La Arcada Christmas Walk

The holiday season has begun with a visit from Santa and hundreds of people attending the 23rd annual La Arcada Plaza Christmas walk Wednesday night.

 

The event is one of the first big gatherings of the holidays downtown. Stores were open late, wine bars were busy and restaurants had filled tables.

 

Families walked through the area enjoying the numerous trees fully decorated for the holidays along with live entertainment. The performers included carolers in warm clothing as if it were 30 degrees outside, but instead, it was a Santa Barbara autumn night with clear skies and temperatures about 59 degrees during the event.

 

Free popcorn was served from several locations. The line to get a picture with Santa Claus stretched back about a quarter of a block.