A California Winery Blog

In the wake of the Bistro’s upcoming Solstice wine pairing dinner I wanted to make sure to mention that the celebration will continue through the week, culminating in the Solstice Parade and Festival.  Santa Barbara’s largest single-day arts event will be held at noon on Saturday June 21, the weekend following the longest day of the year.  The parade begins at noon on the corner of State and Cota St. and continues into the evening with a festival held at Alameda Park (Anacapa and Micheltorena St.).  Part of the proceeds for our Solstice Pairing Dinner on Tuesday evening will go towards this wonderful local celebration.

Summer Solstice Parade began in Santa Barbara in 1974 and has increased in popularity with every passing year.  Handmade floats, decorative costumes, and jewel adorned masks whimsically weave their way up State St. where a crowd of over 100,000 spectators gather.  In addition to the enthusiastic throng of people who show up to watch-sitting on curbs, beach chairs, standing, or walking along-over 1000 people participate in the parade. 

The procession of people and floats end up in Alameda Park, where the Solstice Festival awaits their arrival.  The Festival actually opens on Friday evening and runs from 4-9pm, and prepartiers eager to begin celebrating can enjoy energetic drum beats, live world music, and dancing.  After the parade the Festival runs from 12:30 to 8pm and will house a Beer Garden, a special children’s area, food, and again, plenty of music.  The floats and costumes that appear in the parade are made by community members at the Soltice Workshop, in which anybody can participate in and bring their creative ideas to life. 

To find out more about the Santa Barbara Solstice Celebration visit www.solsticeparade.com.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery