Edhat Staff
The annual summer celebration in Santa Barbara will take flight with an imaginative theme
The highly anticipated theme for Santa Barbara’s 2024 Summer Solstice has been unveiled. In celebration of its 50th Anniversary, the theme for this annual event will be “Flights of Fancy.”
“Besides wings, birds, rockets, planes and other flying things, there’s fancy-dress. ‘Flights of Fancy’ and your imagination can fly you anywhere,” said Solstice Executive Director Penny Little.
The Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Celebration, which first took flight in 1974 to celebrate the birthday of local mime/artist Michael Gonzales, has become a cherished tradition in the community. The 50th Anniversary theme emphasizes the power of imagination in soaring to new heights, as confirmed by event organizers.
Board Member Amisha Zuber encouraged participants to start brainstorming and dreaming early for the special occasion.
“With our 50th year around the bend, get yourself a’thinkin and dreamin’ early! Will you be a glowing Pheonix? Amelia Earhart in her plane? Will you create glowing butterfly wings or be dressed to the nines carrying a flight of champagne? Whatever it is that you conjure up, you can be!” Zuber stated in a press release.
Selecting a theme for the 50th Summer Solstice Celebration involved public input and a Theme Party and Fashion Show at Wylde Works. The theme committee reviewed over 100 unique entries before narrowing it down to the top four options. Ultimately, the Program Committee unanimously agreed upon “Flights of Fancy” as the perfect theme for 2024.
To kick off the Solstice Jubilee, a special festivities kickoff party will take place on Saturday, November 18, from 4-6 p.m. at Legacy Art on State Street in Santa Barbara.
This event will provide more information on the upcoming 2024 Santa Barbara Summer Solstice and the exciting events leading up to the grand 50th Anniversary celebration.
All artists are being called to enter this year’s Poster Art Contest. Each year local artists submit their artwork which will be on display this coming January at Legacy Art Santa Barbara with a reception. The public votes for their favorites and the winner receives an honorarium and their work displayed on posters, t-shirts and other Solstice merchandise.
You can check out our store online: https://www.solsticeparade.com/shop.
Mark your calendars and let your imagination take flight as Santa Barbara prepares to commemorate Summer Solstice’s 50th year.
This is a good theme. So many ways to interpret it. Looking forward to seeing the creativity our community has to offer. For those who have some time on their hands, Solstice is always in need of volunteers, even for those who aren’t crafty.