Fiesta: The Week Santa Barbara Remembers Its Roots

Every August, Santa Barbara throws itself a party that’s been running for more than a century. Old Spanish Days — Fiesta — is five days of flamenco, floral confetti, prancing horses, and the low rumble of a whole town celebrating its history at once.

It traces back to the city’s Spanish and Mexican heritage, and to the mission and Presidio that anchored the settlement long before it was a resort town. During Fiesta, that history isn’t in a museum — it’s in the streets. Cascarones (confetti-filled eggshells) crack over your head. Mercados fill the parks. And the whole city seems to slow down and lean into where it came from.

For anyone thinking about calling Santa Barbara home, Fiesta is the week the town shows you its heart. It’s also, not coincidentally, one of the loveliest weeks of the year to see a home here.

— Lisa