The Downtown Organization of Santa Barbara is dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of the business, cultural, community, and environmental vitality of downtown Santa Barbara for the benefit of its members, Santa Barbara residents, and visitors. Throughout the year, the Downtown Organization sponsors events which bring together businesses and the community.
For more information on any Downtown Organization event, please call
A weekend shopping festival to showcase Downtown Santa Barbara's charm. Two days of discovering retail stores, salons, spas and other businesses that collectively make shopping Downtown an unforgettable experience. Santa Barbara residents and visitors are invited to indulge in exclusive in-store discounts, events and seasonal premiers as they stroll along State Street and surrounding side streets.
State Street will be filled with lively musicians throughout the two-day event, and participating businesses will offer activities such as fashion demonstrations, refreshments and live music.
Join us to celebrate retail in its finest form while supporting local businesses. Shop Spree SB is a unique reason for regional visitors to travel to Santa Barbara and a chance to inspire residents to rediscover Downtown.
For a full listing of participating locations, click
For more information, contact Kim at or call ext 24.
EPICURE.SB
OCTOBER 2011
The Dish:
Calling all locavores, foodies and cultural enthusiasts! Join the epicurean adventure this October and take a bite out of epicure.sb: a month to savor santa barbara. The 31-day, community-wide culinary extravaganza features food and drink festivals, cooking classes, winemaker dinners, seasonal menus, epicurean-inspired art exhibits and many other tasty opportunities to sip and savor the bounty of The American Riviera®!
Santa Barbara's top restaurants, wineries, gourmet purveyors and galleries have concocted a delicious experience for the local community and visitors to the region. 90+ cuisine, libations and cultural happenings provide plentiful opportunities to celebrate the art of good eating and drinking throughout October.
What Can You Do To Participate?
Participation is easy and FREE! Plan one, several or a series of events during the month of October that feature the culture of cuisine or libations. Click on the links to learn more about epicure.sb and complete the Participation Agreement.
For a fun, safe Halloween event, children and their parents are invited to Trick-or-Treat along State Street and the Paseo Nuevo Shopping Center. All participating businesses will display an orange ghost and balloons in their window. Please come in costume to receive a special treat. Dont forget to bring a Trick-or-Treat bag!
For more information, contact Kim at or call ext 24.
2010 Theme was Miracle on State Street More than 50,000 spectators are expected to line downtown Santa Barbara on Friday evening December 2, 2011, to cheer on a colossal contingent of high-stepping marching bands, fabulous holiday floats, spectacular performance groups, local personalities, and of course, the most anticipated appearance of the evening...the annual arrival of Santa Clause, dispensing holiday cheer from atop his festive sleigh. The Holiday Prince & Fairy officially light up the night with the lighting of the large Christmas tree at State & Victoria Streets.
Parade Applications go out on September 19, 2011
The parade begins at 6:30 p.m. at State Street and Sola Street and concludes at Cota Street. For more information, contact Georgette at or call ext. 23.
Parade History
In the early 1950s, a tradition began to decorate State Street with 40 foot tall Douglas fir Christmas trees during the holidays. These trees actually lined the center divider lines of what used to be a four lane street. Sponsored then by the Retail Merchants Association, the Chamber of Commerce and the Parks and Recreation Department, the trees were officially dedicated and lit during the Childrens Christmas Parade by the Christmas Fairy. The Childrens Christmas Parade is now known as the Downtown Holiday Parade and is held annually, one week after Thanksgiving.
The parade, in its 59th year, has since evolved into Santa Barbaras only nighttime street parade. After 31 years of Saturday morning debuts, the parade returned to the Friday evening tradition in 1998. This years tradition takes place on Friday, December 2nd officially welcoming the holiday season downtown with the lighting of the 45 Community Christmas Tree located at the corner of State and Victoria Streets.
Community Holiday Tree
Join the Downtown Organization as its gift to the community arrives onMonday, November 21, 2011to be placed on State Street just in time for the holiday season!
The 45 Douglas Fir Community Holiday Tree is sponsored by the Downtown Organization and is graciously donated by Southern California Edison. The Downtown Organization would like to thank Southern California Edison for delivering the tree to downtown Santa Barbara and the City of Santa Barbaras Public Works and Parks Departments for the installation just north of the intersection of Victoria and State Streets.
The tree is expected to arrive on State Street at 8am Monday morning and be installed between 8:30am and 10:00am. The official lighting of the tree will take place on Friday, December 2 at 6:30pm by the Holiday Prince and Fairy at the beginning of the 59th Annual Downtown Holiday Parade. This magnificent tree will shine brightly through the holiday season.
Hey kids .want to light the trees along State Street and ride in a horse drawn carriage in the Downtown Holiday Parade? Then enter the 2011Prince & Fairy Art Contest! As the Holiday Prince or Fairy, youll ride in the December 2nd Downtown Holiday Paradeat 6:30 p.m. with the Grand Marshal. The tradition of the Christmas Fairy, now the Holiday Prince & Fairy, began with the first parade in 1953.
Holiday Prince & Fairy ride in a horse drawn carriage with the Grand Marshal. The Holiday Prince & Fairy are chosen for their creativity and originality in a art contest co-sponsored by the Downtown Organization and The Santa Barbara Independent. Santa still reigns over the celebration, only now hes the last parade entry and his reindeer pull him down State Street in an authentic, hand-built sleigh!
To enter, please follow these guidelines:
Open to children ages 6-10; one entry per child.
On a seperate piece of paper, no larger than 11" x 17" draw, color or paint a picture that represents what makes the Holidays Magical for you.
Entries MUST include childs name and age, and parent or guardians name, address, and daytime and evening phone numbers.
Entries must be recieved by 4 pm on Friday, November 11th.
Children selected must be available to participate in the parade on Friday December 2nd.
