What to Know
- "51st Summer Solstice Parade"
- Santa Barbara
- Saturday, June 21, 2025
- Noon to 2 p.m.
- Santa Barbara Street between Ortega and Sola Streets
- A festival will unfurl at Alameda Park from June 20 to 22
A WARM SUMMER GREETING: Embracing the kick-off to summer in a warm way is always easy to do, if we're solely talking temperatures. The third week of June tends to be on the balmier side in many parts of the Golden State, creating cool-down opportunities to don sundresses, tank tops, and the sort of skin-baring wearables that keep things chill. But if you want to greet summer warmly, with wit and whimsy and funky flair to spare, you'll want to make your warm way to the heart of the American Riviera. That's where one of the uplifting-est, joy-bringing-est, and most inflatable-filled events marking the summer solstice takes place, and has taken place for over five dazzling decades: It's the beloved "Summer Solstice Parade," a rollicking rite that has long been synonymous with Santa Barbara.
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THE 2025 SOLSTICE PARTY... is a three-dayer — this isn't just a quick, get-it-done sort of celebration — and the central procession will frolic starting at noon on the 21st day of June. Santa Barbara Street, several blocks of it, anyway, is the sunny setting, and all sorts of high-spirited revelers will be out. Oversized wings, every sort of sequin, funny hats, fantastical floats, and the sort of sights you might find in a happy, hazy summer daydream are among the hallmarks of the color-drenched parade. If you want to make your way to the festival, head for Alameda Park, where food, art, and sparkly sights will add to the atmosphere from June 20-22.
THE FESTIVAL... is indeed festival-ing all three days but note that the Friday start time is a little later in the afternoon, so just check the details before going. Again, the eye-catching inflatables will rule the panache-packed parade midday June 21, if that's the event you just can't miss. Happy solstice-ing, dear Santa Barbara: You bring much-needed warmth and whimsy to our summers, each and every year.
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