Festivals and events return to Santa Barbara for the first weekend of Fall

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Santa Barbara's event fun has slowed the last 19 months.

Concerts, festivals and gatherings were all canceled or restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now that 76.1% of those 12 and up in Santa Barbara County have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, it's safer to have larger fun.

This weekend, three bigger events are happening around the same time.

Starting Friday evening, the California Wine Festival is kicking off its 18th year in Santa Barbara. The two-day event will continue Saturday at 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. at Chase Palm Park. There will be wine from across California's best wine regions including Napa Valley, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara.

Also starting at noon is CosmeCon at Paseo Nuevo. The one-day event will feature local and global cosmetics brands offering masterclasses, multi-sensory product demonstrations, swag bags, samples and product discounts. The beauty and wellness convention will continue until 4 p.m.

And for those beer fans, or if one event isn't enough in one day, the Buckles and Brews Invitational is on Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Carriage Museum.

For tickets to the California Wine Festival, visit their website or Eventbrite.

For tickets to Buckles and Brews, visit their website.

For more information about vendors and events during CosmeCon, visit the website.