By Lisa Duncan Montecito’s Eden by the beach was positively purring this past weekend, as a decidedly electric affair unfolded behind the discreet gates of the Spirit House, home to Xorin Balbes. The occasion? An exclusive afternoon launch fête for the sleek new arrival on the motoring scene – the Longbow Speedster. Guests, an eclectic […]
The 10th annual Environmental Steward Awards by Explore Ecology were presented at an informal luncheon on Thursday, April 16, at the Cabrillo Pavilion for the second year in a row. The awards were established in 2016 by EE Executive Director Lindsay Johnson and Marketing/Communications Director Jill Cloutier and coincided with the annual SB Earth Day […]
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Somewhere between a swirl of silk gowns and the clink of champagne flutes, Opera Santa Barbara’s Moonlight Masquerade invited guests to slip behind velvet masks and enter the Rosewood Miramar for an evening of operatic enthrallment and Venetian glamor. As people entered to servers smoothly interweaving the masked crowd with caviar and canapés, they were […]
Dream Foundation held its 15th Annual Flower Empower fundraising luncheon on Thursday, April 9, at the Rosewood Miramar Beach. The event welcomed more than 200 attendees from across the region and beyond. While guests arrived dressed to impress, the focus remained firmly on supporting the Flower Empower program. Following check-in, guests enjoyed a formal photo […]
By Lisa Duncan Darling, if ever there were an excuse to don something floaty and sip something chilled, it was the opening night of Aquean at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. The evening was balmy and golden, drawing a spiffy Montecito crowd to the waterfront setting with seaside sophistication. The Pacific, just beyond, shimmered softly […]
By Lisa Duncan Santa Barbara’s social set turned out in fine form last week for a most agreeable cause, gathering at the Lobero Theatre in support of More Mesa – that rare, windswept stretch of coastline, wonderfully wild and beautifully free for all to enjoy. The evening began, as all proper evenings should, with a […]
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 – […]
By Lisa Duncan Warren Butler, a seasoned entrepreneur with decades of experience in the Santa Barbara hospitality industry, and Candice Cao, a locally active artist and internationally minded creative business professional originally from Beijing, met within the Santa Barbara community and recently celebrated their marriage. Candice previously served as a torchbearer for the 2022 Beijing […]
A soul-shaking, microphone-smashing tribute brings Janis Joplin’s legend to life onstage – family, friends, and hometown heroes in full-throttle rock-and-roll mode. Santa Barbara turned the volume up for opening night at the New Vic Theatre, where Ensemble Theatre Company unleashed a full-throttle celebration of Janis Joplin – equal parts grit, glamour, and glorious sound. After […]
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Santa Barbara Yacht Club shone with sun-soaked sophistication and sparkling spirits, staging a springtime soirée that was stylish yet relaxed, silly yet serene. Guests arrived in casual, cheerful ensembles – breezy pastel dresses, Hawaiian shirts, and lightly adorned hats – perfectly suited to the sunlit scene. Bright linens draped the tables, tulips tumbled temptingly in […]
The fuel noisily ignites; a controlled explosion. The ground shakes, the gantry falls away amid billowing clouds of exhaust, birds flee the scene in panicked, sunlit flocks. The rocket rises on visible flame, gains speed and is soon ballistically tearing through blue sky on a path of its own making, attaining – and ultimately escaping […]
Return to Freedom’s Founder Neda DeMayo has had horse sense since her earliest memories. “Horse was my first word,” DeMayo says. “I have been passionate about horses since I was born, or at least I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t.” DeMayo first began riding when she was five years old, but it was […]
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper (SBCK) celebrated its 25th anniversary at its annual Blue Water Ball fundraiser, held March 14 at the Cabrillo Pavilion in Santa Barbara. SB Channelkeeper, formerly the Environmental Defense Center (1999), is an independent conservation organization that describes itself as a “science-based environmental advocacy, education, fieldwork, community engagement, and enforcement” organization dedicated to […]
by Lisa Duncan If Montecito society has a guilty pleasure, it’s clearly the “Red Hot Ferrari” – no, not the car, though there were plenty of those – but the Red Ferrari accordion, gleaming like a cherry-red speed machine. In the bustling Granada Theatre foyer Saturday, tables were dotted with accordions, daring guests to squeeze, […]
