Annual Events & Festivals - Annual Events

Santa Barbara loves a party. No matter what month of the year, you’ll find enough galas, fund-­raisers, benefits, ethnic festivals, and celebrations to keep you busy every weekend. Luckily, the local press does a great job of publishing calendar listings, so you can look ahead and pick and choose events that appeal to you.

As you glance through our list, you’ll notice that many events are related to the local agricultural bounty. For example, there’s the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show (March), the Lompoc Flower Festival (June), the California Lemon Festival (October), the California Avocado Festival (also in October), and a host of festivals and parties celebrating the local winemaking industry.

A colorful lineup of ethnic festivals also graces the list. Many of these have become Santa Barbara perennial favorites mostly because they are fun, free, offer fabulous food, and have a delightful international flavor. Many of the fund-­raisers involving wine and wine tasting are expensive. Although you might think $50 or more is a bit steep for a few hours of sipping wine and eating hors d’oeuvres, these events are extremely popular with Santa Barbarans, and nobody minds the cost because the money goes to worthy causes (besides, you can fill up on excellent wine and hors d’oeuvres). If you can’t afford fancy wine dinners, you’ll find plenty of events to attend that are inexpensive and even free. In addition to the ethnic and agricultural festivals noted above, many family-­oriented events offer free admission.

Overview

The following listings are in alphabetical order under each month. Unless indicated otherwise, admission to all events is free (although you’ll probably have to pay for food and maybe some activities). The events that cost are always worth the money. Enjoy!