joys of the Santa Barbara French Festival hasn’t returned to Oak Park since being preyed upon by the pandemic. But at long last, poodles, and any other particular breed of dog or mutt, can finally strut their stuff again thanks to one of two new events […]
For more than a century, Fiesta, the celebration of Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara, has drawn hundreds of thousands of celebrants. Fiesta’s seemingly nonstop high-energy events range from almost endless Flamenco dancing and mariachi music, to performances, parades, and a partying plethora that spills from a besotted State Street into surrounding neighborhoods. The traditional […]
By Lisa Duncan Santa Barbara positively twinkled to life this weekend as the ever-enchanting Old Spanish Days Fiesta set the tone for a season of pageantry, pride, and rarefied revelry – a rather splendid social swirl, if ever there was one. With events unfolding across town, anticipation for Fiesta 2026 is already deliciously palpable – […]
Keith Moore donated a rare 1966 Old Spanish Days Fiesta poster to the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. The image of a caballero flamenco dancer, reminiscent of Timo Nuñez, still bears the artist’s signature, prompting Museum Director Dacia Harwood to call it a remarkable find. The gift carries special meaning for Moore. His mother, Phyllis Moore, […]
La Recepción del Presidente, which officially launched Fiesta, attracted quite the crowd with current Presidente Fritz Olenberger with the Spirit of Fiesta Natalia Treviño and Junior Spirit Victoria Plascencia. The oldest Presidente present was Mike Danley (1997) with photographer Fritz being the most recent. Flamenco, Fiesta, and Fun Financial dynamo George Leis and his wife […]
On Wednesday, July 30, the Santa Barbara Women’s Club (SBWC) held its 95th Annual La Merienda Fiesta celebration. Per tradition, it was held on SBWC’s storied property “Rockwood,” home of the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club ever since they purchased the property in 1927. I attended to honor their tradition and contributions to the town. Historically, […]
Social gadabout Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey, bubbly founder of the popular La Boheme Dance Company, hosted their fifth annual Viva La Fiesta at Casa de la Guerra, with more than 350 guests. Flamenco and salsa were provided by the Laura Garcia dance group, and other performances from Danza Folklórico and the Zermeño Dancers. Mezcal […]
Social gridlock reigned at the charming Casa del Herrero’s second annual Fiesta fest. More than 75 guests, numbers limited by local ordinance, crowded into the East Valley Road estate, which is also celebrating its 100th anniversary. The sunset soirée, chaired by David Bolton, Gonzalo Sarmiento, and Jenna Jobst Reichental, starred ubiquitous classical guitarist Chris Fossek […]
The Art Foundation of Santa Barbara featured local artist Derek Harrison – an instructor at Westmont College and the L.A. Academy of Figurative Art, who created this year’s Old Spanish Days fiesta poster – at a bash at the venerable Santa Barbara Club. Foundation members also displayed items from their own personal collections. Among the […]
Society Invites is most pleased to report that the 2nd Annual Old Spanish Days (OSD) celebration at Casa del Herrero is scheduled for Saturday, July 26, from 4-7:30 pm. Tickets are required and chauffeured free parking is offsite. Casa del Herrero is Montecito’s only National Historic Landmark and celebrating its 100th Year Anniversarythis year. Speaking […]
Old Spanish Days has chosen its latest Saint Barbara, a tradition dating back to 1926. This year’s halo wearer is Julie Romero Hathaway, a three-year member of the Native Daughters of the Golden West Reina Del Mar Parlor No. 126, whose mother held the coveted title in 1946. She is a graduate of Carpinteria High […]
