Old Spanish Days Expanding Out to State Street for Two Blocks During Fiesta

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - Old Spanish Days is stretching out its footprint in downtown Santa Barbara and adding a beer garden in the most crowded area during Fiesta.

El Presidente Colin Hayward says vendors will be booked into spots on State Street from Ortega Street to Canon Perdido Street. It is an area traveled by thousands of people each day during Old Spanish Days and it is outside of the downtown Mercado in De la Guerra Plaza.

This year there will be a connection out to State Street and into a dancers performance stage in the Paseo Nuevo Mall.

Hayward says they will be able to handle more vendors with this new footprint and that will be both food and those selling gifts and clothing.

"All the different things people expect from Fiesta, the food,  the music, the dance  and just the vibe everybody will be up for that," said Hayward.

It will bring more activity in an area that had all the people but not enough entertainment. "We had a lot pedestrian traffic here but there was nothing for them do do last year," said Hayward.
The area has had unpermitted vendors lining the street. Hayward says those vendors will not be allowed.

This year's Spirit of Fiesta Jenna Ramirez said having more people out to see the dancers perform is exciting to hear. "And being able to have  more areas for people to come and experience Fiesta  is such a great thing and just giving more opportunity for people to experience it. For the dancers, it's great because we get to share our passion with everybody. I am super excited and it is going to be so much more fun!" 

Old Spanish Days is also adding a beer garden on the eastern side of the plaza near the performance stage.

Fiesta will take place August 5-9 this year.

The parade will again be on Cabrilllo Boulevard and extend farther down towards East Beach than it did in 2025 when it ended at Garden Street.

There will also be a photography contest this year to do with the dog parade that just took place and the poetry contest taking place right now.

During Fiesta there will be a photography contest using phone cameras.

For more information go to: Old Spanish Days

(More details, photos and video will be added here later today.)