Santa Barbara’s Summer Solstice celebration returned in full force after a two-year pandemic pause with an updated parade route that brought a new, refreshing feel to tourists and locals packed along Santa Barbara Street on Saturday and to the thousands who flocked to Alameda Park for the weekend festivities.
This year’s solstice celebration — which had the theme of “Shine” — featured a full-fledged return with a six-week workshop leading up to the event, complete with creative floats, brightly costumed dancers, and performers of all varieties preparing for the all new parade route.
Many spectators enjoyed the new location, an adjustment made to accommodate the new dining parklets that have turned State Street into a car-free pedestrian promenade, and thousands packed picnic chairs and blankets along Santa Barbara Street, where the parade took on a different backdrop with the mountains, the Santa Barbara Courthouse, the S.B. Historical Museum, and the Presidio all along the way.
Photographer Ingrid Bostrom was along to capture some of the weekend’s brightest moments for the Independent. Check out the full gallery of images here, and check out some below.
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