"We have extreme concerns with the parklets in the roadways and doing parades in such a way that parade participants would have to ebb and flow around those parklets as well as pedestrians on the sidewalks." Santa Barbara Police Commander MaryLinda Arroyo said that to the City Council in September 2022, as KEYT reported. At the time, the City's recommendation was to keep parades off State Street while the promenade's master plan was worked out.
Four years later, the parade is coming back to the same street, parklets included. On Friday, December 4, at 6:30 p.m., the Downtown Santa Barbara Holiday Parade will leave the Arlington Theatre and head down State Street to Ortega Street. It will be the 68th edition and the first on State Street since 2019. The parade is changing shape to fit the street. This year every entry has to be human-powered.
Why the parade left State Street
The last Downtown Holiday Parade on State Street ran on December 6, 2019. Then State Street became a car-free promenade during COVID, and outdoor dining took over the old traffic lanes.
The City's own State Street Master Plan, finalized September 1, 2026, explains the problem plainly. Converting the street "created a structural conflict with parades." Large traditional parades need a wide, clear corridor for floats, horses and marching bands, and the plan says those became "logistically incompatible with the outdoor dining parklets, planters, and furniture that now occupy the former roadway."
Other parades found other routes, and moving them had costs. In 2022, Old Spanish Days took the Fiesta Parade to Cabrillo Boulevard. Its first vice president, David Bolton, told the Council that it "wasn't ideal," that people had trouble getting there, and that attendance was down an estimated 25 to 30 percent from normal, according to KEYT. The Summer Solstice Parade moved to Santa Barbara Street after the City closed downtown State Street to cars and added restaurant parklets and planters, Noozhawk reported. The downtown holiday parade simply stopped.
What it took to bring the parade back
The decision came during a budget discussion in June 2026. The Santa Barbara City Council voted unanimously to have staff work with the Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association, or DSBIA, to bring back the Downtown Holiday Parade and find $50,000 to fund it. Noozhawk noted that the money could come from community groups or nonprofits as well as the City. "The last one was 2019, so it's time we have it," Councilman Eric Friedman said, per Noozhawk. At the same meeting, Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon asked staff to look into bringing the Summer Solstice Parade back to State Street next summer.
DSBIA is now trying to raise about $150,000 in sponsorships and community partnerships to cover the cost of the parade. Consumer Fire Products, Inc. is the presenting sponsor. Yardi Systems is a major sponsor, and Visit Santa Barbara is a parade sponsor. "Bringing the Holiday Parade back is an exciting overdue milestone for our community," DSBIA Executive Director Robin Elander said in the Santa Barbara Independent's coverage.
A parade built for a promenade
The rules for entries match the street the Master Plan describes. According to DSBIA's parade page, entries must follow these rules:
- No engines. Motorized vehicles, floats and golf carts are "strictly prohibited."
- Wheels are fine if people push them. Decorated wagons, pushcarts and bicycles are allowed.
- Keep the sound down. Sound systems have to stay under 50 decibels.
- Limited spots. City permits strictly limit the number of entries, and applications are handled first-come, first-served.
So the parade will be marching bands, drumlines, local dance schools, rhythmic gymnasts and what DSBIA calls "illuminated walking ensembles," described as glowing arrays and seasonal characters lighting up the corridor. Of the three things the Master Plan says need a wide, clear corridor, floats and horses are gone. Marching bands remain, and a band on foot can work its way around a planter. Every entry is walking, rolling or pedaling at the pace of the people on the sidewalk.
Historically, DSBIA says, the parade has drawn more than 60,000 spectators along the State Street route. This year the route will run past outdoor dining for many blocks. Commander Arroyo also warned in 2022 that spectators would want to put their chairs in the street, narrowing it further. Plan on standing or arriving early, and check downtownsb.org/holidayparade the week of the event, when DSBIA will post the full staging block and start-line details.
