State Street's Holiday Parade Returns on Foot, While the Street's Own Future Is Still Being Counted

The last Downtown Holiday Parade ran down State Street on Dec. 6, 2019. It was the 67th, with marching bands, floats and inflatable holiday characters, and KEYT puts typical crowds at about 60,000. A few months later, the city closed State Street to cars so restaurants could move their tables outside. Six years on, lower State has dining parklets along both curbs and bike lanes down the middle.

The 68th parade is set for Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. It starts in front of the Arlington Theatre and ends at Ortega Street. This year there are no floats. The Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association calls it a "new human-powered format." The format fits State Street as it is today, a promenade for people on foot and bikes. Whether the street stays that way is still undecided. The parade is coming back first.

What Can Roll Down State Street on Dec. 4

The DSBIA's parade page sets the rules for entries:

• No motors. Motorized vehicles, floats and golf carts are not allowed.
• Wheels are fine if people push or pedal them. Decorated wagons, push-carts and bicycles are allowed.
• Keep it quiet. Sound systems have to stay under 50 decibels.
• Limited slots. Space depends on city permits, and entries were accepted first-come, first-served for a $275 fee.

The DSBIA lists marching bands and drumlines, dance schools, rhythmic gymnasts, and "illuminated walking ensembles" with lit-up displays and seasonal characters. Entry coordinators get their packets the week of Nov. 16, with check-in times, numbered staging stations and disband instructions.

The tree is back too. Consumer Fire Products, Inc. is the presenting sponsor, and this is its 13th year donating the State Street Christmas tree, which goes up on the 1300 block. Yardi Systems is a major sponsor, and Visit Santa Barbara is a parade sponsor. KEYT describes Yardi as new to downtown.

"Bringing the Holiday Parade back is an exciting overdue milestone for our community."

Robin Elander, the DSBIA's executive director, said that in the association's announcement.

Why It Took Six Years

The pandemic explains part of the gap. KEYT says the last parade was in 2019 "due to the pandemic and other concerns," including the logistics of outdoor dining parklets now built over several blocks. Other events left State Street when the closure began. Noozhawk reported that the Summer Solstice Parade moved to Santa Barbara Street after the city closed downtown State Street to cars and added parklets and planters in the roadway.

The holiday parade got its start back in June. During a budget discussion, the City Council unanimously told staff to work with the DSBIA to bring the parade back and to find $50,000 for it. That 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, as Noozhawk reported. Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon asked staff at the same meeting to look into bringing the Solstice parade back to State Street next summer.

The full production costs far more than the city's $50,000. The DSBIA is raising about $150,000 in sponsorships and community partnerships to cover it. Santa Barbara police are working with the association on security and road closures.

The Street Under the Parade Is Still a Draft

The marchers on Dec. 4 will walk the interim layout, the one the city has kept running since 2020. The council has voted to keep that layout and to adopt a permanent plan, and the permanent plan now faces a referendum:

1. June 30, 2026. The council voted 5–2 to keep State Street's car-free interim setup. Mayor Randy Rowse and Councilmember Friedman voted no. The council also asked for work on accessibility, e-bike safety and design review, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.
2. Sept. 1, 2026. The council approved the State Street Master Plan 6–1, with Rowse voting no. Friedman's proposal to reopen some blocks to cars did not get support from other council members.
3. October 2026. A referendum petition backed by the Committee to Reopen State Street was turned in with 8,700 signatures. It needed 5,483.
4. Early November 2026. The County Elections Office was still verifying the signatures. The council's Nov. 10 agenda included extending the temporary order that keeps State Street closed to cars while the petition is reviewed. It also included having staff meet with the people behind the referendum about interim operations and report back in early 2027, Noozhawk reported.

The adopted plan does not settle whether cars come back. It calls for 30-foot sidewalks on both sides and two 10-foot travel lanes in the center. Retractable bollards at each intersection could let cars and delivery vehicles in at certain hours and close the street completely for events. The plan leaves operating hours for a later council vote. The Santa Barbara Independent put the current estimate at more than $96 million, about $9 million per block, including major upgrades to the downtown stormwater system. The work would be built in phases over six years, and funding has not been secured. The plan calls for construction to begin within 18 months of adoption, which would be around March 2028.

If the signatures qualify, the council has two options. It can repeal the plan, or it can send it to voters at a special election or on the November 2028 ballot. In either case, the street from the Arlington to Ortega on Dec. 4 will look as it does now, with parklets on the sides and open pavement down the middle. Under the adopted plan, a permanent State Street would close to vehicles for events like this one.

What the Storefronts Look Like Going Into December

There is a real number behind the arguments over downtown's health. Noozhawk cited quarterly Radius reports showing about 25 to 30 vacant storefronts on downtown State Street in the years before the pandemic. After the 2020 closure, the count ran 33 to 40. The first-quarter 2026 report showed 30 spaces for lease between Sola and Gutierrez streets, back in the pre-pandemic range.

The parade's own sponsor list includes a newcomer. Yardi Systems is a major sponsor this year, and KEYT notes it is new to downtown. Along the route, Edhat reported this fall on State Street Trading Post, a 10,000-square-foot vintage and maker collective at 1105 State Street. The 1100 block sits along the route between the Arlington and Ortega.

Nine Days Later, the Harbor Has Its Own Human-Powered Parade

Paddlers and kayakers get their own parade this month. The 40th Annual Parade of Lights is Sunday, Dec. 13, from 2 to 7:30 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Harbor and Stearns Wharf, with a "Hawaiian Holiday" theme. The city's event page lays out the afternoon:

• 2 p.m. The human-powered category runs in daylight, with dozens of costumed standup paddlers and kayakers circling the harbor and Stearns Wharf.
• 3 to 5 p.m. A Winter Wonderland on the City Pier, with holiday elves, 10 tons of snow, goodie bags, and Santa and Mrs. Claus.
• 5:30 p.m. About 30 lit-up boats travel from Leadbetter Beach down the coast to the Cabrillo Pavilion, then back to Stearns Wharf.
• About 7 p.m. A short fireworks show.

The city lists Stearns Wharf, the breakwater, West Beach and East Beach as the best spots to watch the boats and fireworks. The 2026 Parade of Lights Committee runs the event, with sponsorship from the City Waterfront Department, the Santa Barbara Harbor Merchants Association, the Stearns Wharf Business Association and the Santa Barbara Yacht Club. Visit Santa Barbara's holiday guide lists both parades as free to attend.

At the harbor, human-powered is one of five entry categories, alongside power, sail, commercial fishing and commercial other. This year, the State Street parade is human-powered from start to finish. The Friday of Dec. 4 runs from the Arlington to Ortega, and the Sunday of Dec. 13 runs from the City Pier to the fireworks over the water.

Plans for downtown and the waterfront affect how people use these blocks and what homes nearby are worth. Dan Regan Properties follows those plans across Santa Barbara, from the master plan's next steps to the referendum count. If you own nearby and want to know where your home stands this season, start with a free home valuation.