Santa Barbara Mission kicks off 200-year celebration with drive-thru movie night

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara Mission celebrated it's 200th birthday with a special COVID-friendly event Thursday evening.

The event began welcoming guests at 6 p.m.

Those who attended received snacks before watching a one-hour short film about the mission's history from the comfort of their own cars.

Mission staff held the drive-thru movie night as part of a campaign aiming to raise back money the mission had lost during the pandemic.

Tickets for the movie night ranged from $250 to $2,500 depending on what was feasible for visitors.

A livestreamed version of the event was also available for a minimum donation of $20.

With 85% of its revenue coming from tourism, the historic nonprofit has experienced a significant budget shortfall.

"We are looking at a potential 1.5 million dollar loss for this year. When we realized we couldn’t do a gala, we thought what can we do that’s really kicking off a campaign and a fundraiser to make sure that we can bring in that revenue we need to sustain a historic building,” said Suzy Plott, Old Mission Santa Barbara Community Development Coordinator.

The mission's latest campaign hopes to raise a total of $4 million dollars to both renovate the mission and replace lost funds.

If you missed Thursday night's event, there will be more opportunities to support the mission in the near future. Learn how you can donate and what the mission has planned on their website at www.santabarbaramission.org/200celebration.