Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Show Must Go On; Mostly Virtual Verson Of Santa Barbara's Fiesta Underway

The Children's Parade during Santa Barbara's Old Spanish Days during pre-coronavirus times

Wednesday is the start of the largest annual community event on the Central and South Coasts, Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Days. 

Fiesta is known for its elaborate shows, parades, and parties, but most of that won’t be taking place this year because of coronavirus.

Santa Barbara County Supervisor Gregg Hart says because of the virus, physical get-togethers are out, and Fiesta needs to take place in different ways.  That means we won’t see things like the lavish shows in the Sunken Gardens of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, and the marketplaces which feature dozens of food booths run by the community’s non-profits

The traditional opening night ceremonies, La Fiesta Pequena, will be televised Wednesday night instead of taking place live at the Santa Barbara Mission.

The Santa Barbara Historical Museum will host an outdoor Fiesta exhibition.  Plus, there plans for a Friday car caravan to replace the traditional historical parade. 

And, to try to keep the Fiesta spirt going, Old Spanish Days has been holding a series of streamed fiesta related performances and concerts for the last few months. 

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
Related Stories