SummerSolstice
By Summer Solstice Festival
Friday, June 23, at 4 PM the sun comes out! Summer Solstice Celebration kicks off at Alameda Park with music from David Segall, Grooveshine, BUDunkafunk, World Dance for Humanity, Something This Way Magic and Ray Fresco plus the food booths, arts and crafts vendors.
Saturday, June 24,will be a bright and sunny day, the perfect day for a Parade and the joy and frivolity that the sun brings. At noon, at Ortega and Santa Barbara Streets, floats, dancers, giant puppets, drums, and drummers will become art in motion down Santa Barbara Street, to delight tens of thousands of spectators.
This 49th annual Solstice Celebration has become part of the DNA of Santa Barbara, the biggest arts event in our TRI-county area. Locals and tourists, from all stages and ages, come out to see what our community of artists has produced: people-powered, made from purposed and recycled items, the Parade inspires joy, laughter, celebration, connection and is fun. Without logos, signs, symbols or words, the floats and ensembles — individually and collectively — express a unique interpretation of the overall Parade theme which this year is “ROOTS.”
The Parade ends at Sola Street at the Alameda Park Festival. The floats are parked along Santa Barbara and Micheltorena Streets – so attendees can experience these art pieces while stationary. At Santa Barbara Street and Sola will be the new Santa Barbara Beautiful Portal into the new CommUnity Zone, which includes a Children’s Mini-Fest, the Roots of Culture Zone, and the Santa Barbara Bowl CommUnity Stage. This stage will feature young performers, ethnic music and dance from our local talent including a Chumash Land Acknowledgement, the Brasscals Brass Band, Irish Fire Dance Ewe Drummers, Jagannath Love Tribe, KleinArt Dance Arts Teen Dance Company, 2023 Jr. Spirit of Fiesta Runner Up Aubrey Romero from Zermeno Dance Academy, Abigaile Fierce, and a community song led by Solstice Executive Director Penny Little.
Throughout the festival will be activities including an “Expression Wall” whiteboard where spectators can become participants to express their inner artist. Other activations include a silent disco, Flow Arts Hula Hooping, the SB Bubble Guy, aerialist performers, photo ops with Solstice puppets, the SB Rollers Free Skate, Noah the Poet writing poems for you, and a Bubble Flash Mob at 3:12 PM Saturday.
During the Festival on Saturday on the Main Stage are Love Lightning, Pocket Fox, La Boheme and DJ Darla Bea, Will Breman (runner up in the Voice TV show), and local favorites Area 51 return, plus Mashugana, Down Mountain Lights, and Petty Set Go, for a full day of non-stop music. And there’s the DJ stage, and the drum circle. And there’s an after party “Solstice After Dark” Night Ride, which will stop first at the Blue Owl, and then Wyld Works.
Sunday in the CommUnity Zone, the sun will come out for the Hula Hoops on the grass with Katlyn from Seventh Dimension. The Children’s Elves and Fairies Parade begins at 1:30 in the CommUnity Zone. The SB Bowl CommUnity Stage will feature the healing sounds of Sudama, world music by acclaimed Joss Jaffe & Alla Rakha, Gueria Gaston & the Venice Beach Boardwalk Band — West African Drums, and more.
The Sunday Main Stage is Solstice Sunday Roots Reggae, presented by KJEE and One Plant Bands featured include Cornerstone, Morie and the Heavy Hitters, Jacob Marquez and Good Vibes and OnePeople, hosted by “The Cool Ruler.”
Solstice is the biggest art party in town, with the Beer and Wine Garden, all the arts and crafts vendors, food booths, food trucks, a McConnell’s ice cream cart — for three days of amazing fun, good vibes, creativity and connection.