Parking and transit on parade night
The route runs between the Arlington and Ortega Street, and most of the City's downtown lots are just a block or two west on Chapala or east on Anacapa. City lots give you the first 75 minutes free, then charge $3 for each hour or part of an hour, with a $33 maximum per 24 hours. The FY2027 fee schedule keeps that structure. For example, if you park at 5:30 p.m. and leave at 9, the first 75 minutes are free and the remaining two hours and fifteen minutes cost $9.
| Lot | Address | Near |
|---|---|---|
| Lot 5 Victoria Lot | 1220 Chapala St. | Start of the route |
| Lot 6 Granada Garage | 1221 Anacapa St. | Start of the route |
| Lot 4 San Marcos Lot | 1120 Chapala St. | Upper route |
| Lot 7 Library Garage | 1115 Anacapa St. | Upper route |
| Lot 8 Bank Lot | 1015 Anacapa St. | Middle of the route |
| Lot 2 Chapala Garage | 914 Chapala St. | Middle of the route |
| Lot 9 Lobero Garage | 921 Anacapa St. | Middle of the route |
| Lot 3 Bus Depot Lot | 9 W. Figueroa St. | Middle of the route |
| Lot 10 Ortega Garage | 621 Anacapa St. | End of the route |
The City's downtown parking page lists every lot. Paseo Nuevo's parking structure is privately run, off Chapala between Canon Perdido and Ortega. It also gives 75 minutes free and charges $3 for each additional hour, but its daily maximum is $48.
If you're planning to ride in, the MTD Downtown-Waterfront Shuttle won't be running. It operates only Friday through Sunday, May 29 to September 7, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The MTD Transit Center at 1020 Chapala St. is about a block off the route, and on weekdays it is open until 7 p.m. That means it closes half an hour after the parade starts, so check your bus home before you leave.
On the 1300 block of State Street, Consumer Fire Products, Inc. is donating the State Street Christmas tree for the 13th year.
The rest of December's calendar
The waterfront's December parade also gives people power its own slot. The 40th annual Santa Barbara Parade of Lights on Sunday, December 13, starts at 2 p.m. with a human-powered paddle parade before about 30 lit boats go out at 5:30 p.m. The 2026 theme is "Hawaiian Holiday." Here are the December dates, starting the night before the parade.
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Dec. 3 | 1st Thursday Art Walk | Downtown | 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Downtown Holiday Parade | State Street, Arlington to Ortega | 6:30 p.m., free |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass | Arlington Theatre | 7:30 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | IllumaNature adults-only night, 21+ | Santa Barbara Zoo | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Sat.–Sun., Dec. 12–13 | The Nutcracker | Arlington Theatre | Both days |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Parade of Lights | Harbor and Stearns Wharf | Paddlers at 2 p.m., boats at 5:30 p.m., fireworks around 7 p.m., free |
On Parade of Lights afternoon, City Pier will have 10 tons of snow, elves, goodie bags, and Santa and Mrs. Claus from 3 to 5 p.m. The event is organized by the 2026 Parade of Lights Committee with the City Waterfront Department, the Santa Barbara Harbor Merchants Association, the Stearns Wharf Business Association and the Santa Barbara Yacht Club. Details are on the City's Parade of Lights page.
Three longer-running events fill the weeks around those dates:
- IllumaNature at the Santa Barbara Zoo, 500 Niños Drive, runs through January 10, 2027, from 5 to 9 p.m. This is the event formerly called Zoo Lights. Noozhawk reports it now uses projection technology and an immersive California-habitats experience, and it offers illuminated Zoo Train rides for the first time. General admission is $39.95 for adults and $29.95 for children ages 2 to 12, or $46.95 and $35.95 with one train ride. A low-sensory night runs Thursday, November 12. Tickets are at sbzoo.org.
- Miracle at Pearl Social, 131 Anacapa St., opens Friday, November 13, for its sixth season and runs through December 31. The $10 per-person fee includes a light-up beanie, and part of it benefits United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County, according to Visit Santa Barbara.
- Seaside Sock Skating at MOXI runs November 21 through January 31, 2027, on a specialty tile floor instead of ice. You skate in socks, no skates needed, and it's included with general admission. Details are at moxi.org.
The Eastside has its own tradition as well. The Milpas Street Holiday Parade is a separate event, and in June the Council directed City staff to work with its organizers on funding.
Our Vacation Rentals of Santa Barbara team spends December pointing guests toward evenings like these, and it's a pleasure to add the State Street parade back to that list. If you have family flying in for the first weekend of December and want help planning parade night, a place to stay downtown, or just which lot to try first, Samantha Ireland is happy to help. Let's Connect.